4Q Model

In the years of one's life, everyone must face decisions about the future path of their career. Choosing which company or business to work for and develop for the future is a significant decision that impacts one's life. However, how many of us can truly understand and choose in a way that aligns with our desires and future plans?

Upon graduating and leaving the school environment, everyone is enthusiastic about their new job. However, after a few years, we quickly fall into the crisis of boredom, stagnation, and imbalance in life.

Browsing through websites and forums, there are many career-oriented articles, advice on choosing professions, and talent recruitment introductions. Still, there is a scarcity of sharing about choosing a career based on personal goals and its reciprocal impact on life.

In a person's life, there are always four factors that make up personal life:

1. Health

2. Time

3. Personal priorities

4. Ultimate goals

In work, there are four factors that contribute to the success of a career:

1. Responsibility and achievements

2. Risks

3. Abilities

4. Industry

These eight factors interact to create a picture of one's career and life

Health and Time:

These are two fundamental life factors that are often underestimated. When young and just starting a job, we can work 12 hours a day and six days a week. However, after a few years, with age and family, if we continue to maintain such work, we will notice a decline in health and lack of time for other life matters. We will feel imbalanced and exhausted.

Responsibility and Significant Achievements:

This implies a large income, which also takes away a lot of time and health.

Personal Priorities:

Apart from work, an individual has a personal life with accompanying values that are prioritized. For example, family, social relationships, personal hobbies, etc. An employer should not assume that an employee who devotes a lot of effort and mind to work will always have the highest productivity. In reality, if they are someone who prioritizes family, frequently engages in arguments with their spouse, or has strained relationships, with such a mindset at work, their efficiency will undoubtedly decrease rapidly. No one can work efficiently when they feel that the values they prioritize in life are diminishing.

Abilities:

Each person has their own abilities, which can be innate or developed through learning. Working in line with one's natural talent always brings excitement and easily achieves high performance. Even if we lack a certain ability, we can train to develop it. However, no matter how beneficial a job is for our abilities, it always takes away as much time and personal priorities.

Example:

Multinational companies valued at over 2 billion USD are excellent environments for fresh graduates. There, you can quickly learn advanced business methods and top-notch working procedures. However, it will take a considerable amount of your time and life priorities.

Startups absorb almost all your time and personal life funds. However, in return, you can learn how to build your own business for the future.

Risks:

There are three main types of risks:

1. Business failure and industry recession.

2. Geographical scope required by the job.

3. Financial risks.

The first is the most direct but also the most challenging to evaluate. For example, the aviation and transportation industry is easily affected by fluctuations in oil prices.

Startups have a very high risk of failure. According to statistics in the United States and Italy, 80% of startups go bankrupt within the first two years. However, going back to the startup example above, when the risk is assessed, and a decision is made after careful analysis, working for a startup is no longer a gamble. You are betting on a potential project that can help you achieve your ultimate goal faster.

Jobs requiring frequent long-distance travel increase the risk to both health and personal life.

Financial instability and debt will make us feel stressed and mentally unfree. At that point, we are willing to take risks to increase income or easily lower requirements to increase the chances of selection. This poses a significant risk to the long-term future of your career.

Industry:

When bored and stuck with the current job, we tend to want to switch to another industry or move within the same industry but to a more extensive environment. Two people are both sales managers. One manages the Chinese market, and the other oversees the markets of Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines. The colleague in my technical field, after many years working with machinery, wanted to change industries. They studied for a business management degree or ventured into financial fields. Instead of doing so, choosing a similar industry (horizontal) or a related one (vertical) allows you to leverage your existing experience and knowledge to make higher strides in development. Expanding your industry always takes away a lot of time and may not promise a bright future.

Ultimate Goals:

Retiring early at 40 and traveling around the world, or establishing your own school, operating and teaching what you want to pass on to future generations. Whatever it is, we all need a final goal that has meaning for ourselves. It doesn't have to be immediate. Still, making choices for the current career and short-term goals that will help you achieve the final goal later is ideal. Without goals, you won't achieve anything.

In the next section, I will provide examples of the method: trading two for two, based on the factors in the 4Q model to make choices for the next career.