In our life, we spend 60-70% of our time at our workplace. (yes, that’s true) So, it’s important to know what is the best workplace for us? Is it the place that gives you a high salary, is it the people there who help you build your skillsets, or is it just free coffee and a lot of breaks?

No, I’m not sharing a guidebook for the best workplace; rather, I’m here to tell you that it’s SUBJECTIVE. Every individual strives for something different- while some may prioritize learning or skill-building, others may look out for a place where they can earn the most or find their comfort.

So, it’s not about the BEST workplace; it’s about finding the RIGHT workplace for yourself. Today, I’m going to share with you a simple framework on ‘How To Find The Right Workplace.’ And these steps and processes are not a must-follow because at the end of the day, it’s you choosing your right or wrong.

Making A Choice

Most of the time, we don’t know what we need, so we tend to follow our peers regardless of whether it makes sense to us or not.

And while choosing a workplace, we do the same. Just because your friend is working in a certain field, company, or at a certain salary, you run after it, too. Your choice of workplace depends on the kind of people you surround yourself with.

But before you make this decision, I want to debunk some workplace myths for you.

Challenging the Common Workplace Myths

1. Career = Job

You’re someone who did engineering in their college. Now, you think your career lies in becoming a developer who does coding.

You’re wrong!

Please don’t attach yourself to that one job title or skillset. This way, you’re limiting your belief to one thing that might or might not happen. The job of a developer didn’t exist 30 years ago and we don’t know if it will be there in the future, but your career will probably be for more than 30 years.

It’s not about what title you were at or what exactly you were working on in that particular job.

Understand, jobs are like layers of a sandwich while your career journey is a whole sandwich. Each job you take adds a new layer of learning and growth that eventually shapes your career journey. So, allow yourself to have those experiences where you can gather maximum skill, situations, and wisdom. 

2. Wants = Needs

You want a world tour but do you need it? You want a job with Google, but do you need one?

A need is a necessity for survival. What that means is – Roti, kapda or makaan.(Food, clothes, and a house). While this definition is evolving, the basics remain the same. On the other hand, Wants is that you are endlessly pursuing something which you think is out of your means.
Even if you have the best car, someone out there has a better one, so it’s an endless pursuit.

Today, very few people out there are focusing on their needs and most of the others are just living in a delusion of their wants.

So, why do you think you want a job at Google, even if you don’t need it?

There could be only two reasons for it: someone else has it, and you like it, or your loved ones are pushing you to have it.

Does that mean you shouldn’t have wants?

As humans, it’s inevitable to have wants. But you have to figure out if these wants are just influences on you from other people or if they are the innate desires that you have inside of you. And sometimes your wants = needs if you have enough hunger in your belly to execute towards it.

“I wanted to do this, but I could not.“- if you really really wanted something, you could have figured out the way to do it, irrespective of anything.

3. Your Aspirations = Society’s Aspirations

Society thinks you should get married by 26, figure out your career path by 28, or buy a house by 30. I would say, If it makes sense to you, do it. If it doesn’t align with your vision, don’t. Society’s influences shouldn’t be a compulsion for you.

But how do you know what you really aspire to?

“Ek baar zindagi mai try to sab karna hai” is a trap. If you try everything out, you’ll waste a lot of resources, including money and time, and end up in a situation that you cannot come out of.

I suggest you do this simple exercise. Ask yourself, do I really really want it even if nobody will know I have it? Ask yourself- Do I still want to go on that world tour if I do not post about it? Do I still want that job at Google even if the people I know don’t know about it? If the answer is YES, go for it, but if you’re doing it for the people, they are not your true aspirations.

4. Job = Transaction for Man Hours

“Mere 8 hours ho gaye, it’s time to go back home” (I completed my 8 hours, it’s time to go back home). You confined yourself to your job from a short-term perspective, and 80-90% of people do this today.

Do you remember when you gave more hours to your job? The things you were able to learn by giving more time to them? The experiences have you had? Or the wisdom you accumulated throughout? The kind of individual you have become today is because of those experiences, skillsets, and wisdom. And you likely appreciate that individual more, right?

So, your job is not just the transaction of your time; rather, it is a long-term investment that you make in yourself to build yourself for life. This sets the right base for your career, and the stronger the base of the career, the higher the building can go.

5. Brand or Industry Tenure = Quality of People

“My friend has been working at Google for 4 years; they must be so good at coding. “

Well, they might be really good at it, but just because they have been working in a renowned brand for a long time doesn’t mean they’re good at their work. A brand or a tenure doesn’t qualify them to become your leader.

