Comments on: 6 Tips for Landing Your Dream Job

By: Megan V

Megan V — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:49:59 +0000

I just wanted to pipe in with a point on this list that is so important. I have definitely landed my dream job. I thought if I worked really really hard I might have an opportunity like this in my 40s, here I am 32 and doing it. But it does have its hard days, it totally has its stressful days, and I still answer to people, and get frustrated, etc., sometimes more so because I care about what I do so much. It sounds foolish to admit, but I was caught off-guard by the fact that I still had to deal with stress and disappointment. It is really inspiring to me to go back to this post and know that this is just how life is!

By: Emmanuel Flossie

Emmanuel Flossie — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 21:33:58 +0000

Hi i want to say that, i started learning Plumbing, a course direction that i was forced to do, well forced, it was ether that or being an Electrician, after the 6 years of study during my teenage years, i became a plumber at first i loved this job, but then hated it, last 4 months of my year i became quickly annoyed with things i should not be. So one time i was in spain for a holiday i figured i should quit my job, so i did and became a sales man in a electronic shop, this lasted 3 years long, again i hated this job too, but i had saved up enough money to follow my dreams, in 2006 i went to London`s Escape Studios, to learn 3D. After this course i stayed and lived in the UK, but had trouble finding a job, so i worked at a warehouse for a full year earning just enough to pay rent, and buy food. but during that period i build out my portfolio, i did 12 hours a day, in September 2007 i went full time freelance, and now April 2008 i have my first big step of a dream job, Currently Creative Lead at Inverse Forge, working on amazing titles. And this is just the beginning, so if red till the end, follow your dreams, you will have hard times like me, but you will get there, never give up, always go forward.

By: Tabuxander

Tabuxander — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 08:06:51 +0000

it is better fr us to further study to gain more advance skill like taking a master’s degree or acquire additional degree. Knowledge and skills will make ourselves more marketable

By: FS

FS — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 01:46:49 +0000

A good place to start with tip #1 - Learn About Yourself - is to read “Do What You Are” by Drs. Tieger which offers very practical tips to matching your personality type to the right job. Best wishes!

By: junkcafe

junkcafe — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:21:15 +0000

BTW, kudos to Alexandra for the guest posting. Keep on plugin’

By: The Restaurant Blogger

The Restaurant Blogger — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:10:34 +0000

Excellent tips! Anybody reading this will appreciate your advice. I believe I have touched upon each point for my pursuit of becoming a restaurant owner. This is something I have worked for from the start of university. Point #5 Starting Early, is something my bosses, professors and mentors would always say to me. I am at a good age to start my own restaurant and realizing what kind of work lies ahead of me, there is no better time. I totally agree with being open to opportunity. As soon as I was given the opportuntiy to change job positions in a restaurant I worked for, I took it immediately. Although it was not initially what I wanted, I knew it would excel my career.

By: Pam

Pam — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:02:42 +0000

Good ideas. I’ve been interested in leaving accounting to work at a nursrey. (I love gardening.) I will try a few of these things to see if it’s something that’s possible. It’s so hard to start over, but happiness is important too.

By: Lara

Lara — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:27:48 +0000

Great tips, and good timing for me….I’m moving to a new city soon and want to do something different, so I’ve been looking at my skills from 7 years in advertising client management and thinking about transferring them to a different field. Thanks for posting this article!

By: typome

typome — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:10:07 +0000

These are great, and I wish I could actually do some of them! My job doesn’t suck, but I sure would rather be doing something else. It pays well but I don’t consider it my dream job, nor do I think it fits perfectly with my values. I just don’t know what that great job is for me yet. I guess it’ll take time for me to find what I enjoy.

By: The Weakonomist

The Weakonomist — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:33:29 +0000

The toughest thing for most is finding what their dream job is. For those of us new to the ‘career’ thing, we don’t know what our dream job is.

I can’t think of a single friend that knows what they want to do. I present myself as the exception, having placed myself in a position to get to my dream job. But most don’t have a clue.

My dad has had his dream job for his entire career. Professor for more than 35 years now. I’ve debated following in those footsteps.

By: HC

HC — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:54:22 +0000

To Carrie #14:
I understand your situation b/c I’ve been there. I stuck too long at a terrible job w/little pay b/c everyone around me has the naysayers attitude. I used to believe them until I reached a point where I couldn’t take it anymore. So I moved across the country to a totally different city, got a new job and basically restarted my life from ground zero.
Now I surround myself with ppl with positive attitudes. I’m also working at a new job and I’m much happier than before. Ppl w/negative energy are like a black hole, they’ll suck all your positive attitudes and self-esteem out. If you are surrounded by ppl like that, then you need to get out of the situation asap.

