The Dream Job Myth

finding the job you love

People keep telling you pursue your passion, that’s the key to finding the job you love. Did you ever think that maybe dream jobs don’t exist? That the dream job myth exists?

Should we become more realistic about finding careers and jobs? As millennials, we have been fed lies.

We have grown up in the age of shiny, Hollywood movies and even shinier Instagram accounts.

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If you’re not 100% in love with your job, have you failed?

Fake movies and even faker social media make us believe that our jobs should be passion-filled, a never ending joyous journey. . . Yawn, what a load of B*****ks

The millennial obsession with social media has left us with a need for instant gratification.

Have we been bred to be entitled brats? Have you ever thought that we are a Microwave Generation? Where our lack of patience is ruining our chances of success?

The Dream Job Myth

I’m sure you’ve heard the quote – “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.”

Whenever I hear someone spouting this *advice,* I have to stop myself from rolling my eyes. 

OK, I don’t even stop myself. I definitely roll my eyes. 

Because, the truth is, NO DREAM JOB is going to be that dreamlike in reality.

All too often, you start a brand-new ‘dream job’ convinced that this time it’s going to be different. That this time you have found your dream job.

You bound out of bed on your first day, carefully do your hair and makeup and dress yourself in your pre-selected outfit that epitomises professional and cool.

Then, you arrive at work eager to impress your new colleagues and make a real difference in your new DREAM job.

Those first few days are HEAVENLY. enjoying the unlimited free snacks and on-site gym benefits. And oh the lols you have at the after-work free beers on a Friday.

Finally, you found a job you LOVE.

But… fast forward a few weeks. And you find yourself staring out of the window wondering ‘Is this it?’

You’re still at a desk. You’re still doing work that seemingly means nothing. Attending meetings that could have been an email. Staying late to appease your manager.

And so, the cycle repeats.

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Constantly Searching

‘71% of Millennials are actively seeking a new job.’ That statistic probably doesn’t surprise you in the least.

A lot of people I know spend a lot of time either complaining about their current work or, trying to find a new job they love.

But yet, none of them seem to realise that their new job is exactly the same as their old one. All that changed was the company.

And sure enough, after a few weeks, or maybe a few months if they are lucky. The complaints start again. 

Clearly, something isn’t working for you if you are constantly searching for a job you love.

What about the radical ‘new’ idea that work ISN’T fun. You’re not meant to be in love with your work.

Maybe we, as a generation, need to become re-accustomed to the idea that a job is work.

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Generations Before

Previous generations had never heard of a dream job, let alone a dream job myth.

To them, you were lucky if you had a job and you stuck with it. No complaining, no whinging.

You turned up to work every day, worked hard and that was it.

Millennials, on the other hand, have forgotten just how privileged most of us are. You are incredibly lucky to be able to waste time TRYING to find a job you love.

80% of the world lives in poverty. 

Yet, you’re complaining that your work is boring?

How To DITCH The Dream Job Myth

The dream job myth - Confucious Quote

The dream job is a myth.

We need to stop waiting for the perfect job to appear. It never will.

Instead, focus on the good points of your work and use the situation to learn for future roles.

If you don’t love your current job, see it as a stepping stone to a brighter future and life.

Every job has tasks that will bore you out of your mind, wishing for the day to end.

Perhaps, you love the creativity associated with being a designer. But having to chase invoices from clients makes you want to run for the hills.

Or maybe, you love the social aspect of working sales. However, the monotony of the company CRM makes you fall asleep from boredom.

Having Manager in your job title might make you feel special. After a little while though, having to manage people’s quibble will make you want to blow your brains out.

Do Your Research 

The thing is, none of the downsides of a “dream job” are going to be highlighted in a job ad.

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Therefore, it’s up to you to do some investigating before exploring a possible career before making a decision.

Talk to people who already work in the field and find out what their day-to-day routines in the office are like.

Get online (like you don’t spend enough time online as it is).

Find out what you can from bloggers, magazine articles or interviews.

Glassdoor is a good resource to find out what a company is really like. Be sure to take the bad reviews with a pinch of salt. An employee that left a company on bad terms is hardly going to leave a glowing review.

Values

Another important factor to consider when you’re busy searching, what does the company stand for? If you are ethical, try and find a company whose values align with yours.

A fat paycheck won’t help you sleep better at night if you know your company is bringing more harm than good in to the world.

Be Realistic

The trick is to keep a BALANCE in mind when researching and applying for your dream job. Be honest with yourself and your values. What is important TO YOU?

For instance, will you be OK with a job that involves a lot of socialising outside of office hours?

Or would you prefer to get off at 5.30 every day to be free to spend time with your friends?

Are you willing to put up with a boss that you don’t get on with in order to progress in your career?

Or are friendly colleagues and a laid back work culture important to you?

RELATED: The Importance of knowing yourself and how to do it. 

What To Look For

You’re going to spend about 8,000 hours a year in your work space. It’s important to be sure it’s the right fit for you.

The workplace is never going to be the same in every company but see if your priorities will be met. Are there collaboration spaces. Is the office overly loud?

Don’t focus on the job title. At the end of the day, a title means jack-all.

A Fortune 500 company may afford you some prestige on your Linkedin profile. But if the work culture means you’re miserable, is it worth it?

Work is work. That is the basic truth of it. It’s not going to be fun.

However, do try and keep the balance of positives to negatives balance above 50/50. With that, you can consider yourself luckier than 80% of the world

Aim to keep progressing in your career. And put up with the aspects of the role that don’t have you screaming with pleasure.

You want a job that allows you to climb the career. more than a job that provides you with short-term happiness.

Eliminate the dream job myth from your vocabulary.

A Meaningful Career

Now you can begin to focus on what a meaningful career should be.

A career that you enjoy is made up of lots of different variables which all meet together somewhere in the middle to provide you with at least partial job satisfaction.

A healthy work environment, challenging work that interests you, sociable and friendly colleagues, a competitive salary that allows you to afford the lifestyle you want.

But lest not forget, work is work.

You will never find a job that you love 100%, the dream job is a MYTH.

How to find your dream job. Stop looking. It doesn't exist