In the modern-day world, the two types of norms, namely social and market ones, incorporate into one influential system that drives people’s decision-making. Social norms are those dealing with values and shared beliefs that exist in society. Market norms are financial terms of cooperation that lead to people’s activity. Both of these norms play a role in the choice of a career. For me, the choice of the career of a budget analyst was influenced by social and market norms. On the one hand, this job is aimed at helping organizations to manage their budgets; therefore, my motivation to choose this profession derives from the intention to use my skills and knowledge to help others. On the other hand, from the market norms perspective, when choosing a career, I considered the prospective salary and the forecasts for the future development of the profession. For that matter, I found that the occupation of a budget analyst is well-paid, and the demand for specialists in this field is expected to grow. I have not broken any norms when choosing this career.
In my employment career, I was once asked by my employer to help my colleague with her project after my working hours. I expected to be paid for this work, but my employer insisted on my helping the colleague for free due to my experience. In such a manner, my employer violated market norms by not labeling my professional effort with financial value. This situation was completely driven by social norms and justified by the fact that I should have transferred my knowledge and experience to a less experienced colleague. As an employee, I felt both a valued worker whose professional expertise is of great importance to the company. However, from the market point of view, I felt disrespected for not being rewarded for the work I had done.
If I had a dream job, I would expect it to provide me with perfect opportunities for financial prosperity and professional growth. On the one hand, I would like this job to be challenging and well-paid with a prospective increase in a payment following the improvement of my level of expertise. On the other hand, I would like this job to be socially significant so that my contribution to the well-being of others would be recognized and appreciated. In such a manner, the social and market norms would be balanced and make me a happy employee.