I’m sure we all grew up hoping to find our dream job. However, as we approach the “career stage” of our lives, many of us tend to struggle defining exactly what our dream job would be. It’s probably because life and all of its responsibilities bombard us before we can even experience the “I love what I do” feeling. We rush to find a job or career that will make us the income we need to be financially stable and once we find it, we settle. However, we don’t take the initiative to ask ourselves, “Is my job right for me?”
Tough question, isn’t it? You sit at your desk or wherever you perform your daily job duties and think, “am I here because I want to be or because I have to be?” One should find their career purposeful, rewarding and most of all stress free. What’s a job that makes us not want to get up in the morning and take a trip to the clock in station to start the day? What’s a job that loses our attention through unsatisfying workloads and makes us look at the clock every other minute hoping it yells out, “Time to go home”. What’s a job that makes us question whether we want to be here at all? It’s a job that is not for you.
With that being said, is your current career field right for you? If your answer is no, then I cannot help but quote Confucius when I say “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life”.
Eye-opening article. It’s good to self-reflect sometimes.
Now I want to change my career and have no idea how to even begin. Follow up post??
Once you find doing what you love, you will know. But don’t confuse it with whatever’s easy. Doing what you love is not always easy, but it is always rewarding. Good luck, everybody!
I definitely am in the wrong job now, I often count down the clock. This blog is spot-on: we settle. It’s a hard balance between searching for what you love to do and getting what you have to do out of a job. Just paying the bills certainly isn’t living though.
If you’re questioning it–and you’re bored–you’re not being challenged. Get out while you can!
I realized that what I thought I wanted for my career was something I only enjoyed as a hobby. I was afraid to jump ship and start over, but I am so glad I did. I am much happier now that I have changed fields.
Sometimes your field might be right, but the company isn’t. Don’t give up too fast. You might just be in the wrong organization.
That quote is so true. I love my job now and look forward to going on. Get to that point!
But what if your dream job is to be retired? haha 😉
I’m always thinking about a career change!
It is hard because we pick careers at a young age when we go to college, but as you grow and evolve your priorities and interests might change. What you thought you wanted at 18 might not hold true to what you want at 30 or 40.
I see my sister’s job as a teacher and I often think I’d love working with kids, but then again, 24/7 might be more than I can handle. I enjoy going in and spending an hour or two with them, but very different all day long and dealing with parents.
It is very frightening to switch careers halfway through, but isn’t it scarier to spend your life unhappy? You should enjoy what you do everyday.
Every morning I get to work I can’t wait to leave… Searching for a job that’s more than just a job….
Do what makes you happy!
The thought of a new career when you have invested time (and money if you have a degree) is a risk. You really have to be certain you are making the right choice, but in the end it is worth it if it leads to happiness.
I don’t love my job, but I am comfortable. It isn’t enough to force me to up and move.
I am fortunate to love my field. I have a job that allows me to work with an help people so I feel I am really giving back.
It’s always good to take a step back and reevaluate what you’re doing, where your path is going, and where you want to go. Poignant post.
It took me until my forties to find the right job. It is worth it to keep pushing for that happiness in your profession.
I was lucky. I chose the right field and I have been happy since day one. Not many can say that.
I went back to school in my late twenties and made the change. Very glad I did. The first career wasnt a fit for me.
I did a lot of internships before I chose my career. It was a great way to get an idea of different areas of the field I chose so I could make sure I was in the right place once I took something permanent.
I lost interest in my field, but part of me believes it is more the company I work for. Things have changed and not for the better. Time to start looking. The stress isnt worth it.
I have too many family and financial obligations to switch to a more enjoyable job, so I plod on. But my hobbies and free time with my kids let me enjoy my life outside of work. That’s the payoff.
Ideally we would all like to do something enjoyable and make enough money to survive and be happy. But how would we function without the countless people supporting our way of life, doing jobs they may not enjoy – garbage collectors, plumbers, air traffic controllers, etc.
Back in the day we all had to take aptitude tests in school, to see what career we’d be good at. I tested high for police work. But I’ve been teaching instrumental music and voice for more than thirty years. I guess NYC lost a cop when I decided to pursue a career in the arts.
I have a job that I hate and a part-time job that I love. If my part-time work paid a decent wage I would quit my day job in minute! You have to deal with priorities and be grateful for what you have.
Dream jobs don’t come along every day so I’m toiling at a job that pays the bills, almost. Luckily, my parents are helping me. I’ve been taking courses at night to enable me to apply to nursing school. If I could be a nurse I would be truly happy.
I love that quote 🙂
I’m in my 40s and I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up 😉
No! That was easy to answer haha but I also don’t know what is the right career for me.
I have yet to find a job I enjoy. I don’t know what it is. 45 years old and still searching.
I read something once that said don’t do what you love, love what you do. There is no right or wrong career. Life is what you make of it.
It is sad how many people hate their jobs. I don’t love mine, but I feel like feeling meh about it is a step up from most I know haha
I changed my major three times in college! Took me longer to finish, but wound up in the right field. I was lucky.
Doesn’t sound like people like their jobs. Got to win the lottery.
Been looking for better. Hard to find the right pay and to get benefits though. You get stuck in the dead end that way.
The first step is to realize why we took the job in the first place. I once heard a quote from Madea that goes something like, “[Don’t] mix seasonal people with lifetime expectations.” Substitute “people” with “jobs” and you may begin to understand your next move regarding your current job.
The quote at the end is beautiful.