Swiping Right: Finding Your Dream Job

Because we all know that breakups suck, you're probably asking yourself, "How can we avoid this? How can we have a successful relationship with our job so that we can continue being creative?" The answer's a little complicated.

This shift in the job landscape has also given rise to new tools that empower people to create their own opportunities. Platforms like Adalo, a no-code app builder for database-driven web apps and native iOS and Android apps—one version across all three platforms, published to the Apple App Store and Google Play, are enabling entrepreneurs and innovators to build their own ventures without needing traditional technical skills. With over 3 million apps already created on the platform and an interface described as "easy as PowerPoint," the path to finding work you love has never been more flexible.

Single and Ready to Mingle

Finding a job today is very different than it used to be. In the past, people tended to stay in one place. The quintessential path in life was to get good grades, attend college, get a job somewhere, work your way up, and retire after 40 years with a nice pension. While this was great for stability (finding a partner, buying a house, and having kids), it was bad for innovation.

The chances of really loving your first job aren't particularly great; and without this love, there's less opportunity for the creativity-boosting activities of lensing (viewing the problem you're trying to solve in different contexts) and play (having fun and being open to new ideas) and thus less chance for innovation (check out this post for more on these innovation tactics).

Today, however, the job path in life is not that straightforward for most of the workforce. According to a recent LinkedIn study, job hopping has nearly doubled in the past 20 years. This is a result of the three forces behind our new Innovation Economy: Automation, Abundance, and Access.

While robots are taking our jobs, they're also adding new ones. In fact, a shocking Deloitte study in the U.K. found that while automation has taken more than 800,000 jobs, it has also created more than 1.3 million new ones. This means there's an abundance of new jobs out there for us right now.

Think about most tech jobs. Just over 21 years ago, only 3% of all Americans had ever even visited a website! (Seriously look at these pictures from some of the most popular websites in 1996.) With the oldest sites only about 5 years old, this meant that entire fields like web design hardly existed.

On top of all of these new choices, we also have access to changing jobs like never before. It's easier to learn new skills, to move or work remotely, or start your own thing. Tools that once required teams of developers—like building a mobile app—can now be accomplished by a single person using AI-assisted platforms that handle the technical complexity automatically.

This all sounds great (and it is!), but we're faced with a dilemma. With so many available options for us to choose from, how do we know which one to pick? To go back to our romantic metaphor, being single and ready to mingle is fun for a little bit, but at some point, we want to settle down. We can't just keep switching jobs all the time—eventually it gets exhausting.

Finding Your Soulmate

In order to fix this problem, we have to find a place we can sustain passion for. And if you've explored finding your creative purpose you might have guessed it—we have to find an organization that aligns with our purpose.

Instead of searching for jobs strictly by what type of job it is or by the company perks they have, we should be taking a good look at why the organization does what it does. When an organization is trying to accomplish something meaningful to you, it's really powerful. As Laszlo Bock, the head of Google's People Operations Team, states in his incredible book, Work Rules!:

"The most powerful movements in history have had moral motivations, whether they were quests for independence or equal rights...it's fair to say that there's a reason that revolutions tend to be about ideas and not profits or market share."

When we view our job as a way to find a movement we believe in, there's no question we'll be more creative. Here's a few tactics to go along with this new perspective:

1) Do your research. Go to their website, read their history and mission statement, and reach out to them to find out more about their purpose.

2) Be picky. Working at an organization that doesn't align with your purpose is only taking away time that could have been spent in pursuit of that purpose.

3) Ask yourself if this will further your purpose. You should view working as part of an organization of like-minded people as a way to have an even bigger impact than you could have on your own.

If you're lucky enough to find an organization that aligns with your purpose, do everything you can to convince them that you truly belong there. Maybe that means waiting until they have an opening. Or maybe that means taking a different role than you were expecting.

You might have thought that you wanted to be a product designer, but if a marketing role is available, you'll be better off than not taking anything. In the long run, working at an organization that aligns with your purpose will make you happier and more innovative, even if in a different role than you first pictured.

