What’s your dream job?
What career would you want to do for the rest of your life? Does it give you purpose, meaning, and fulfillment? If you had this job, would your life be complete?
I don’t think it would.
The idea of a “dream job” is capitalist propaganda meant to make us think that we can only find meaning in our lives through work, and I’m calling it out.
What is a Dream Job?
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A “dream job” is the idea that there’s this fantastic career opportunity out there that will make your life complete.
The job is perfect in every way. It appeals to your values, injects purpose into your life, fills a social need with great coworkers, and provides a sense of belonging in a company culture.
It’s everything you ever wanted out of life.
Dream Jobs Don’t Exist
“I do not have a dream job. I do not dream of labor.” – James Baldwin
The truth is that there is no real dream job, not for most of us. Even the most glamorous jobs can have horrible bosses, ungodly hours, or low pay.
Being a world-renowned actress seems like a dream until your face is constantly plastered all over the tabloids. Traveling the world for a travel magazine sounds fantastic until you realize that you can’t turn down an assignment. Spending your life studying a field you love seems great until you discover you won’t make enough money to survive.
Every job has pros and cons; some are much better than others. But are there any real dreams?
Are you truly living your dream if you must work to collect a paycheck?
Some People Do Live the Dream
Maybe I’m being a little too dramatic. Some people may think that their job is a dream.
Perhaps they are a researcher figuring out how to send a person to Mars, and every day they go to work thinking:
“I can’t believe they pay me to do this!”
These folks might continue working on this project even if they weren’t paid. They love every aspect of their job and are genuinely fulfilled.
We need to understand that’s the exception, not the rule.
It’s Not True for Most of Us
There might be a minuscule number of people who truly have dream jobs, but that doesn’t make them any less mythical or out of reach for most of us.
To say it is would be like pointing to the one person who dug their way out of poverty to become a successful executive and yelling,
“See! The system isn’t broken! He did it – why can’t you??”
Landing a dream job isn’t realistic for most people, and using that one anomaly as an example keeps people trudging along, thinking that there is something wrong with them for not being able to find their “dream job.”
There’s nothing wrong with you if you can’t find your dream job because dream jobs aren’t real.
Stop beating yourself up about it and stop searching for a dream that will, more than likely, never come true.
What to Do Instead
You may already have a dream job in your mind, and you may be one of the outliers who achieves it. That’s awesome, and I think you should go for it! If you’ve found a way to live your passion, don’t let me tell you otherwise.
That’s what we’re all about!
But there are options for the rest of us, the regular folks who either don’t have a dream job or can’t find it.
We have three options for what to do instead:
- Settle for good enough
- Find meaning outside work
- Pursue Passion FIRE
Which one is best for you?
Settle For “Good Enough”
Although finding a dream job is nearly impossible, plenty of jobs are “good enough.”
These careers offer esteem, great coworkers, high salaries, or a sense of purpose, but they don’t check every box.
That’s okay.
A job that checks most of your boxes will help you live a happy life.
Find Meaning Outside Work
My biggest complaint about the dream job myth is that it tells us that meaning comes from work.
It doesn’t.
Meaning comes from pursuing your passions, raising your kids, painting a masterpiece, helping your neighbors, or learning the inner workings of the universe.
Our jobs don’t have to give us meaning. Our jobs pay us money so we can pursue the things that give us meaning.
Pursue Passion FIRE
Forrest9 via Shutterstock.com.
Our favorite way to flip the dream job myth on its head is via Passion Fire.
Passion FIRE is our system of financial independence, which allows you the freedom to pursue your dreams.
Instead of searching endlessly for a dream job that doesn’t exist, start a career that will help you achieve your goals. Look for the “good enough” job that offers personal development and a fat paycheck.
Spend 10-15 years learning, growing, saving, investing, and pursuing your passion as a side project, then quit to live the life you really want.
How To Pursue Passion Fire
When choosing a career, instead of going with the old adage of choosing what you love, choose a career that will pay you a lot.