I know, here a question arises: Then who do I pick as my leader?

It’s easy. Just answer these three questions:

1. Identify who you are more aligned with.

2. Who do you want to become like?

3. Who resonates with you more?

Don’t just follow someone because they’ve been around for long. It’s about an individual’s ability to do and get things done that makes them a leader.
 

The Right Job Chase

If you’re the lucky one who knows what they want to do, go all in without worrying about what people are going to think. (Well, I consider myself fortunate because I always knew I wanted to do business)

But 95 % of people cannot figure out what job they are made for. While a lot of people think they know, they want to do something just to gain something in return.

To those who haven’t got it right, I suggest these options:

1. Do what you’re really good at and know if the world needs it.

What if you are really good at sand art, but the world doesn’t need it right now? So, sand artist
wouldn’t be the right job for you as you cannot fulfill your basic needs from it.

    2. If you don’t know what you’re good at, become the best in whatever you do.

When you were doing engineering, you wanted to be a marketer; when you were a marketer, you wanted to be a singer. Please don’t jump on to different things, it will land you nowhere. Say yes to the opportunity you have in hand and make the best use of it.

But figuring out the right workplace to do your job is just the first step.

The Workplace Priorities

1. Skills Over Money

Suppose your friend gets ₹1-2 lakhs more package than you. Still, their position doesn’t allow them to explore or grow their skills or enable them to experience much in life or job. 

Would they grow in their career? Probably not.

Whenever we are just out there for the money, we trade our growth in terms of skillset. So, whatever workplace you choose, see if you are provided with the opportunities to explore and experience things irrespective of your number of years of experience or background.

2. People Over Brands

If you have a job in Google as a developer, well, it might get you a nice girl for marriage but it cannot guarantee a better career for you.

I have the answer to your WHY here.

Understand, earlier, all of these brands became ‘brands’ because there were some people who made sure that the brand got built. But when the brand made its mark, people joined it for the ‘brand name,’ not to create something out of it. That is why it’s the people who make the real impact.

For you, what should matter is the people you work with rather than the brands you work for.

3. Meaningful Relationships Over Comfort Zone

One thing that I’m sure of is that you always learn from people. You might think if you know all the data structures or Generative AI, you’re going to be the best developer out there.

It’s not entirely true.

You grow in life through meaningful relationships with people who are in a position to provide you with opportunities. But what do you offer them in return? VALUE in terms of skill building, reliability, and collaboration. 

4. Wisdom Over Just Job-Related Knowledge

You’re an amazing coder, but you do not want to learn any skill beyond it. So, this ends you up in a ditch- ‘I want to grow my salary, but I’m not given enough opportunities.”

Let me give you a real picture- You’re not taking the opportunity because you still want to be a developer and not learn leadership skills. You don’t want a team of 10 people working with you as a developer, and you do not want to pass on the knowledge you have accumulated along the way.

While your coding skills can provide you with more money, after some point in time, you’ll get stuck. So, it’s time you prioritize going beyond your job title or skills. 

5. Building Capability Over Years of Experience

After 5 years, you want to earn more as a developer. My question to you is: Why not earn that amount of money in 2 years?

All you have to do is build the ability to do things quicker and consistently work hard. My advice would be not to stick your mindset to industry standards; have faith in yourself, give your best, and believe in your luck. 

Searching for the ‘Perfect’

Nobody’s life is perfect, and no workplace is perfect. So, you shouldn’t believe that your workplace should have everything.

You cannot be at the ideal center to make it all sunshine and rainbows. Dive into the Right Now Triangle to know in which direction you should head.

But what if you don’t find a place as per your aspirations?

The Road to Entrepreneurship

There’s always an opportunity if you have the hunger to execute it. So, create the workplace that you desire for yourself and provide opportunities to others like you there.

That’s what I did. I not only created a workplace that best suited my aspirations but also built a place for others with like-minded aspirations.

It’s simple- you want to eat the sweetest mango, but you are unable to find it. What will you do? Plant a mango tree and wait for the tree to reap the sweet fruits that you can eat. But if you’re not ready to take on this journey, at least don’t crib about your current workplace.

Be grateful for whatever you have on your plate.

Never Ending

At the end of the day, we make money; we do things for only one reason: To provide value to the market, and in return, we get things for our survival and our desires. That’s all.

So, everything falls into place when you deliver the right value to the right people. Without any value exchange, you can’t make money, relationships, a career, or your life overall.