Engagement with the world of work

You can think of “engagement with world of work” as the types of projects or work you are drawn to, interested in and allow you to actualize the impacts you would like to have in your career. Values have been described as the why of what you do in your career and inform your impacts. Engagement with the world of work, then, reflects how we would like to make our intended impacts possible.

Engagement with the world of work can be rooted in your skills, your values and needs and/or in the impacts you’d like to make. It may also be influenced by trends and opportunities within the labour market and/or your chosen industry.

Each of these categories can help inform how you choose to engage with the world of work:

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Examples include “I enjoy work that connects with others through writing” or “performing work in collaboration with others is when I feel most engaged.”

Examples include: “I like researching sustainable transportation” or “I like reducing inequality in tech through education outreach and program initiatives.”

Examples include “I like working independently” or “I like relaxed environments that have flexible deadlines.”

Examples include: “Working with clients allows me to actually see the impact I make on their lives” or “work that allows me to work with communities increases the likelihood of achieving my impacts.”

Related to labour market trends: Examples include: “X type of projects are in high demand in Y industry, so I’d like to pursue that type of work” or “X industry is requiring A and B skillsets and knowledge to perform Y, so I’d like to develop those skills sets to take on this type of work.”

If you’ve had limited exposure to a variety of work experiences, you may find the process of identifying your engagement with the world of work challenging. Besides paid work experiences, consider other relevant experiences you have, such as:

Hobbies
Extracurricular activities (e.g. music, dance, art, etc.)
Volunteering sports/athletics

Your subject/area or assignment choices in school
Your choice to pursue a specific topic of research or area of study

All of these can provide you with insight regarding your interests and what type of work engages you. The key is to pay attention to what you enjoy doing – as well as what you don’t enjoy doing – in order to know the types of work and activities that give you energy in your career.

Next: Talents and skills in purposeful work