4 Tips on How to Turn Your Daydream into your Day Job
It has become commonplace to assume that to be working is to be miserable (enforced by memes expressing agony at terms like “adulting” or “Mondays”). When referencing our careers, we often use the term “making a living”, forgetting along the way that our jobs are how we will spend a large portion of our lives. In Deloitte’s Shift Index Study they found that approximately 80 percent of people hate their job. How has it come to be that such an integral part of our lives and identities is so widely accepted to be depressing?
Technology has paved the way for a resurgence of creativity and inventiveness in the work environment. It has challenged business models and inspired people of various backgrounds and demographics to become entrepreneurs. In the tech world, long gone are the days of cubicles, cold calling and sorting files. This industry is exciting — it thrives on innovation and solution seeking for traditional (often broken) systems. However, if you want to play the role of the superhero, first you have to learn how to fly.
Below are the 4 steps to follow to make your break into the career you really want.
Map Out the Things You Love
We all have heard the common quip “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life”. We have commodified this quote so much with no context, that it borders sounding like an end to a fairytale. However, in recent years, industry leaders have been resurrecting its impact.
Make a list of all of the things that interest you, whether you are good at them or not. They can be activities, causes, study topics, genres of art or literature, or different industries. It is important to have a concrete list of these to stay on par with your interests and keep your mind open to different possibilities.
Think of the Work You Can’t Not Do
This is a concept borrowed from Scott Dinsmore, founder of Live Your Legend, and advocate for doing what you love. He suggests that rather than taking a passive approach to our careers, we run full speed at our goals and focus on the things that we can’t live without. By tying our passions and dreams into our career, it replaces forged productivity and apathy with actual enthusiasm.
Get the Training you Need to Execute Your Goals
Now that you have the what and the why, it is time to focus on the how. If one of your goals is to be an artist who uses their craft to advocate for social causes, become a digital designer and do freelance work for non-profits in your area. Have a business idea you want to develop? Learn to write code and get started on an online platform that will drive traffic and engage others with your company.
Go out and Get Started
Bloc’s online bootcamps give you the technical skills you need to build on your interests and take control of your career path. Attend an info session and enroll in one of our programs today to get started on making a life you take pride in.