What to do when a desired impact statement misaligns with your values?

[Shaul]

I wrote a few hours ago a post but I felt it missed my actual point completely. I am stuck in the life purpose course because the things I find meaningful in theory misalign with what I would like to do in practice in the day to day work. I will explain. I would like to be an inventor that invents new technologies that help either people or the environment, but as far as I know, the jobs in this field became sedentary, digital and mostly revolve around computers. For example, inventing prosthetic limbs is truly meaningful to me, it's amazing what levels scientists reached nowadays in this field. In our imagination, it may seem that their job looks like the image of Tony stark building his suit. However, in reality their job is pretty sedentary, involves almost no hands work (what ever needs to be built is sent to 3D printers or factories) and they are mostly busy on developing breaking through algorithms or models via the computers. I don't say digitalization is bad and we should all come back to stone age but it is not the medium I would like to work with. I would like to have a more dynamic, close to nature and less sedentary job.

So what do you think? Perhaps you can share with me examples of career paths that are both impactful and dynamic. Should I make my love for hands work as a hobby and search for other ways to impact the world? (I could be a blacksmith that forges customizable swords that later on find themselves hanging on a wall in a collector's mansion, but quite frankly I don't find how it is contributing to the world and making it a better place).

Edited August 23, 2020 by Shaul

[Elisabeth]

@Shaul How do you feel about the technical part of science support, i.e. taking care of lab equipment helping build prototypes of machines? Is that still a thing? Or the experimental part of science, where you at least get to prepare samples and perform measurements.

I imagine that would still be too much of an indoor job and there's no doubt a lot of computer use too, but at the end someone has to put the machine together. 

Or perhaps construction in general? Yeah I know "actualized.org" people usually have higher intellectual ambitions.

Edited August 25, 2020 by Elisabeth

[Tuan]

@Shaul maybe try changing it until it aligns with your positive intent or values?

Edited August 25, 2020 by Tuan

[Shaul]

@Elisabeth haha you made me laugh in your last paragraph. Appreciate your suggestions. I am an ambitious person and impact is one of my top values. I would like to be a creator that bring a positive change to the world, so I can not see myself being in the supportive circle but rather a main driver (without disrespecting the other roles) . However,vit looks like nowadays impact doesn't come hand in hand with working with your hands (while In the past, all the great inventors built their inventions that way). It's like I was born in the wrong era haha. With the development of technology it seems that you need to love being sedentary and work with your computer all day to have a great impact and solve important issues.