Tech is hot, so consider software development, programming, coding, or information security. You can also opt for a career in finance, medicine, or law, but be advised that you will probably need an advanced degree to pursue those options, which might saddle you with heavy student loan debt. You’ll have to decide if the income potential is worth the high debt potential.
Next, follow your career ladder for a few years. Nab a few promotions, improve your job title, make more money, and keep moving up. At the same time, save and invest as much money as possible. Pay off your debt. Set yourself up so that you don’t have to work anymore.
Remember that this isn’t a dream job; it’s a means to an end. You aren’t working your dream job; you are working so that you can live your dream life.
At the same time, you must start working on your side project. Decide what you are passionate about, and start pursuing it in your free time. Build it into a profitable side hustle to turn it into a money-making machine when you quit your job.
But is Pursuing Your Passion for Money a Good Idea?
I know all about the controversy around pursuing your passion as a career. It’s not fun anymore if you HAVE to do it.
But with Passion Fire, you don’t actually HAVE to do it. The point is to have enough money to do whatever you want, and then you GET to dabble in your passions and profit from them.
There’s a subtle yet crucial distinction in it.
What if I Already Bought Into the Dream Job Myth?
Let’s say you followed their rules and went after a job you thought would be your dream job. Now that reality has come crashing down, you realize that the hours are long, the pay is low, and you feel trapped.
Don’t despair.
It’s never too late to switch careers. Transitioning to a new job in a new industry can be complicated and scary, but it isn’t impossible.
Find a high-paying industry that needs your skills. These transferable skills might be related to customer service, leadership, information technology, or anything else, but they are skills. And you have them. All you have to do is identify them and play them up.
Figure out what you are good at, and look for high-paying jobs needing those skills. Then, hit the job boards and explore your network to see what is available.
You might have to invest in yourself to learn new skills or get a certification in something you already know how to do. Try to avoid saddling yourself with debt while obtaining this certificate. Take a short internship rather than a class to boost your skills. If you need to take a course, opt for online options geared specifically towards your chosen industry to brush up on the skills you really need.
Not Only About the Money
Remember, when considering all this, life isn’t just about money. You may not need that much money to live, so perhaps instead of looking for a career change to a higher-paying industry, you want to switch to something that will give you more free time and a better work-life balance.
Only you can decide what balance you need in your life.
Living Your Dream Life
The point is that your dream life probably has nothing to do with your job title or your qualifications. It has much more to do with your passions than any line of work.
You may be one of the lucky few who has turned their passion into a career, but if not, that’s okay!
There’s still time to do it.
For most people, passion FIRE will take 5-10 years. Both sides of the equation (saving and investing enough to support yourself and build your passion FIRE business) take time and dedication.
If you start now, you can achieve it.
Dream Jobs Aren’t Real
Most articles on dream jobs promote the idea that they are real.
You’ll find plenty of tips for “How to Find Your Dream Job” and “Writing a Resume and Cover Letter to Land Your Dream Job.”
The posts drone on about career services, job skills websites, Linkedin, networking, job hunting tips, interview questions, and all that nonsense about job searching.
I get it.
Most people searching for dream jobs are looking for the dream. So, of course, the media will give them what they want and talk about job seeking to help these searchers find that dream.
But the truth is, for most of us, a dream job is just that—a dream. No amount of researching, job hunting, interviewing, negotiating, or anything else will change that.
Instead of dreaming about work, dream about life. Use your talents to get a job that pays well and live the life you want.
That’s the real dream – being able to do what you want with your time without worrying about work.
Let’s live it together.
I’m an outlier, I enjoyed my career more than almost anyone I’ve ever met. But I also picked a college major and a first job that fit me so well I never left my first employer and went from intern to running the corporation. I think I enjoyed it because it was such a good fit that I became very good at it. And in the same way star basketball and football players and star actors rarely retire until they have to, stars in business also are reluctant to trade in those coveted positions until they have to. But it is a small group who have that kind of career, and maybe it isn’t the best path. I worked until I was 60 though I did not need the money. Maybe if I had liked work less, I would have retired earlier and enjoyed what I now see as the best part of life, earlier? Great post, something to ponder.
Gat paid, save, and then retire.