Do what you like, or like what you do?

by Patrica Rose, Director of Career Services

Jeffrey Coon in "Sunday in the Park with George." Photo by Mark Garvin, courtesy of The Arden Theater.

Which is better, to do what you like or to like what you do?  I started thinking about this last week while attending the theatre, when the question was posed by a character in Sunday in the Park with George, now playing here in Philadelphia.  So many students and recent graduates, having been told to follow their passion, are intent on doing what they like, either in a particular field   (you like art: find a job in a gallery) or a particular function (you like to write: find a job as a journalist or a speechwriter).

Too often, though, the result is a poor match.  Although they are working in a field or function they love, that doesn’t necessarily translate into a perfect job.  In fact, there is no job where you can do what you like all the time.  All jobs have their drudgery.   In fact, I think it is very hard to find a job where you can do what you like for the majority of the time, particularly at the entry level, when dues unfortunately have to be paid.

Some of the happiest people I know are successful in jobs or careers they happened into.  They took a job because it was a) available, b) in a convenient  location or c) because someone they knew helped them get the offer.  They assumed they would do it for a while, and then move on, to something closer to their passion.  But surprisingly, they discovered they liked the work, the people, the challenges.  It turned out to be a great fit.  They prospered.  And almost every day when they go to work, they like what they do.

Therefore, my conclusion is that it is far better to like what you do.  Do you agree with me?

Navigating the federal career maze

During my time at Penn, I’ve noticed that there’s an increasing interest in government careers.  The number of College undergrads who succeeded in finding a job in the government after they graduate nearly doubled from 2008 to 2009.

It’s fantastic that Penn students are getting jobs in the public sector but I know that finding federal job postings can be a bit of a mystery.  Everyone knows about USAJobs, but most college students actually get their jobs by applying directly to the federal agencies and into one of their student programs and by networking, just like people do in the private sector.

That means you have to do thorough research of opportunities that interest you.  For instance, if you’re looking to work abroad, don’t just apply to the State Department, but also include other agencies that have an interest internationally, including the Department of Agriculture, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the International Trade Administration.

Here are a few websites that I’ve found useful for researching federal agencies and opportunities beyond the usual suspects:

(1)  In the Partnership for Public Service’s Federal Careers by Field of Interest guides, you can find by major or career field lists of federal agencies hiring in those fields, top position titles, sample internships and jobs, and geographic distribution of those jobs.  This is how I find out that the Department of Defense is the biggest federal provider of communications positions and that you have to search for public affairs specialists if you’re look for a PR job in the government.

(2)  To find federal agencies located near where you want to live, try the new www.google.com/unclesam, the good old blue pages of the phone book, and the local Federal Executive Board‘s agency lists.  When I typed “San Diego psychology positions” into www.google.com/unclesam, a bunch of jobs for psychology graduates in San Diego area federal agencies appeared in the search results.

(3)   If you like numbers and can tolerate a less friendly interface, you also might like using Fedscope to research which federal agencies are located in your state and what and how many positions they have in your field.  When you’re on this website, click on employment and the most recent data (month/year) to access a wealth of federal employment data.

    Our wisdom on this topic is kept on the Career Services’ Make an Impact resource website. Check it out. And please share your tips with us in the comments section.