How do you know which career—or job or organization, for that matter—is the right fit for you?  I’ve been asked this by young undergraduates and working graduate students alike since experience in a career that doesn’t fit isn’t the same as knowing what does fit. 

As a business professor, a social scientist and someone that found ‘fit’ after a substantial career change, I have some insights but no simple answer to offer them.  The truth is that it’s very difficult to predict fit in advance.  It is much easier, however, to spot fit when you’ve found it. 

I was reminded of this yesterday while reading the introduction to a new book.  See below the author’s reflection on his time spent collaborating on research that would ultimately earn him the Nobel Prize in Economics.     

“While writing the article that reported these findings, Amos and I discovered that we enjoyed working together. Amos was always very funny, and in his presence I became funny as well, so we spent hours of solid work in continuous amusement. The pleasure we found in working together made us exceptionally patient; it is much easier to strive for perfection when you are never bored.”

By the way, for those of you interested in behavioral economics, Daniel Kahneman’s new book is a must read.