How to Land Your Dream Job
There is a saying that goes something along the lines of “If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life”. The sentiment behind it means that if you are passionate about your job, and if you really enjoy it, it will never feel like work to you.
This is, of course, not really true, as all jobs, regardless of how much we want and enjoy them, feel like they are hard work now and then. It is a nice phrase though and encapsulates what many people think when they envisage the job that they would like to do, more than anything in the world.
The “dream job” category is one that is as individual as the different people on the planet. Some people may think that working at Google HQ is living the dream and others would prefer to work for a top computer game developer like Rockstar, or even to work in the penguin enclosure at their local zoo as a keeper.
There are many things that can get in between us and our dream job, whether it is lack of formal qualifications needed for the role, lack of contacts in the industry to help us make connections or just the pressures inherent in everyday life. If you aren’t doing what you would really like to be, consider why that is. Look at the reasons that it hasn’t worked out for you so far, then make your plan for how to change that.
It’s Never Too Late to Change Careers
Career change can be scary but it can also be affirming and rewarding to accomplish. If you find yourself unhappy and disillusioned in your current job, and you find yourself daydreaming about the path not taken, then it is time for a change.
Prepare Yourself Mentally for a Change
It can seem like a big risk at first, sacrificing the comfort that you have built up in your working environment and the confidence that you have in your own abilities within your current field. Be assured that many of the skills that you have are transferable, so you will be taking them with you into your second career.
That organisational ability that you are proud of? It’s coming with you. The way you cajole other team members to get better performance from them? That’s coming with you as well. Whatever the skills may be, the chances are that they will translate well to a new field of work as well.
The fact that you are second-guessing so much of the process of letting go of the old job, even though you are unhappy in it, is entirely normal. Change is scary and it is only natural to seek reassurance before taking a big step into what is essentially the unknown. There are many people who will try to talk you out of something so ambitious in scope, so you have to be prepared to stick to your guns and keep going.
Identify The Obstacles to Your Success
Take a hard, honest look at where you would like to get to and identify the obstacles that you have to navigate in order to move to the kind of career that you would enjoy. The obstacles can come in all manner of different forms, from finding someone to look after your children while you work to not having a high enough level of education to be accepted in your chosen field.
These are all valid problems and they also have solutions, it sometimes takes some creativity to come up with them, but they are nearly always there if you look hard enough.
Determine the Actions Required to Beat Obstacles
Are the obstacles educational? There are more online courses than ever before, that can teach you just about anything you may wish to know.
The internet has made the absorption of knowledge, and skill development so much easier than at any point in history and you are the direct beneficiary. If you need to learn the jargon of your industry fast, watch some videos on industry related content and you will soon pick it up.
If your obstacles are that you lack the industry contacts, update your profile on LinkedIn, and start adding people in relevant fields. Post content that they will then share, which will immediately give you a profile within that field, particularly if you can pick a current topic that is a hot-button issue. The key is to research well and try to sound authoritative without coming down too hard on one side or the other with controversial issues.
Take the Actions You Identified
If you decide that you want to become a search engine specialist, you will have to read all of the latest news relating to it in order to get a handle on the latest developments in the field. You may decide that you want to gain a qualification in search engine optimisation in order to further your ambitions to one day work with the search giant. With a company the size of Google, they often have schemes for various demographic groups to encourage them to apply for jobs, so familiarise yourself with these as well and look for opportunities.
If you want to be a zoo keeper, there are actually apprenticeships in the UK that will allow you to do this as a job role while studying toward a qualification as well. Apprenticeships are not just something for young people, as so many people think. You can access them at any stage in your career journey and they can be a great way to get a start in some of the more esoteric fields of work. It can be hard to find the right one for you and sometimes competition is fierce but if you have the passion for it, you will succeed.
It may not ultimately be possible to work for your dream company but changing your career to get closer to this goal is a fulfilling move in itself and you will be happier than if you stayed where you were.
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