The unicorn certainly is a glamorous beast

“The unicorn is the only fabulous beast that does not seem to have been conceived out of human fears. In even the earliest references he is fierce yet good, selfless yet solitary, but always mysteriously beautiful. He could be captured only by unfair means, and his single horn was said to neutralize poison.”

The above comes from Marianna Mayer inThe Unicorn and the Lake. And I believe it illustrates the analogy between the mythical unicorn and my own—and others’, I’m sure—job search.

You see, I don’t believe that an enjoyable, fulfilling job or career should be as mythical as a unicorn. Yes, it has several of the same characteristics—follow the path in this site to read some of my comparisons—but it does exist.

So as I find myself growing more and more frustrated, yet more and more intrigued and energized, by my personal job search, I find myself believing that my own hunt is much like hunting such a creature.

And there you have it. That’s the story. The idea came to me in a flash of brilliance (insanity?) that I should chronicle my own “adventure,” and this is what came out. Enjoy!

Update on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 8:55PM by Eric

Not conceived out of human fears

Okay, I’ll admit that the idea and situation of not having a job in this marketplace is pretty frightening. But that doesn’t mean the job I’m hunting itself would be conceived of my fears.

In fact, I would be so bold as to hope it’s conceived of my dreams instead.

I am not afraid of the job itself. I’m afraid of the stress of not having one. I’m afraid of not earning a paycheck. I’m afraid of wasting part of my life.

But I’m not afraid of the job.

So many things around us and so many of our own actions are products of our fears. Piling up retirement accounts—on its face a very noble, foresighted thing to do—comes from our fear of not sustaining our lifestyle later on. Insurance itself is grounded in human beings’ fears (and the inevitability) that something terrible will happen. My motivation for going to the gym and running/biking comes from my fear of becoming unattractive and unhealthy.

We’re all hedging our bets.

But I want to find a job that’s not a hedge. I want to find one that’s worth finding. This would come under the “no compromises” section.

Update on Tuesday, June 16, 2009 at 9:04PM by Eric

Fierce yet good

Not only do I want a job worth finding, I want a job worth defending and fighting for. And fiercely.

I once wrote a personal statement draft that said I want to “love fiercely.”

Now, I don’t mean that I want to be aggressive or heavy-handed.

I want to feel the conviction and the passion of being totally dedicated and totally enthralled with what I do and with what I love. And as much as I know you can separate your paycheck from your passion, I want to combine the two when possible. Because I’ve seen myself—and I’ve seen other Gen Yers—try to be successful in things when my heart had not fully signed on. It’s not a pretty sight.

And an overarching desire I have in any career I find myself is a sense of decency and good. I want to make a personal impact. A local impact. But I want to carry it nationally and globally.

Call me idealistic and naive, but it’s what I believe. And a career that will fill decades of my life should be something I’m proud of, something I’ll defend and something I’ll love.