What to do When Procurement Isn’t Your Passion
At Procurious, we’re passionate about procurement. But if you struggle to find that spark, ask yourself why you aren’t feeling happy at work.
When we’re having a bad day, we’re a little bored with the work we’re doing, or our careers don’t feel like they’re going as well as they should, we all inevitably ask ourselves: is procurement really my passion?
For some, the answer is obvious: Yes! Absolutely. Couldn’t imagine doing anything else! Yet for many of us, the answer is less clear-cut. We might be passionate about just enough elements of the job to get us by. Or alternatively, we might start to question whether we should be in the profession at all. If you’ve ever found yourself in this rut, what should you do?
The answer might appear to be to throw in the towel and start from scratch with your career, but the solution certainly isn’t as simple as that. In fact, is it reasonable to expect to be passionate about all aspects of your job, anyway? How interested or fulfilled should you really be? And how can you separate temporary frustrations from the life-changing feeling that something is really wrong? To help us answer these questions, we spoke to renowned career coach Helen Green, Director at the Career Confident. She helped enlighten us how you should really feel about your career … and when and how to pull the pin, if you need to.
Should your career be your passion?
Looking back on some of history’s greats, we can conclude with certainty that, say, Banksy is passionate about street art, Michael Jordan was passionate about basketball, and David Attenborough is passionate about the environment. But for those of us who haven’t been able to become rich and world-famous with the things we care about, is it even realistic to expect us to be passionate about our careers?
Not necessarily, says Helen. While we should enjoy our careers, Helen believes, that enjoyment may not extend to passion for a specific reason:
“While our careers should be rewarding and interesting, it may be unrealistic to expect to always feel passionate about your work.”
“Passionate is a strong term and expecting your work to live up to these expectations can lead to unnecessary disappointment.”
Helen believes that it’s healthy to separate work and your interests outside of work, which may be where your true passions lie.
But even if you aren’t passionate about your work, it does still need to meet certain criteria for you to feel satisfied (or at least satisfied enough to stay), Helen says:
“In my experience, people who are challenged, engaged, and working in an environment that aligns with their values and strengths, and where collaboration and ongoing learning are encouraged, are far more likely to be fulfilled and want to continue with their chosen career path.”
How to know if you’re not passionate about your career
If it’s ok to not be totally and utterly passionate about your career, then how do you separate the feeling of frustration or boredom, from a desire to do something completely different? Understanding whether or not procurement is for you is a deeply personal decision. Yet in order to diagnose how you’re feeling, Helen recommends asking yourself a number of questions.
The first question, Helen says, is to simply check in with yourself about how you’re feeling at work. If you’re unhappy, first check your stress levels:
“If you’re generally unhappy at work, it may be due to stress, or feeling as if your work conflicts with your values. This can adversely impact your physical and mental wellbeing, and make you question your entire career.”
There’s any number of reasons why you might be feeling so unhappy at work. Perhaps you’re working with a group of narcissists (something we’ve pointed out before could be a bit too common in procurement!), or worse, perhaps your boss is a psychopath.
Beyond simply how you’re feeling, Helen believes that you need to question whether or not your current role and manager are a fit for you, as these factors may also lead you to question whether you’re in the right position at the right time:
“A lack of career growth or professional development, a poor manager, or no opportunities for diversity in your current role can lead you to feel bored, unfulfilled and stuck.”
“These feelings can quickly lead to doubt as to whether you fundamentally like your profession.”
In short: there are many reasons that you might feel unsatisfied or unhappy at work. But in order to separate those reasons from the fundamental question of whether procurement is for you, Helen recommends simply asking yourself one question:
“Am I interested in procurement?”
If the answer is yes, even if it isn’t your life passion, then it’s still a good career choice for you. If the answer is no, then you should consider looking elsewhere.
The first question, says Helen, is to replace the concept of ‘passion’ with ‘interest.’ Ask yourself: Am I interested in procurement?
If the answer is, broadly, yes, then procurement may still be the career for you. If you’re feeling unsure, Helen believes that you should also ask yourself a few more questions before you decide to quit altogether.
What to do if you’re no longer passionate about procurement
Here at Procurious, there are 40,000 + of us globally that are passionate about procurement. But if you feel like you’re no longer one of those people, that’s ok (we’ll still welcome you as a member!).
Realistically though, not being passionate – or at the very least, not feeling interested – in your career can have dire consequences. Research shows that there are significant health and wellbeing consequences for people who don’t like their careers, and these range from poor relationships to mental health issues. If procurement really isn’t for you, then it’s time to begin a new journey. But how?
Changing careers can be challenging, says Helen, but tens of thousands of people do it every year so it’s absolutely possible and increasingly common. In order to do so, Helen recommends the following:
“Reflect on your transferable skills, interests and work objectives for the next few years. Consider what you enjoyed and found challenging in your work, and why?”
“Then, consider whether it might be appropriate to explore other opportunities within your organisation, or whether you’ll need to engage in study and training to further your prospects.”
“There are many resources you can use to help, including Career Planner and Career Explorer that can help you understand what might be a better fit for you.”
There’s a lot to be passionate about when it comes to procurement, but it isn’t for everyone. Have you got a procurement background, but have changed careers? Let us know how and why you did it in the comments below.
