A few months ago, I caught up with a friend who was finishing his PhD. He was deeply focused on housing and labor justice in his doctorate and was just starting the job search. 

But every job posting this friend came across fell short. It seemed that he could either take a job with an organization where the work fully aligned with his values and have a ridiculously low salary, or he could pursue jobs that paid bigger salaries than he had ever been paid...while doing soul-sucking meaningless work (which may have even contributed to inequity). 

What would you decide?

I’m leading a panel discussion this week at my alma mater, Hampshire College, on Making Work Work. A big focus of the conversation will be about building lives and careers in alignment with your values. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to build a career in alignment with your values, while also ensuring that you are valued for your work. 

And if you’re someone focused on equity and justice (or if you also went to Hampshire), it can be easy to find things to be critical of in nearly every job. 

So here are 3 insights to help you match your values with your job:

1. Your assumptions are limiting you 

If you are telling yourself that you can either have a meaningful job with low salary or harmful job with high salary, you’ve already cut out so many possibilities. 

For example, each of these roles can make over $100k USD:

• Director, Labor Unions
• Senior Manager, Impact Investing
• Consultant, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
• Director, Corporate social responsibility

What would be possible if you could have both the fair salary (you being paid for your value isn’t luxury!) and work that aligns with your values and makes a positive impact in the world?

2. Notice the “shoulds”

 If you’re thinking, “I should be grateful to have a job at all” or “I should settle for a low salary and ask for a raise after a year,” this might be a good time to pause. 

Should, in nearly all situations, is the sound of external expectations beyond yourself...which doesn’t mean it’s wrong, but often it can overshadow your own needs and desires if you’re not aware of the power “should” holds. 

Where are your “shoulds” coming from? Do you want to listen to them?

3. Follow your curiosity

As I’ve been preparing for the panel discussion at Hampshire, I’m reminded of my first full-time job after college, nannying (read more here). Tldr; I told myself I was lucky to be employed at all and for a time, gave up on the possibility of doing social impact work as my career. 

In the backdrop of feeling hopeless and demoralized, I joked with a friend about about starting a business together.

Within a few weeks, I had left my terrible nannying job, built out a business model with that friend, and received an offer for the internship in a nonprofit that would quickly jumpstart my career. 

Whether you’re embarking on a job transition, finishing up schooling and wondering what’s next, or feeling stuck, please know this: 

You deserve to be paid well for meaningful work. 

I wish I could visit that 22-year old me and tell her not to give up. I would remind her: follow your curiosity and your values, and you will find your path. 

What are you curious about? What is your secret dream job or topic of interest? How can you try it out...this week?!

You got this.

Julia

P.S. That friend finished his PhD and is now working full time for for a cause he cares about while making that salary he was ready to give up on.