Why Your Dream Job Is a Hoax
Is the job of your dreams really what it’s made out to be?
Let me start by clarifying a few things.
I’m not here to bash your dreams.
I’m not here to tell you that you can’t make a living selling kool-aids atop Mount Fuji.
Or become the next J K Rowling.
All I’m saying is, that your dream job might be a pit stop and not the end destination.
Let’s face it, the odds of us landing our dream job aren’t too encouraging, given that there are more than 8 billion of us on this planet. But that’s for another day.
For today, imagine you have beaten all odds and landed that dream job. It’s your first day at work. It’s all that you ever dreamed of- an office with a great view, a hefty paycheck and a cool boss. What more could you want?
Now fast-forward a few years or decades down the lane. You are still at your dream job, your office has grown bigger and the pay is higher. But some things are starting to get under your skin- like how you always need to stay back and work through weekends, how you barely have any time for your family or vacations, and how your ideas are always turned down by management. You feel like a cog in a machine- but wasn’t this your dream job to begin with?
Throughout our lives, we yearn for different things.- a popstar at 13, a fighter pilot at 16, and a doctor at 18. But even if these dreams manifest, they rarely remain fulfilling forever.
Because we as humans are constantly evolving. The society around us, and our life experiences, it’s all impacting who we are as a person. So someone who thought that being a corporate lawyer was their ultimate calling at 25, might want to quit it all and become a full-time tarot reader at 40.
Or you may step into your dream job on day one and realize that it isn’t exactly your cup of tea. Because, how do you know for sure if it’s for you unless you actually try it?
Society is obsessed with linear paths- graduation-> well-paying job-> family and kids.
But it’s okay to make detours, say no to high-paying opportunities, and leave a stable job that just isn’t working out the way you pictured it.
It’s okay to work for years towards a dream and then pick a different path because you changed or realized it isn’t what you wanted all along.
The world is full of opportunities, and regardless of what others might say, there is a perfect opportunity for everyone out there. It’s all a matter of figuring it out and accepting when it’s time for a change.
