“What’s your real job?”
When I left the corporate world in early 2022 to start my own wellness business, I was frequently asked, “What’s your real job?”
At the time, I was navigating a reluctant transition. I had been teaching yoga as a side hustle since 2016, fitting in 2 to 3 classes around my 9-to-5 white-collar schedule. When forces beyond my control (both the universe and the post-COVID economy) pushed me out of the job I had held for more than six years, I found myself wondering the same thing: “What will I do for my real job?”
A "real job" seems to be defined by certain metrics: regular hours, consistent pay and benefits, upward mobility, and clear lines of supervision. It typically has a singular focus—something you do day in and day out to make the company (and hopefully yourself) money. The formula is simple: time and energy in, a livable wage out.
And yet, since I was a kid, the idea of having just one job for my entire career felt restrictive, boring—even unsettling. During summer break from college, I juggled a daytime internship and a nighttime hospitality gig, and both felt real to me. I liked them for different reasons; they allowed me to express different parts of myself. Now, this might be my Gemini Sun + Libra Moon talking but, the drive to balance diverse interests and skills to create a more fulfilling life has always inspired me. I’ve always loved the idea of having different types of work to reflect different aspects of my personality.
I was never going to be a doctor, firefighter, CPA, teacher, or florist. I never wanted to be just one thing—and certainly not for the rest of my career. That sounds...utterly boring. (To me—and I recognize that for others, that kind of stability is the dream.) What I crave is to use my creativity, intuition and skills to uplift the vibrations of humanity. And yes, I know that sounds pretty far-out and woo-woo. But honestly, I think a lot of us want this: a vocation that’s good for us and helps others.
So I’d like to reframe the question to: “What’s your primary occupation?”
The gig economy has changed how we relate to work. Many jobs today aren’t 40 hours a week. After COVID, more and more people started asking: What do I actually want to do? and Is this all there is? Leaving traditional jobs for flexible or freelance work has become the norm for many.
Maybe someone is a nanny and hair stylist. Or a mechanic and a bartender. Maybe they're in school and working retail. Someone is an accountant but also has an Etsy shop selling candles. Maybe they are a parent who doesn't have a paying job outside the home but does all of the home and caring work. Are any of these jobs more “real” than the other? One particular type of work might be more primary and the other work more secondary, both in terms of time devoted to the occupation and income earned. Our primary focus might not be what's bringing in the bulk of the money. We tend to rank jobs by income or hours worked, but what’s “primary” or “secondary” can be fluid—it can change over time depending on our energy and goals.
Asking “What’s your primary occupation?” gives space for complexity and nuance. It invites people to respond based on their current season of life. Some days, my primary job is teaching yoga. Other days, it’s health coaching. Often, it’s a blend: yoga, coaching, reiki, and sound healing. Those are my favorite days—when I get to use the full toolbox I’ve spent years cultivating
So I have to ask, “What’s your primary occupation?” And is that your real job? Maybe they’re the same thing but maybe they’re not.
My real job is Wellness Facilitator. No, this isn’t a title someone gave me, it’s what I most identity with right now. Over the past decade, I’ve built a holistic toolbox of yoga, meditation, coaching, reiki, and sound healing. Wellness Facilitator encompasses all these things and leaves space for how I will expand my skills and offerings. If / when that title doesn’t work for me then I’ll create something else that feels more aligned. My job will never be just one thing—because I am not just one thing. I’m expressing my creativity through my work.
And that’s what makes my job, and me, so very real.