Tag Archives: dream job

When You Don’t Have a “Dream Job.”

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“What is your dream job?”

I can not tell you the number of times I have been asked this question, either in person, or in a written job application. There’s nothing wrong with this question if you happen to know your dream job, but for indecisive, wandering, confused people like me, this question may prove to be more problematic.

First of all, if I had a dream job, and it was something that was somewhat feasible to pursue, I would be doing that. However, when I try to conjure up what that job would be, I can’t seem to figure out how to combine my interests into a single career; I like working with kids, doing things with my hands, creativity and design, writing, cooking and eating, playing sports, being outdoors, meeting new people, learning about political and social issues and causes, etc. I also find it difficult to separate my hobbies and interests from what would be viable career-wise. I sometimes have the fear that if i do something I love too much, I will end up hating it. For example, when I was deciding what sport to start in high school, I considered cross country because I like to run, but I instead opted for team sports like lacrosse and field hockey because I thought that if I just ran for the sake of running every single day, I would end up hating it, and I really did not want to end up hating something that was such a productive stress reliever.

In addition, something that I have realized with the help of my mom (my ultimate self-help guru and life coach) is that I don’t need to have a dream job or career figured out right now. Even though it often feels like everyone has it figured out, they really don’t. Sometimes when I am going on anxiety-induced-rants to my mom about how I need to “figure it out now” or else I will screw everything up, she reminds me that even my friends who have known their school majors or careers since they were four might change their mind, or they might end up sticking with it but then miss out on a lot of experiences they could have had exploring other interests.

Source: The Hills

My mom also reminded me that for the most part, any type of job experience is helpful, and just because all of my professional experience doesn’t fit into a linear narrative doesn’t mean it isn’t useful. I can be flexible, and see where things take me.

For example, when my mom was studying at UC Berkeley for undergrad, she didn’t know what to major in until her advisor “suggested” she do sociology because she “had taken the most courses in that department.” After that, she ended up managing a tennis club for around a decade before deciding to go to law school. The point is, unless you are planning on becoming a neurosurgeon or something with very precise prerequisites and requirements (and even then you still don’t need to have every little detail figured out) you don’t need to only do things that are a “precursor” for you dream job or career. You can try things out and see if there is anything that speaks to you.

I may not have a dream job, but I am coming to terms with it. I am trying my best to be flexible, and try out a bunch of different things. I still have interests, hobbies, and ambition, and I’m hoping that’s enough.

High School Project Turned Dream Job?

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My sophomore year in high school, my best friend and I got the grand idea to start our own vintage clothing boutique. It was prompted by a mandatory project, but we wanted to create something different from the myriad of plain poster presentations. We set out to complete a project that was not only beneficial to our community, but also something that was a joy, not a chore, to create and carry out.

Our weekly outings to the dingy local thrift store with no dressing room, where we tried on shorts under maxi skirts three sizes too big, originally didn’t seem to be more than a place for us to find unique clothes at ridiculously cheap prices.

The afternoons we spent cutting boy’s Levi’s into high-waisted denim shorts and hemming shirts into crop tops were always too fun to feel like work – the Arcade Fire record playing in the background, eating bowls of Ben & Jerry’s and complaining about boys as we sorted through the plastic shopping bag full of $2 jeans, massive dresses and quirky t-shirts made the event too casual to be a transferrable job skill.

But we decided to try doing what we did for fun–updating thrifted clothing into pieces we would actually wear–into a job, if just for a few weeks. We created an Etsy shop, a calendar of deadlines for the project to make sure we would have sold clothes by the culmination of the project in the spring. We meticulously kept track of how much we spent on materials, tried to fairly price all of the shorts, skirts, scrunchies and accessories, advertised our “brand,” Threads, on Facebook and Instagram, and got to work making clothes not just for ourselves as we avoided homework, but for ‘work.’

Thinking back on that spring of my sophomore year, I realize that was probably my dream job. Of course, it wasn’t a real job, (the location of the ‘boutique’ where we ended up selling the clothes to our friends was her parents’ basement) but if it were to be a real job, I’d definitely sign myself again in a heartbeat.

I spent hours with my best friend, doing what we probably would have spent the afternoon doing anyways. I had the freedom to be creative and mess around, and I always had my best friend at my side if I ever hacked off two inches too many of a skirt’s hem or needed to know if a dress I thought we could sell was ugly or cute. And I even got to go shopping regularly in the name of new inventory!

Honestly, the hardest part was having to be responsible for the entire project. I remember wishing repeatedly that someone would hold me accountable for the deadlines we had set, or a superior had more clearly outlined what steps would lead to a most successful end project. Selling clothing online was a hassle neither of us had realized we had signed ourselves up for, and advertising was always done so last-minute it was practically too late.

When we finally opened our pop-up boutique, after dozens of friends and family browsed through the racks of our clothes, we had made nearly $500 for a local charity in an afternoon, and also proved to ourselves that we were capable of carrying out a project from start to finish that we didn’t dread.

It may have been a little on the early side, but this experience gave me truly helpful insight into what I want in a workplace. Regardless of whether or not I can ever do something similar to this in my professional career, I hope it can be filled with supportive coworkers (or best friends), a laid-back atmosphere, and creativity–with a good dose of structure mixed in, too.

My Dream Job

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As a kid, there was never really one thing that I wanted to be when I grew up. I mean, who didn’t want to be both a cowgirl and an astronaut? And while I never really dreamed about being the first female president, I definitely at one point thought it would be cool.

To this day I still do not really know what I want to do when I grow up. I feel silly saying “when I grow up,” because a lot of people would consider me to already be at that point, but I think I still have a little while. I don’t even have a real job picked out yet, so I can’t already be there.

If you were to ask me right now what I wanted to do with my life, I would most definitely say that I want to be a travel journalist. My dream job would be to write for a travel magazine and get to go all over the world writing about food. In one job, I would be able to combine three of my favorite things: food, travel, and writing. I would love to be able to spend my days in foreign cities speaking different languages and immersing myself in their culture.

While I wish it were possible to create any job that you wanted and make it happen, I know that is not quite how it works. I know that these jobs exist, but they seem far and few between. How do I get a job like this?

Two summers ago, I spent the day at a local newspaper shadowing the editor of the food section. Though it was shocking to see the effect that technology has had on journalism and newspapers, it was even more interesting to hear about the changes that the field has gone through. Journalism remains a highly sought-after field, but the amount of jobs available are slowly dwindling. However, when I asked someone about jobs with travel magazines, they said that there are actually many jobs available due to the fact that people don’t go after them because they think they are all taken.

So I guess the moral of the story here is that I may someday be able to be a travel journalist! Essentially, though, it’s never a bad idea to ask around and try for the job that you really want. Putting yourself out there is the best thing you can do. You should always love what your work and the job that you are doing, so it’s a good idea to start looking for one that will make you happy.