A dream job is the golden-mid where what you love meets what you are proficient in, and you also get paid for doing that thing. Not everyone is so lucky to hit that spot, but they can certainly achieve it.
Qualities of an Ideal Job
Ingredients
What sort of person are you? What is your aspiration? What hobbies and skills may help you reach your dream? What opportunities you can create for yourself?
A hobby is an activity done regularly for self-satisfaction and happiness. This may include activities that are jobs to others. Efforts, dedication, passion, and direction are prime ingredients to capitalize on your hobby.
A few examples of hobbies are photography, blogging, traveling, programming, acting, painting, trekking/hiking, gold panning, kick fighting, stock trading, scuba diving, skydiving, and astronomy. Always recall the learnings and golden moments you treasured while enjoying these activities. This improves the quality of life.
Skill is the ability to do something well in an expert manner. Skills can be developed by learning or getting trained. There are inheritance skills too. Skill is a driving factor to your career and hobbies. If you excel in a skill, success would certainly follow, you may need to channelize the efforts to portray it in the right market.
Rightly nurtured hobbies and skills can transform into your dream job. Dream induces hope and positivity to keep the purpose alive.
“Dream is not that which you see while sleeping it is something that does not let you sleep.” ― Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Recipe to success
You must define your success. The definition should be clear and must consider all the factors and their weights that matter to you. This differs from person to person and one should stay away from copying the definition of success from others. Don’t get discouraged if your success doesn’t fit in the conventional or collective perspective of society.
Failures are vital factors. Learn from all your failures and correct/redefine your path forward. As one celebrates success, why not celebrate the learnings from failure? As Agile says, fail fast, fail often, fail early, but always fail forward.
Change is the only constant in life, and that applies to your definition of success too. You can change success parameters as many times as you need, but be very cautious when the definitions are changing your career directions and consider all the associated attributes.
Success is an outcome. The most important aspects are your inputs and the process/journey that leads you to the outcome. One must enjoy this journey to make it fulfilling.
Here is an exemplary perspective to success:
Sample testing:
Undergrad students have an initial image of their dream job in the corporate world.
Upon starting a job, they realize that there are various aspects to it.
They build a new image about the dream job.
As experience and exposure to the industry grow, the definition of dream job changes.
Everyone's priorities are different, which defines their dream job.
The parameters of the ideal job remain almost constant regardless of time.
During the journey to pursue a perfect job, there are various choices that one needs to make. The choices yield reactions that provide options to fight or flight. Freeze or giving up can’t be an option if you want to succeed in your pursuance.
01. Fight -
Many times you get a mundane job where you bifurcate from the definition of 'enjoying a job'. Over the period, during your 1:1 or skip levels, you shared your feelings about your aspirations, however, the discussions echoed only in those meetings, and were never taken up as an action by anyone.
The whole purpose of fighting is for your own betterment and personal & professional satisfaction. You may or may not get support from the environment. However, one must fight to achieve the desired goal. The fight will bring the focus, enjoyment, and efficiencies that would lead to success.
Also, one must understand that fight comes with repulsive effects. What matters is you are emitting positivity with all your needs, and handling the situations effectively.
Positive fights can be demonstrated by,
Sharing your feelings
Giving feedback
Being positive
Looking for a guide or mentor
Defining your clear objectives
02. Flight
Giving up on a fight leads to a flight. Sometimes, the flight can be the only option.
Sometimes you fight to correct the job/environment, and the rest of the time you search for an environment that suits your desires.
In search of your pursuance, you need the first step and keep walking in the right direction.
The situations, culture, or environment can sometimes act as blockers. You need to be motivated, and try to change the situation for good. Wait for the right opportunity, because when it is good, it is good.
Remember, Flight is neither an escape from the situation nor an appreciated habit if it is recurring. Take this route confidently by,
Retrospecting
Finding Nanny/Nemo/Dory/Fanny
Investing in research
Aligning your objectives with aspirations
Nurturing your skills
The dessert:
You can align/achieve your dream job along with a bigger and better purpose that gives back to society.
Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means a reason for being. The word "Ikigai" is usually used to indicate the source of value in one's life or the things that make one's life worthwhile.
IKIGAI is the combination of all the good within what you are good at, what you love, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. To find your IKIGAI you need to find the balanced combination of your passion, mission, profession, and vocation.
“Dream Dream Dream. Dreams transform into thoughts, And thoughts result in action.” ― Dr. A. P. J. ABDUL KALAM