Why you should stay at a company if it’s not helping save the world

I once knew a guy named Brian. Brian was a recent college graduate and he wanted to work for an environmental nonprofit, but he couldnt find a job. All of the organizations that interested him could only offer volunteer roles, and Brian needed to pay his rent.

Brian received a job offer in pharmaceutical sales. At first, he was resentful Big Pharma wasnt what he signed up for when he went to college. But after thinking it over, he decided to take the job and make the best of it.

Brian used the huge company as his personal training ground. He talked to people in every department to learn about different functions of the business. He mastered the process of how new drugs were invented, approved, manufactured, and sold, and learned essential transferable skills including finance, marketing, IT, customer relations, and of course, sales.

Brian quickly became one of the top-ranked salespeople in his division and was promoted to manager. At this point, he was more marketable to the nonprofits, so I asked if hed leave Big Pharma. Why would I do that? he said. I want to do work that matters, and Ive found a way to do that here.

What constitutes meaningful work

Many people aspire to do work that changes the world. According to a 2015 study of nearly 2,000 global employees by IBMs Institute for Business Value, 20-25 percent of respondents in all age groups cited a long-term career goal of helping solve social and environmental challenges.

The trouble is, there arent enough nonprofit jobs to go around. Based on the way our society is set up, a lot of people have no choice but to work for an organization that makes widgets or is otherwise unsexy.

You can rail against this fact of life and look for a way to exit your current situation, or you can learn how working at a particular company can be personally meaningful for you.

In the career advice world, we often talk about six factors that result in job satisfaction, including challenging responsibilities, learning opportunities, a good boss and co-workers, fair pay, and reasonable work hours. Additionally, acquiring enough knowledge to be considered an expert in a job or field is directly related to whether a role has personal meaning.

So if your companys primary mission isnt as noble as you would like, that doesnt mean you should automatically try to leave. Whether its taking advantage of training to grow in your position or learn new skills, being exposed to interesting people on a daily basis, or even participating in the companys social responsibility or volunteer initiatives, there are always way to turn a less-than-perfect organization into a goldmine of opportunity and fulfillment.

Working for someone else is easier

A Bentley University survey of millennials found that 66 percent of respondents have a desire to start their own business, 37 percent would like to work for themselves, and 25 percent would like to own their own company. These respondents feel that being in charge of things means theyll be doing meaningful work on a daily basis.

As any experienced entrepreneur or sole proprietor will tell you, this is hardly the case. People who work for themselves dont have a lot of time for the rewarding aspects of their jobs because they are too busy putting out fires and doing the administrative tasks associated with running a business that nobody likes.

They are mightily stressed because they are risking their personal livelihood and have little to no work/life balance. And often, they are unhappy because financial circumstances force them to go in a direction that doesnt gel with why they started the business in the first place.

Working for yourself is harder than it looks, and most young professionals underestimate the experience required to be successful (theres a reason why the vast majority of new companies are launched by people over 40).

But, if you are looking for an outlet for your entrepreneurial spirit, look no further than your current company! Look around a bit, and youll find opportunities for intrapreneurship, or the practice of innovation within the context of an established organization.

Intrapreneurs use the resources and capabilities of a larger firm to turn a good idea into a profitable reality. They straddle the divide between rank and file employees frustrated by a lack of control and creativity, and entrepreneurs who are responsible for everything, all the time. And the best part is, you can make your rookie mistakes on someone elses dime. If an intrapreneurial project fails, you simply go to work the next day making unsexy widgets and planning your next meaningful contribution.

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