𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨 𝐏𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐈𝐬 𝐉𝐨𝐛 𝐅𝐢𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭?

Today is a busy day.

I’m reviving my podcast recording after a short hiatus, and I need to get my interviewing mindset and voice back in gear. But before I do, I’m taking a moment out here on the patio to reflect.

As I sit here with my coffee on the patio, I’m thinking about the job search and the conversations I’ve had with several friends in the swine industry who are in the same situation. The challenges of navigating today’s “new normal” job search have me dredging up memories from the various career prep seminars I attended back at Purdue.

I remember those seminars well. Two pieces of advice were emphasized over and over:

𝐃𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐛 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞.

𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

That second point has been on my mind a lot lately. During those assignments, we researched companies and matched them to our personal values. It all felt so straightforward at the time—make a list, find your fit, and chart your course.

But in the real world, it rarely works that cleanly.

These days, job searches often come down to accepting the opportunity that is available, even if it does not check all the boxes. The idea of “fit” starts to feel like a luxury instead of a priority. I have learned that lesson the hard way.

To be clear, there are definitely a few companies and supervisors who are firmly on my “No Way” list. For the rest, though, the distinction becomes less clear. Is the discomfort a sign of a mismatch in values, or just part of the adjustment period? Is this the wrong place for me, or the right place at the wrong time?

Lately, I find myself wondering if “fit” is something we discover or something we create.

What do you think?