Vertex Views

Tag: job

  • The Myth of Passion: Why You Don’t Need to “Love” Your Job

    You don’t need to love your job.
    You don’t even need to like it most days.
    And that doesn’t make you broken. It makes you human.

    Somewhere along the line, society decided that work isn’t just something you do — it’s supposed to be your soulmate.
    Your life purpose.
    Your emotional oxygen.

    “Find your passion!” they said.
    “Do what you love!” they said.
    “You’ll never work a day in your life!” they said.

    Yeah, well… turns out that was all hot garbage.

    In the real world, rent exists. Family expectations exist. Mental health isn’t solved by a scented candle. In this world, passion is a luxury, not a necessity.

    Here’s the uncomfortable, liberating truth nobody wants to accept:

    You don’t need to love your job.
    You just need a job that doesn’t make you hate your life.

    Let’s dive in.

    1. Passion Is a Terrible Career Strategy

    If we all followed our passions, the world would be overrun with:

    • motivational speakers with no motivation
    • “freelance” photographers who haven’t taken a photo in months
    • ex–TED Talk addicts
    • people who peaked in college but refuse to admit it

    Passion feels good, but makes terrible career decisions because passion doesn’t pay the bills — skills do.

    Passion is fun.
    Skill is leverage.
    And leverage builds a life.

    You don’t need passion to build a great career.
    You need competence and consistency. You also need the ability to stay calm. This is important when someone adds a last-minute “quick change” to your deck at 11 PM.

    2. You’re Not Supposed to Love Work. That’s Why It’s Called “Work.”

    Here’s something radical:

    Maybe work isn’t supposed to be your source of joy.
    Maybe it’s just supposed to be… work.

    Something you do well.
    Something that funds your life.
    Something that doesn’t make you cry in the bathroom every Tuesday.

    The whole “love your job” narrative was invented by companies that needed people to tolerate 60-hour workweeks with a smile.

    If you truly loved your job, they wouldn’t have to pay you to show up.

    3. Passion Grows From Mastery — Not the Other Way Around

    People think passion magically appears like some divine calling.

    But passion is really just:

    • getting good at something
    • realising people value it
    • realising you value it
    • feeling proud of what you can do
    • and suddenly, boom — passion

    Passion follows progress.
    It doesn’t precede it.

    You don’t find passion.
    You build it.
    Brick by boring brick.

    4. The Real Goal Isn’t Passion — It’s Freedom

    People chase “passion” because they think it guarantees a happy life.

    But passion is not the goal.
    The real goal is freedom.

    Freedom to choose your work.
    Freedom to say no to bad clients or bad bosses.
    Freedom to take breaks without guilt.
    Freedom to build a life outside work that actually means something.

    Passion is optional.
    Freedom is essential.

    And freedom doesn’t come from “obeying your heart.”
    It comes from stability, skills, discipline, and money — the unsexy quartet of adulthood.

    5. Passion Makes You Emotional; Skill Makes You Valuable

    Here’s the truth people avoid because it hurts:

    Passion alone makes you replaceable.
    Skill makes you irreplaceable.

    The market doesn’t care if you’re passionate.
    It cares if you’re useful.

    The people who thrive aren’t the ones who love what they do — they’re the ones who deliver.

    Consistently.
    Predictably.
    Professionally.

    Passion burns hot and fast.
    Skill pays forever.

    6. You Can Love Your Life Without Loving Your Job

    This is the real twist.

    You don’t need passion at work if you have passion outside of work.

    You can:

    • Love your friends
    • Love your hobbies
    • Love your fitness routine
    • Love your partner
    • Love your side projects
    • Love your weird little obsessions
    • Love your peace
    • Love your life

    And still be completely neutral about the job that funds it.

    And that’s not failure.
    That’s balance.

    Your job doesn’t have to be your everything.
    It just has to not be your nothing.

    The Big, Liberating Truth

    The myth of passion is exactly that — a myth.

    You are under zero obligation to:

    • Find your calling
    • Discover your purpose
    • worship your career
    • Turn your passion into your paycheck
    • Force meaning where there isn’t any

    You need to become good at something. It should give you enough stability. This will help you build a life you actually care about.

    Passion is optional.
    Peace is priceless.

    So stop chasing passion like it’s the Holy Grail.
    Start building a life where your work supports you — not defines you.

    That’s where the real magic is.

  • Overcoming Career Identity Crisis: 3 Key Signs

    There comes a time in your job when you look at the laptop screen. You think, “Wow… A caffeinated squirrel replaces me, and no one would notice.”
    Congratulations. You’ve just entered the Career Identity Crisis, the existential meltdown we all pretend we’re too busy to have.