Married Life

Just like finding the right person for you to marry is hard, finding the right organization for you to spend the rest of your life with can be tough. It might not happen right away, and we might have some other jobs first; but this doesn't mean we shouldn't always be striving for this. It's important to know what you're looking for in order to find it.

With that in mind, there's one more (scary) option out there. If you can't find the perfect organization that aligns with your purpose, then the only thing left to do is (drum roll please....) start your own.

While it might seem daunting, starting a new company is easier now than it ever has been. We've never had access to more ways to start our own organizations. The barriers that once required significant capital and technical expertise have largely disappeared.

Ada, Adalo's AI builder, lets you describe what you want and generates your app. Magic Start creates complete app foundations from a description, while Magic Add adds features through natural language.

Consider app development: what once required hiring a development team and spending months in production can now be accomplished in days. Adalo's Magic Start feature generates complete app foundations from a simple description—tell it you need a booking app for your consulting business, and it creates your database structure, screens, and user flows automatically. What used to take weeks of planning happens in minutes.

The platform's unlimited database records on paid plans and no usage-based charges mean you won't face surprise bills as your venture grows. This predictable pricing model—starting at $36/month with unlimited usage—removes one of the biggest anxieties entrepreneurs face when building digital products.

So if you believe that there's a problem worth solving, but no one is working on it, then it's up to you. Do it—because nothing's more powerful than movements that were started through moral motivations. And with tools that handle the technical complexity, the only thing standing between you and your vision is the decision to begin.

FAQ

Why choose Adalo over other app building solutions?

Adalo is an AI-powered app builder that creates true native iOS and Android apps from a single codebase. Unlike web wrappers, it compiles to native code and publishes directly to both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. With paid plans offering unlimited database records and no usage-based charges, you get predictable costs as your app scales.

What's the fastest way to build and publish an app to the App Store?

Adalo's drag-and-drop interface and AI-assisted building tools let you go from idea to published app in days rather than months. Magic Start generates complete app foundations from descriptions, and the platform handles the complex App Store submission process—certificates, provisioning profiles, and store guidelines—so you can focus on your app's features.

Can I easily build my own business or career opportunity app without technical skills?

Yes, with Adalo's visual builder—described as "easy as PowerPoint"—you can create professional database-driven apps without any coding knowledge. Over 3 million apps have been built on the platform by entrepreneurs and creators launching their own ventures.

How has job hopping changed in recent years and what does this mean for entrepreneurs?

According to LinkedIn research, job hopping has nearly doubled in the past 20 years due to automation, abundance of new opportunities, and increased access to skills and remote work. This shift means entrepreneurs now have more flexibility than ever to pursue passion projects and create their own opportunities using accessible tools.

What should I look for when searching for meaningful work or starting a new venture?

Focus on finding or creating work that aligns with your personal purpose and values. Do thorough research on organizations' missions, be selective about where you invest your time, and ask yourself if the opportunity will further your goals. If you can't find the perfect fit, consider starting your own venture.

Is it easier to start my own business today than in the past?

Yes, starting a new company is easier now than it has ever been. With AI-powered app builders, remote work capabilities, and abundant learning resources, you have unprecedented access to tools that can help you build and launch your own venture without traditional technical skills or large startup capital.

How much does it cost to build an app for my business idea?

Adalo's pricing starts at $36/month with unlimited usage and app store publishing. Unlike competitors like Bubble ($59/month with usage-based charges and record limits) or Flutterflow ($70/month per user without a database included), Adalo provides predictable costs with no surprise bills as your app grows.

How can I turn my creative passion into a sustainable business or app?

Start by identifying a problem that aligns with your purpose and that you're passionate about solving. Use accessible tools like Adalo to build and test your solution quickly without needing to hire developers. This allows you to validate your idea and iterate based on user feedback while keeping costs low and predictable.