People who are happy at work consistently outperform their unhappy peers, according to research from the University of Warwick, England. And a study in the journal Psychological Science suggests that a strong sense of purpose, professional or otherwise, can help keep you from dying early.

No one is simply looking for a job. “All of us are searching for our life’s mission,” says career coach Joe Sweeney, author of Networking Is a Contact Sport. Is your vocation falling short? Here are the jobs you could be doing and how to get them.