When you newly enter the workforce, you have your heart set on a dream job. It’s the position that seems magical and gives you the money you want, prestige, and the kind of career you don’t dread going to each day. Sadly, many folks are disillusioned when they realize that even the best jobs will have aspects they dislike.
Is it possible that the very term of a dream job is nothing more than a misnomer? Why is society so enthralled with chasing perfection when the idea of excellence is impossible? Nothing else in life is perfect, so why would the job world have perfection?
Ten Reasons Why a Dream Job May Not Actually Exist
If you’ve been under the assumption that you’re doing one menial job after enough in search of the dream job, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Here are some reasons why the perfect job isn’t out there.
1. The Perfect Position Might Not Be a Dream Job
You’ve heard the old saying that it’s impossible to find a needle that’s lost in a haystack. Well, finding the perfect job can be very similar. You have a mindset of what that ideal job looks like, but it might not be reality. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What brings me the most happiness?
- What do I want to do with my life?
- How do I know what my talents are?
- What are the constraints that keep me from my dreams?
- What would it take to make me feel like I’ve arrived?
By creating a roadmap to your success, you can take some of the pressure from yourself about finding the perfect position. The ideal job for you might not look like a dream, but it’s what’s best for you.
2. The Best Motivation Comes from Within
Throughout your life, you may have more than one job that fits the category of a dream. You must keep in mind that there’s always room for you to improve and grow. One thing that will never change is that the motivation must come from within you.
The key is to stay focused on where you’re at this stage in life, and you should do what feels good. You have the power to create the dream, and don’t worry about office space, a plaque over the door, or some fancy title. If you’re doing something that you love, then nothing else matters.
3. The Dream Isn’t Always the One That Pays the Bills
Remember that your goals adjust as you age. When you’re eighteen, it might seem significant to travel the world, but when you’re 30 with two children, you want something that keeps a roof over your head. Keep in mind that your job has to sustain you, as there’s more to life than just happiness.
4. Your Idea of a Dream Job May Evolve
It’s possible that you can find a great job that makes you happy and gives you a sense of fulfillment. The problem is that you can have more than one passion, and it can evolve as you do. At eighteen, the business path you see as dreamy won’t look the same at forty.
Think of your career path as one of those choose your own adventure books series. You have lots of twists and turns along the way, but ultimately, you decide whether to turn the next page or not. Some sage advice is to be open to change.
It’s okay for you to dream big, but you must realize that your dreams will alter as time goes on, and that’s okay because it means you’re growing.
5. Human Nature Causes You to Wonder If There’s More
Whether you sit in a top spot in the corporate world or manage a fast-food restaurant, everyone will ask themselves questions like, “Is there more out there?” The very human nature is to seek and search for more. You may already be sitting in your dream job but are so busy looking for it that you don’t see what’s right in front of you.
When you choose a job path, you start with the question of “What do I want to do with my life.” Why not ask yourself something entirely different, such as “Who do I want to be 10, 20, or 30 years from now?” What does a fulfilled life look like to me, and how do I achieve this dream?
6. You’ll Have Lots of Jobs Along the Way
Many people don’t graduate from college and land the perfect job. Instead, they have many jobs along the way to the top. There’s a fallacy that people graduate from college and walk into the limelight, but it’s nothing more than smoke and mirrors.
Take, for instance, the lawyer. An attorney doesn’t graduate one day and start making tons of money settling significant personal injury cases the next. No, they must do the grunt work.
They must work under someone with more experience and do some menial tasks on the way to the top. The same thing can be said of a doctor. They graduate then must go onto residency and prove themselves. It would help if you learned that even within your dream of the perfect path, you’re going to have lots of jobs.
7. It’s Really About the Dream Lifestyle
Instead of thinking about that dream position, why not think about the lifestyle you want. If you like your freedom, want to travel the world, and can’t stand being tied to a desk, then being an accountant isn’t for you. Finding the right job that’s a dream to you should involve one that represents your best self.
Stop worrying about the portfolio and put your focus on capturing your values. All dreams are subject to interpretation, after all.
8. Not Every Day is a Dream
You have the perfect workplace with good relationships and plenty of income. However, there will be bad days even doing what you love. According to the College Monk, a surgeon goes through at least ten years of schooling, but do you think every day in the operating room is a cakewalk?
What happens when they lose a patient or surgery doesn’t go the way they want? So even if you’re doing what you love, there’s still going to be bad days where everything doesn’t go right. Life is never going to be perfect, and neither is a job.
9. It’s All About Your Mindset
How many times have you told yourself that when you get this raise, you’re going to be happy and living? Then, you get the raise and still want more. It’s because seeking your satisfaction and fulfillment in this life on external things will never make you happy.
Rather than looking for the job of your dreams, why not focus on what fills you up inside? Maybe you love working with the homeless and doing volunteer work, even though this type of job would never sustain your family. There are no rules that say you can’t do what you love while working a nine to five.
10. Some Aspects of Your Dream Job Require Shaping
There are pros and cons to any job, and some might call it a balance sheet of truth. When you select a job, the goods must outweigh the negative things. You may love working as a deckhand on an ocean liner but being away from your family for a month at a time is unbearable.
Some jobs have dealbreakers. To be on the water and interacting with Mother Nature, you must give up time with your family. This instance requires you to shape aspects of your dream to accommodate your situation.
You may need to find a job that fits your financial needs and the needs of your family. So, telling yourself that one job can do it all for you is dishonesty with yourself. You’re setting yourself up for disappointment and failure.
Final Thoughts on Why the Dream Job May Not Exist
People are fickle, and you’re not an exception. What looks like a great job to you today might not be so grand next year. Rather than focusing all your time and energy on finding the silver bullet, why not put your focus on inner peace and fulfillment?
Find a job that makes you happy, and you don’t mind going to each day, and it pays the bills. Then, if you need to bring in your other passions to find that inner fulfillment, it’s okay. Adjusting your expectations for the dream job is one of the most challenging lessons you’ll have in life.
Your very human nature drives you to do and make more. However, you have to learn how to be content with the things you have in this life at some point.
According to an article in Psychology Today, you should strive for the manageable goal of contentment rather than the fallacy that you will find constant happiness. A job is nothing more than a means to make a living, and there’s so much more to your life than work.
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