    And trust me, I’ve been there. More than once.

    The Moment You Realize Your Job Isn’t You

    When I was early in my career, I thought getting a good job would magically solve everything. Income, confidence, future, dating life, the whole package.
    But the first time I landed a “serious” role, I remember sitting in a conference room listening to a 14-slide presentation on font alignment and thinking:

    “If this is adulthood, I want a refund.”

    My mistake?
    I confused what I do with who I am.
    And that’s exactly how the identity crisis sneaks in.

    Most of us grew up in a culture that worships productivity like it’s a religion. You’re told your worth is tied to your title and salary. It is also tied to your LinkedIn headline. Additionally, it is tied to your ability to tolerate meetings that should’ve been emails.

    So when work feels meaningless, you don’t just hate your job, you start feeling like you don’t matter.
    And that’s dangerous.

    The Three Signs You’re in a Career Identity Crisis

    And no, these aren’t subtle.

    1. You’re busy all the time but achieve absolutely nothing

    Your Google Calendar looks like Tetris on hard mode, but your soul is running Windows 95.
    You’re always “on,” but nothing feels authentic or important.

    When this happened to me, I realized I wasn’t working.
    I was performing work.
    A full-time actor in a badly written corporate drama.

    2. Your motivation needs life support

    If your Monday needs three coffees and a small prayer to get moving, you’re not lazy.
    You’re misaligned.

    I once spent months convincing myself I “just needed to push harder.” Then I realized the job didn’t fit my values at all. It was like forcing myself into shoes two sizes too small. The more I tried, the more it hurt.

    3. You can’t answer the question: “What do you want next?”

    Whenever someone asked about my long-term career plan, I’d mumble something like:

    “Uh… growth? Opportunities? Learning things?”

    Translation:
    “I have no idea what the hell I’m doing.”

    Your career isn’t meaningless — it’s just undefined. And undefined things feel empty.

    You’re Not Broken, Your Career Story Is

    The real problem isn’t that your job sucks (though it does).
    The problem is your story about your job is outdated, inherited, or simply borrowed.

    We pick careers based on:

    • parental expectations
    • peer pressure
    • job security
    • salaries that sound sexy
    • random luck
    • panic

    Rarely do we choose based on identity, values, or what we actually give a damn about.

    So your career isn’t meaningless.
    It’s just based on the wrong script.

    The Way Out: Redesign Your Identity, Not Your Job

    Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
    Most people try to fix a career crisis by switching jobs.
    But the real fix is switching identity.

    1. Define what you value more than your job title

    For me, it was creativity, autonomy, and impact.
    Once I realized this, I stopped chasing “impressive roles” and started chasing meaningful ones.

    Ask yourself:
    What feeling do I want my work to give me?
    Clarity? Contribution? Freedom? Achievement?

    Your job should support your values, not replace them.

    2. Start building skills that align with your real identity

    Not the identity your boss assigned you.
    Your real one.

    When my own crisis hit, I started writing on the side. I wrote blog posts, ideas, and weird essays. That became the foundation of my creative identity.
    Suddenly, work didn’t define me anymore.
    I did.

    3. Create an identity bigger than your job

    Titles can be taken away.
    Industries collapse.
    Companies fail.
    Your identity shouldn’t.

    Be the person who:

    • solves problems
    • communicates well
    • creates value
    • adapts fast
    • keeps learning

    That identity travels with you everywhere.

    The Meaning You Want Isn’t Missing, It’s Misplaced

    Your job isn’t supposed to complete you.
    It’s supposed to support you.

    Once I stopped expecting my job to make me feel worthy, everything clicked.
    My career made sense again. It wasn’t because it got easier. It was because I stopped expecting it to carry my entire identity on its shoulders.

    Meaning doesn’t come from your job.
    It comes from you.

    The Real Question

    You don’t need to ask “Why does my job feel meaningless?”

    You need to ask:

    “What part of myself have I stopped bringing into my work?”

    Find that piece.
    Rebuild from there.
    Your career won’t just feel meaningful, it’ll feel yours unmistakably.

  • How to Get a Raise Without Being “That Guy”

    Let’s talk about getting paid more without being that guy. You know, the office caricature who’s either a desperate kiss-ass, a loud complainer, or worse, the guy who brags about working weekends while crying into his overpriced cold brew. Because here’s the thing: most people want a raise. Few know how to get one. And almost nobody knows how to get it without turning into a meme.