By: Wayne Mulligan

Wayne Mulligan — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:34:13 +0000

I’d add another one to that list:

Look for balance: Life’s never perfect, neither is a job — it’s either balanced or unbalanced. If this is a job that requires you to completely unbalance your life for an extended period of time, I’d say pass on it. Look for a career where you’re able to tap dance to work, but have time to tap dance all the way home too. I love what I do, but if I had to work 18 hour days, 7 days per week, then I’m sure I’d start to “un-love” it pretty quickly.

-Wayne

By: Will

Will — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 16:12:00 +0000

I’m in a similar but different position. I have my dream job now but it seems there is only so much I can make at this job. Now I am considering changing careers while I am still young. The career I am considering is something that won’t bear much resemblance to my current job and might be considered dull, but the pay is much better, especially in terms of where I could be 20 years from now. Have any of you ever been faced with a decision like this?

By: Chicago Gal

Chicago Gal — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:58:15 +0000

I think another important thing to remember is to be patient. I had to suffer through a few bad jobs to get to my dream job because of the necessary experience it required. It may take you a few years to make a significant career move, but it is worth the time and effort to get there.

By: Jessica

Jessica — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:49:49 +0000

An interesting note about the added responsibility of children. I have found that having a daughter finally kick started that drive to pursue my own goals for life.

By: Carrie

Carrie — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:34:34 +0000

Great tips! Still, how do you deal with naysayers whose attitude is “work sucks, that’s why they pay you for it”? My parents raised me with the notion that there is no such thing as enjoyable work, so you might as well go for the job that pays the most. Thoughts?

By: Brigid

Brigid — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:56:08 +0000

Great post! One thing that may be a viable addition is finding volunteer opportunities. Of course this depends largely on what you want to do. Say you want to be an event planner - volunteer for the next local 5K run.

I work for non-profit association in a job I’m so-so about. What I really want to do is be a writer so I asked if I could write a health and fitness column for the association magazine. Although the association has nothing to do with health & fitness, it is a hot topic amongst the members due to their working conditions, stress levels, etc. The idea was accepted and now I have a regular monthly column.

No, I don’t get paid for it, but it doesn’t take up much time, I enjoy it and I’ve received some great feedback from the readers. Who knows - maybe I’ll get “discovered”. Far better chance than if I waited for a paying gig.

By: TosaJen

TosaJen — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:55:37 +0000

Well-timed post for me. Along with JD’s #7 about being open to opportunity (”say yes”, as I put it), I’d like to suggest #8:

Prepare yourself to take calculated risks. Set up your life to be able to afford an income change or loss. Lower your monthly expenses by paying off debts and reducing what costs you can. Set up savings to get you through the possibly leaner times. Plan, plan, plan — have an idea of what you’re getting into, how you’ll decide whether your risk is working out or not, how to recover if the risk doesn’t work out, etc.

By: Lee

Lee — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:37:08 +0000

The third point is exactly what I did myself…I had a small business in industrial sales.I took some voice training to help my phone pitching skills, which then took me into the radio and voice over business, where I now make my living. Small steps, one at a time. Good luck to all.

By: junkcafe

junkcafe — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:27:13 +0000

Fantastic post, J.D.! The progression of my dream career certainly involved all 6 tips. One thing: following a dream challenged me to understand the level of risk I was willing to assume. Having a young family compelled me to “do the homework” before diving into something new. As a career IT technologist who is now a consultant, I’ve always had a mental map of what I wanted to pursue within the context of the ever-changing world of technology. Yet, the idea of jumping into a new thing was always moderated by a reality check(family life, financial security). As most who’ve tried, this journey is one with many paths — some less traveled than others.

By: J.D.

J.D. — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:26:58 +0000

I have a seventh item for the list: be open to opportunity. For years, I was stuck in a job I didn’t like. It seemed that all of my experiences were wasted, not just on the job, but elsewhere in life. But then I fell into this full-time blogging thing. It pulls together my problems with debt, my experience selling, my love of writing, my psychology degree, and my basic web skills all into one neat little package. It’s as if everything I’ve ever done was building to this. If I hadn’t been open to a new opportunity, I never would have tried…

By: Saving Freak

Saving Freak — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:24:24 +0000

One of my main goals in my early career has been to not pigeonhole myself into something I do not enjoy. So far I have experience in sales, management, and marketing. I feel this makes me marketable across a variety of fields instead of being a master of one.

By: leigh

leigh — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:21:25 +0000

from teaching back to the lab setting… there’s a big transition! congrats to Kris for making that move.

sometimes your dream job requires a boatload of education, which can be a little scary while you wait to see if the payoff is what you expect. i’ve found the most important part to sticking with the plan is just knowing that what i’m doing feels right for me. it’s that gut feeling you can’t shake.

By: Mo Money

Mo Money — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:21:01 +0000

All great tips for anyone ready for a change. You must enjoy what you do to be productive, that is important.

By: J.D.

J.D. — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:10:08 +0000

James, Kris is still doing science. She’s a forensic chemist for the state police. It’s like a science geek’s paradise!