What’s your dream job?

Episode Transcript

Hello!

Welcome to the Daring to Succeed podcast.

My name is Julianna Yau Yorgan and I’m a career coach who helps introverts succeed in the workplace by unleashing their introvert superpowers.

Today, I’m going to talk about:
Common interpretations of the phrase “dream job”,
How else to think about it,
And why you can benefit from shifting your mindset for your next career move.

I chose this topic because I talk to a lot of people about their career goals, and many of them start by saying they don’t have a “dream job”.

But as we delve into our coaching conversations, they discover that they do have a dream job, but it’s just not how they would imagine a dream job.

So let’s start with some common misconceptions about what a “dream job” means.

One common misconception is that a dream job is a goal, an aspiration, that needs to be big and bold.

Think wanting to be a CEO or VP of a fortune 500 company, or attaining Oprah-level success in your field.

While these are fine dreams, most of us actually have more humble goals–even if it’s simply being one of the best in our field, or even just our current company.

Another common misconception is that a dream job needs to be very specific, like becoming a senior developer for a specific product at a specific company.

So how can we think about a “dream job” without being so grandiose or targeted…and why would we even want to?

Most of us just want to feel that we’re contributing at work and making a difference, even a small one.

And that’s okay!

But there are so many little things that can be part of a “dream job” that we don’t normally consider being “dreamy”, like:

The hours we work

Who we work with

The boss we work for

How much of our personal time we put into getting to and from the office

What the company does

How they compensate you, and

How they treat you.

Because, after all, all these things add up to the dream of what a happy career and life would look like.

And all of these are things that I talk to my coaching clients about during their job search.

Even though they seem so small, they are all pieces of the company and work environment they should target to ensure they end up somewhere they will truly be happy and fulfilled.

So if you’re looking for a better job or your next career move, remember to honour these little things that you wish you had right now (or don’t want to lose if you have them).

Because a dream job is more than a title, a company name or a super specific criteria of the work you do–it’s also the conditions in which you work, the environment you do it in, and the people you spend 30-40 hours a week with.

Otherwise, you may end up with the title, paycheque or tasks that you’re targeting, but be no more satisfied with any of it.

Okay, that’s it for now.

Remember to dream, whether big or small!

I’ll see you next time!