A Partial Taxonomy of Job Types

I got together with a friend one last time before she relocates to a new state. She is burned out from her current position, and is actually on medical leave due to that right now. She's been going through the motions of applying to executive assistant positions because that's where much of her experience lies. She feels expectations from everyone around her to line up a solid job that justifies her master's degree.

But you know what I'd really love? She said to me, leaning in. There's a florist down the street from our new apartment. I wish I could work there and arrange flowers all day and talk with the customers. 

It was clear from her tone that this seems like a wild, impossible step for her. But why?

For where she is right now—healing from burnout, getting her health back on track, and regrouping to make an intentional decision about the next step in her career path—it sounds like a perfect job to me. 

There's a lot at play here: her worries about living up to others' expectations, playing small because she needs a stronger handle on the incredible skillset and experience that she brings to the table, striving to live up to a definition of success that isn't aligned with what she truly finds fulfilling (or may even be a healthy choice for her right now), and anxiety about what it would mean to get back on the path after stepping off for a while.

But here's where my wheels got turning: my friend, like so many of us, is thinking of finding a JOB as one thing. 

Here's the truth: There are many different types of jobs for many different types of situations—and they are all legitimate choices. 

My friend is searching for an All-in-One Job because our culture has taught us that one full-time, all-consuming job is the ideal version of what work should look like. But there are other choices available to her—the florist as a Bridge Job that may turn into a Sprout Job, a good enough Foundation Job to give her stability while she explores other interests, or maybe a Foot-in-the-Door Job to start off on a new path.

Find out more about these other, equally valid types of work in my free workbook, and let's look beyond the all-in-one-job to explore different types of work that will serve you in different points on your career path. Download the workbook here.