Dream Career vs. Dream Life: How to Make It Work & Succeed

June 11, 2019
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Last Updated on June 13, 2019 by NandiNN

How To Find Your Dream Job

It can be hard to find that dream career or even that dream job!

According to a recent survey of 2.000 U.S. citizens, only 10% of interviewees said they are doing the job they wanted to do in their childhood.

The reasons why the remaining 90% of the people were not able to choose the career of their dreams are financial difficulties, focusing on family, and lack of necessary skills.

Another interesting fact is that more than 30% of the interviewees said that their dream job met their expectations.

People pursue these jobs because they think they will make them happy, but this is not always the case.

This leads us to think that there are many misconceptions about dream careers and their impact on life in general.

Is dream career vs. dream life a choice we all have to make or can we actually have it all? Let us try to come up with the answer together.

How To Find Your Dream Career:

If only we could find our dream job as easy as picking out our favorite dessert!

Life would be so much more easy and interesting!

But in order to find a career that you will be excited about even after years, is a little more complicated than that! You will need to take into account a few different things!

Finding a career you love, and finding a connection with your new work friends is the ideal situation for anyone, but how do we get there?

But before we get started on our best tips for finding your dream career, we would love for you to join our growing Facebook page! Be sure to give us a quick follow on Instagram as well!

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What kind of life do you want to live?

As you will notice in this entire article, we are advocating for our professions to revolve around our lifestyle and not vice versa.

Why? Because work occupies around eight hours of your life, while your lifestyle occupies every single second of it.

So, start by asking yourself how you want to live.

Do you want to come home from the office and leave work behind every day? Do you want to have flexible hours? Are you excited about being “on the mission” every second?

Look at the people who are already building their careers in your wanted domain.

How do their lives seem? Are they happy? Do they have time for themselves, for their families? All of the answers can give you clues that will help you make the final decision.

After all, no one can do it for you.

How Do I Choose The Right Career Path?

Your career path is determined by a lot of things.

Your education level at doing something, your experiences with a potential career, your lifestyle, your likes and dislikes as well as where you are located.

Your short and long term goals also play a factor in your chosen career!

We are hoping the tips below will help you determine your dream career as well as what you can expect!

1// Your dream job and the dream job of a nine-year-old may not be the same

Let’s get one thing clear:

If the nine-year-old version of you wanted to be an astronaut in the mature age that probably isn’t what 20+ or 30+ version of you wants.

That’s why you need to ask yourself the good old “what do I want to be when I grow up” question one more time.

Look for specific things you find meaningful and you can connect with on a deeper level.

The bigger purpose is always a good guide for when you want to choose a career that will give your life value.

But also, don’t forget to think about what you are good at and what can pay the bills (if you want to be a rational adult).

2// Get the skills and the education you need to be successful

Now that you have determined the area you need to work in, you have to assess your skill set and the education level comparing to the ones necessary to actually pursue that career.

Even if you have some basic knowledge from the niche, you should still get a better education and more skills that will set you above the competition.

This may seem somewhat complicated, especially in a mature age, when you already have bills to pay and no time to study.

However, with many available online courses, conferences, and even college programs, this bumpy road was made easier, and you should take advantage of that.

Getting second degree has become much easier with access to the internet and a lot of online options.

3// Get the job or make the job

You know your passion.

You have the skill set to compete with people of similar qualifications. Now it is time to pursue that passion.

Finding an open position at your dream job will probably not be easy, but this does not mean that you need to give up.

Source: unsplash.com

Or… You can start your own business and build it from scratch. Starting

The benefits of self-employment are plenty, and they include better control over your time and the possibility of starting a business at all ages, even as a senior.

Of course, this would mean additional studying, research, and investment, but in the end, wouldn’t all of that be worthwhile if you could do what makes you happy and fulfilled?

4// Don’t run at the first sign of trouble

The average person changes approximately 12 times during his or her career.

Sometimes the cause is progress, wanting a change, and sometimes it is being fired.

You might even realize that the career you’ve pursued is not cut out for you.

But if the reason you’ve chosen it is that you consider it meaningful, maybe you are on the right track and you just need to find something from a similar branch to work.

As for self-ruined businesses, you can expect many failures, but learning from them is what brings growth and valuable experience.

5// Your job vs. your life

Starting a career you find meaningful and valuable is exciting and overwhelming at first.

Before you know it, you will be spending 14 hours in the office or on the field, working like crazy for the same amount of money you would get for normal work hours.

Why? Because you love it.

What’s wrong with this approach?

Well, for starters, it will make you exhausted. The long term consequences are the loss of the initial passion and enthusiasm you had for your job and the negative impact on your personal life.

The key is in finding the balance that will keep your health and personal life uncompromising.

That balance is not the same for everyone, as some have family, children, or hobbies that take up a lot of their time and that they need to be happy.