ife goes great until graduation; because till the time leading to graduation, you have the future planned out for you.

It’s simple: go to school, college and then university. I had it all going for me. It all made sense, but only on paper. I got straight As in school, graduated as an engineer, and landed a glorified government job. This meant that I had job security, health benefits, and a retirement plan in place automatically (if I lived that long).

But something felt off. I didn’t feel like I was doing work that seemed meaningful to me. This lurking feeling stayed with me for a long time and, the self-aware generation that ours is, I did a bit of digging and found that I was going through something called quarter-life crisis.

The millennials have grown up with myriad choices. But then there are ‘so many choices,’ pun intended. Do I want to work at a 9-to-5 or start my own business? Do I want to freelance, work remotely or at an office? Do I want to prioritise money, self-fulfillment or my career path? These things are fundamental to us because the quest for a ‘meaningful’ life is the hallmark of my generation. Many of us are going through the same thing. It’s a personal identity crisis, typically experienced in one’s 20s or 30s, and it’s a constant state of fretting and worrying about one’s direction in life and what next step to take, particularly regarding finding meaningful work.

Oprah Winfrey said it best: “Your life’s purpose is to live the truest and fullest version of yourself.” Now, this is the version that we must find on our own. For some, it is to be found in a 9-to-5 job; for some, in civil or military service. Yet, for some, it’s when they are crunching numbers day and night; and for others, when they can strike a balance between work and life, business and pleasure.

Do I want to work at a 9-to-5 or start my own business? Do I want to freelance, work remotely, or at an office? Do I want to prioritise money, self-fulfillment or my career path?

There’s no one solution; it’s a personal thing for everyone. For me, I figured it wasn’t where I was, and all I knew at that moment was that I had to change the direction of my life.

Since then, I’ve been experimenting with all the various options that I have found. I’m an engineer/ ex-government officer/ corporate employee and now moonlighting as a journalist/ writer.

Some people may not have to go through so many transitions to find a gratifying vocation, but it’s okay even if someone did. Though, in doing so, one needs to understand that there are choices we must make and identify what personally matters to us the most.

Finding meaningful occupation often requires asking deeply personal questions of oneself. It’s not always fun, and it’s not easy. But I promise the juice is worth the squeeze.

The writer is an ex-serviceman and a freelance writer. He can be reached at shaafayzia@gmail.com