Do we owe our careers to our country?

Rather than framing serving society as a sacrifice, this framework shows how acting toward a greater good is a key element to finding purpose. Ikigai changes the question from a binary about sacrifice, to a choice about how much weight to give the needs of your nation.

While America is fortunate to have plenty of citizens who feel called to jobs that align with our national interests, many citizens feel a tension between what we want to do and what our society needs.

The U.S. can still nudge people toward careers that are more aligned with our national interests. For example, our government could subsidize education for students who pursued preferred fields of study or offer expedited citizenship for immigrants with the right certifications.

The Japanese resolve this tension using a concept called Ikigai. Roughly translated as a “reason for being,” discovering your Ikigai requires finding work that balances what the world needs with what you’re good at, what you love, and what you can do to earn a living.