    So let’s cut the crap and talk about how to make more money, without losing your dignity, your colleagues’ respect, or your sanity.

    First, Stop Thinking a Raise Is About “Asking”

    If you’re approaching your boss with a “Hey, I’d like more money,” congratulations, you’re already screwed. Raises aren’t birthday gifts; they’re investments. Your boss isn’t Santa Claus; they’re an ROI calculator in business casual. They’ll only say yes if you’ve made yourself too valuable to say no to.

    That means the conversation isn’t about your rent going up or that Bali trip you want to take next summer. It’s about proving you’re already performing at a higher level than you’re being paid for.

    Become the Person Who Solves Problems Nobody Else Wants To

    Every office has problems so painful that everyone tiptoes around them. That confusing client report system? That repetitive manual task that sucks hours out of everyone’s life? That awkward meeting nobody knows how to run?

    Become the person who fixes those problems. Because here’s the secret: companies don’t pay for effort. They pay for pain relief.

    If you make your boss’s life easier, you’re not just an employee—you’re an ibuprofen in human form. And people pay for ibuprofen.

    Make Yourself Too Valuable to Lose

    If you disappeared tomorrow, would anyone notice? Be honest.
    If your answer is “meh,” then your raise request will also get a “meh.”

    To be irreplaceable, build two things:

    1. Competence: Do your actual job so well that people don’t have to think about it.
    2. Connection: Build relationships. Not sleazy, networking-card-exchange relationships, but real ones. Know what other teams are working on, offer help, and become a resource.

    If people actually like you and rely on you, your boss will need a damn good reason not to pay you more.

    Document Your Wins Like You’re Building a Legal Case

    If you’re waiting for your boss to notice your contributions, you’ll be waiting forever. Managers are busy; they barely remember their own wins, let alone yours.

    So keep a “brag file.” Track everything you do that moves the needle: revenue you generated, costs you cut, clients you saved, processes you improved.

    When it’s time to ask for that raise, you’re not begging, you’re presenting a spreadsheet of reasons why not paying you more would be insane.

    Timing Is Everything

    Asking for a raise after your company just announced layoffs is like asking your parents for a pony after they filed for bankruptcy. Not gonna happen.

    The best time to ask? After you’ve just delivered measurable value or crushed a major project. Catch your boss in that sweet spot when they’re still impressed by your work and haven’t yet been crushed by 74 unread emails.

    Have the Conversation Like a Damn Professional

    When you finally sit down with your boss, don’t grovel, don’t threaten to quit, and for the love of Wi-Fi, don’t cry.

    Instead, be calm, confident, and specific:
    “Over the past year, I’ve increased sales by X%, streamlined Y process, and taken on Z responsibility. Based on my contributions, I’d like to discuss adjusting my compensation.”

    That’s not arrogance. That’s evidence.

    If They Say No, Don’t Sulk—Strategize

    Rejection isn’t a personal attack; it’s data. Ask what you’d need to accomplish to make a raise possible in the future. Get it in writing if you can.

    Then go do the thing, or, if your boss is clearly full of it, polish up that résumé and take your talents somewhere they’re worth more.

    The Bottom Line

    Raises aren’t about asking. They’re about becoming so valuable that “no” feels ridiculous. It’s less about demanding recognition and more about making yourself indispensable.

    Be the solution to someone’s headache, document your wins like a true overachiever, and have the conversation like an adult.

    Do that, and you won’t just get a raise—you’ll get respect. And let’s be real, that’s the real flex.

  • How to outsmart 99% of job applicants

    The competition for great jobs is fiercer than ever. Research shows that, on average, 250 candidates apply for each job, but only five or six get an interview. And as technology advances, AI will put more jobs at risk. You need to do all you can to stand out and beat the competition. So, today, we’ll look at research-backed methods you’ve not heard of to maximize your chances of success.

    Tip #1 – Be a purple cow

    You’re driving down a country road, passing farm after farm of regular brown cows, and then suddenly you see a purple one. What do you do? I bet you’d want to park up and take a closer look. The purple cow isn’t so attention-grabbing because it’s a little bigger or a different shade of brown.

    You notice it because it’s unexpected and different from the others. The purple cow is a metaphor that author and business guru Seth Godin uses in his book Purple Cow. Godin says that today, businesses can’t rely on traditional marketing and advertising to sell their products. The old ways don’t work anymore. They’re not enough. Every business uses the same tactics and techniques. So instead, to succeed, businesses need to be remarkable. They need to stand out. They need to be different. Like a purple cow. According to Seth Godin, we can apply this idea as much to job seeking. Recruiters sift through hundreds or thousands of brown cows when assessing candidates. To give yourself a shot and set yourself apart from the 99%, think about what will make someone look twice.

