The amusing thing about staying in the same industry your whole life is seeing the same people climb up the corporate ladder. In this case, I’m referring to the car industry. This year will be my 28th year covering the motoring beat, and part of that career is chronicling the journey of executives. I’ve been blessed to witness several men and women work hard from being rank-and-file staffers to company presidents. Many of them have been close personal friends of mine, and I’m proud of their achievements.
It is a corporate rat race. Some stay with the same brand and get rewarded with a high position after decades of loyal service. Some roll the dice and take a chance with a new firm that offers instant promotion. Others, meanwhile, leave the automotive business altogether to try their luck in another field. Whatever a person’s career decisions are, there’s no denying that these decisions will dictate his or her future.
Over the years, employees have consulted me for advice when opportunity comes knocking—whether to stay with a proven and stable brand that promises job security, or throw caution to the wind by joining an untested brand dangling a lofty position and an even loftier pay. To be perfectly honest, I have no idea if what I tell these guys have been helpful.
“Whatever makes you happy.”
“Go where you will be most useful.”
“If you believe that company will make you smile after three years.”
I’m not omniscient. I’m just guessing. Even an HR expert cannot lay out what our future holds. Who’s to say which firm will be so successful that it will hand out fat bonuses in the next five years? Who’s to say which firm will go bankrupt after its cars don’t fly out of the showroom? Who’s to say if people can replicate their marketing success when they transfer to another group?
I have no doubt that many employees in the car business question their decisions after 10 years of making them. Now, I do not mean to make job-hunting sound miserable. Apologies if the first half of this piece seems like an ode to failure. Plotting your career can be exciting. It’s adventurous. It’s challenging, but could also be extremely rewarding. And I think I now know what the key is.
Nearly seven years ago, I lost my job as the editor-in-chief of the country’s leading car magazine. Prior to this, that job had been my everything. My life revolved around it. It gave my existence meaning. I actually thought I was doing something important. It was my be-all and end-all—until it was not. One day, I had to leave that post. I spent the next months wallowing in depression. Because I turned from rock star to bum almost overnight, I lost my bearing. I started asking: “Who am I?”
The answer? I was nobody. That’s because I had attached my self-worth to my job. When it was gone, my life turned out to be totally empty. I had used up all my time chasing absolutely nothing. I had paid no mind to my purpose, which was to follow the calling of our Creator.
Right now, I want to tell my friends and acquaintances in the industry that they will be disappointed if all they have done is to anchor themselves to their careers. Because as sure as the sun rises and sets, their profession will stop. They will retire. Or they might get retrenched. Whatever. What are we doing to prepare ourselves when that day comes?
The car industry changes. It evolves. We’re now seeing that with the current influx of Chinese brands. I’m sure many workers are being tempted with job openings left and right. Well and good. But whatever path you decide to take, never put your happiness, your value and your purpose in that basket. Only God is permanent. Only He is constant. The economy might nosedive, but His sovereignty in our lives is guaranteed to prevail.
Count on it.
FILL YOUR TANK: “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)