All of us probably have some idea in mind about what would constitute our dream career moving
forward. Now, too many people these days never actually get the chance to pursue or realize their
dream career, and this is a shame. It is important to have dreams and aspirations, but it is even more
important to make sure you come up with a plan to follow these ideals.
It is so much simpler these days to stick to playing it safe and do a job you don’t really enjoy, but that
pays you well. But, you have to ask yourself whether or not this is going to leave your fulfilled, and the
answer is probably no. Working in a career that you enjoy and are passionate about is so important
moving forward, and you need to assess how you can achieve that. This guide is packed full of ideas
to help you secure your fantasy job, and you can start now!
It Starts in Education
For many of us, the idea of our fantasy career first forms at a young age, and this initial interest
usually deepens in education. When you are in school, you will have classes you enjoy more than
others, and it will become clear what your strengths and weaknesses are. This is a good time to start
formulating the essence of what you would like to do in later life. For the most part, it is a sound rule
to ensure you go with your strengths and passions, as these will fuel the fires of success for the future.
Identify What Makes You Tick
Even when you are older and have left education, you still need to think about what makes you tick.
Think about it this way, if you are working a career that interests you, it’s so much easier to give it
your all and remain driven and passionate, even when things get difficult. You need a reason to get
out of bed in the morning, and money alone is often not enough. Identify what makes you tick and try
to make sure you follow careers in these areas - you’ll love what you do so much more as a result.
Research the Industry
Of course, no matter how much you love a job, you should never go in blind; remember, you want to
make an informed career choice. It’s pretty much clear that you’re not going to know as much about a
particular career path as you think you do. So, you have to make sure you do your research and find
out what you can about the industry in question. There might be specific rules or regulations relating
to employment, and it is important that you find out as much as you can about the way things work.
This is something that can really help you understand and define your career path much better.
Find Out About Opportunities
Now, one of the first things you’re going to need to do is to find out about job opportunities in your
area. There might be a lot of opportunities in the city where you live, or there could be none, and this
would mean moving or commuting. But, the first thing to do is take a look at what opportunities are
around because this will give you an idea of what to expect when you are actively pursuing a career
in the industry. There might be many different kinds of opportunities to choose from, and it is important
to know what the industry offers.
Draw Up an Action Plan
You also need to draw up an action plan in order to help you assess how you’re going to pursue and
secure the career you want. A lot of people like to just jump in feet first and make it up as they go,
and this is one option. The problem is, if you do this you lack direction and vision, and it can be difficult
to make the right decisions or plan for the unexpected. However, if you can come up with an action
plan, you should have a much better chance of achieving this moving forward. Write out a plan for how
you are going to secure the job you want, and the steps you’ll need to take.
Make Sure You are Better Qualified
It is also incredibly important to make sure you are as qualified as possible for the career you want.
You need enough experience that you’re going to have the edge over other people who are applying
for the role. Whether it’s an MSW degree, a teaching degree, or the bar, it is important to become as
qualified as possible because this will help you to ensure you have the best possible chance of
successful employment. Being better qualified is so important, and you have every resource available
nowadays to help you with that.
Try it Out First
One of the unfortunate truths of the business world is that your fantasy career might actually be a nightmare
in practice. This is why you have to make sure you try it out to get a feel for it before you actually get
started. Sampling the career you’ve coveted for so long will either show you how much you love it or
will completely change your mind about it moving forward. So, you have to make sure you get a bit of
work experience or try an internship before you actually commit to this as a long-term career path.
‘Try before you buy’ is the best policy to use here, and can save you a lot of heartache in the future.
Learn From Your Rivals
We all have our rivals, and the business world presents a fair few rivals as well. These could be people
who have the job we want or people who are applying for the same role. Now, these people are your
direct competition, but you can learn from them. Observe their strengths and weaknesses, and the
way they do things, and this will help you improve yourself and make you a better business professional.
Your rivals are people you strive to beat, and you can’t beat them unless you understand them.
Talk to as Many People as Possible, and Listen!
You have to make sure you talk to as many people as you can about the career you are interested in,
and find out who is knowledgeable about it. Listen to what people have to say, and learn from them -
be like a sponge, and soak everything up. Go to presentations, talks, interviews, and career fairs.
Speak and listen - learn as much as you can about the process, and the dream job, and use this
information to help you work toward securing it. There are so many chances to learn and improve, and
it’s important to do this.
What is the Work Environment Like?
It is important to assess what the work environment is going to be like where you want to work. Office
politics can go a long way toward defining how great a career is, so you need to make sure you’re in a
good environment. Will you be working from home, or are you going to be going into the office?
Which suits you more? What will the office be like, and how formal is the workplace? These are all
things you have to ask, and consider when it comes to choosing the right career for you moving
forward.
Money Matters, But So Does Passion
Money is important in this day and age, of course it is, but you also have to remember how much passion matters.
Combining the two in your decision-making is probably the best way of going about it. For instance,
you should think about how much money you’re going to need on a monthly basis in order to be
comfortable, but also assess how you can follow your passion and still earn. Generally speaking,
if you follow your passions, the money will follow; this is less true the other way around.
Go Easy on Yourself
There’s this misconception that you have to be perfect if you want to secure your fantasy job, and
this is not the case. The best thing to do is make sure you ease up on yourself and stop setting
impossible goals. Perfection is unattainable, but you can get pretty close! Honestly though, remember
that you are a person, and you have your flaws, as everybody does. Stop beating yourself up and
judging yourself too harshly. If you can ease off and relax a little bit more, you will build your
confidence up, and you will be in a better position to realize your dream job.
Hopefully, you will find this guide useful when it comes to trying to realize and secure your fantasy job.
There are so many wonderful career paths we can take these days, but the one we’ve have wanted for
so long will remain the most important to us. So, it’s important to do as much as possible to put
yourself in the driving seat and work toward achieving success.