    It could be anything. Everyone has something that makes them different, so lean into who you are. Be bold and show hiring managers your personality. You could send a video CV to make it interactive or use graphics or bold colours to make your qualifications stand out. You could even get creative with your cover letter and write it as a short story, poem, or social media post, if that would impress the company you want to work at. Another way to be memorable is to do something most people don’t think about and show how great your work is instead of telling. Successful job seekers include projects they’ve worked on in their applications or create a website or blog that recruiters can check out themselves.

    To stand out, you could even do a project like what you’d be doing on the job. A kind of mock project to show your initiative, creativity, and skills. A final option is to list your unusual and impressive skills or knowledge. Maybe you can recite pi to 25 digits. Perhaps you recently posted a video on TikTok that went viral. Maybe you know everything there is to know about Formula One or World of Warcraft. Whatever it is, there could be someone on the other side of your application who shares your passions or wants to learn more. And this could be your edge.

    Tip #2 – Harness the power of weak ties

    You’ve probably heard that when job seeking, it’s not what you know, but who you know.

    While we take this for granted, it wasn’t always this way. In the 1970s, a professor at Stanford conducted a study on job hunting. He took almost 300 men in the US and asked them about how they got their current positions. The researcher found that what he called weak ties played a much more important role in helping people find work than their strong ties. Strong ties are the people we know best – friends, family, and close colleagues. In contrast, weak ties are people who are part of different social circles and professional networks. A 2022 follow-up study of 20 million LinkedIn users over five years reached the same conclusion. Our weakest connections help us get the jobs we want, and our strongest connections help the least.

    So how is this? Why are people we don’t know very well so powerful for us when job-seeking? Well, according to the weak tie theory, the reason is that the strong ties are too similar. They might be of a similar age or live near us and share our values and interests. But, weak ties are often unlike us. They might work in a different industry or city, or have skills we don’t. This means that weak ties give us ideas and information we’d never get from strong ties. They connect us to people and opportunities we wouldn’t usually be exposed to, opening doors and making intros. People we’re close to tend to have all the same skills and pursue the same roles. If they’re struggling to find their dream jobs, it’s because of the same reasons you are.

    They won’t have the knowledge and advice that weak ties have, and these are what’ll help you get ahead. We should always be building our professional and social networks, in person and online, throughout school and at work. When job-seeking, we should think hard about who we know who might be able to help offer guidance and reach out to them. People are always more open to helping than we imagine. And, of course, the best way to strengthen ties is always to give back whenever someone asks for your advice.

    Tip #3 – Tell a great story

    Since the beginning of time, humans have been sharing information via stories. It’s how we’re wired. Before writing, it was our only way to communicate. And still today, our brains process stories much more easily than facts and data. There’s a reason we find it hard to not keep binging our favourite shows, but get bored looking at spreadsheets.

    Stories make us feel good. Storytelling releases chemicals in our brains, like dopamine and oxytocin, associated with pleasure and bonding, making listening to or watching stories enjoyable. A part of the brain called the limbic system plays a central role in processing emotions, forming memories, and reducing stress. Stories activate our limbic system, making us more emotionally invested in them and helping us store them as long-term memories. Yet, we process data and factual information more analytically. They don’t stimulate the same brain areas, instead activating parts of the brain associated with logical reasoning and problem-solving. Despite the power of stories, 99% of job seekers don’t use them. They all do the same thing, presenting their experience and qualifications in a dry, factual way. Brain expert John Medina says that often the main reason that one candidate gets a job over another is that the successful candidate weaved emotion into their resume and interview.

    Recruiters aren’t as rational as they think they are. They’re human too. They have emotions, and these emotions will influence what they think of you. Telling stories will release feel-good chemicals in their brains. They’ll feel more positive about you, and be more likely to remember you. And they won’t know why. Telling a story in your application or interview isn’t as hard as it might sound. Think about how your skills and experience fit into a narrative that makes sense, and how the job you’re applying for slots into this story. Let your passion for the job come through, and include setbacks and challenges to make your story more relatable. Talk about how you built your skills and strengths, and not about what they are. And, make sure your stories are genuine. Made-up stories always do more harm than good.

    Applying for jobs is tough. You need to put yourself in the best possible position to stand a chance of succeeding. The good news is that 99% of job seekers do the same thing, turning in predictable applications and never thinking outside the box. Give these tips a try next time you’re looking to move jobs and let me know how it goes in the comments.