The purpose of a career in your 30s

Or how I’m starting to wonder what life outside of an 9–5 office job would be like

My mom drilled into me at the tender age of five the importance of studying and work ethics. My elementary school weekends were spent doing extra practice problems and memorizing the multiplication table…and lots of tears.

Very quickly I learned if I just get all my work done and get good grades, I will be seen as a success, and no one will tell me what to do anymore.

While this approach comes with its own set of traumas and insecurities, but I can’t deny that that becoming “good at school” afforded me with a lot of opportunities. It wasn’t hard to get into college with a scholarship, and it wasn’t hard to land my first job at a Big 4 account firm.

So, I spent my entire life until age 22 working towards the end goal of having a “good job”.

It never crossed my mind to think about what I actually wanted to do. The job was the final check box in the game of life that I was winning at. All I needed was a recognizable name and a good salary.

And then what? Once I started working, I starting chasing the next promotion and the next raise. My job title and salary became an indication of my worth. I would look at senior management…