The dream job, the ideal career, your career utopia – does it exist? Will you get there? When and How?You’ve seen or heard other people talk about it but have never come close it. You’ve seen glimpses of it in your life but it disappeared as soon as it appeared..You are not sure if it was a mirage! It seems to exist around you when other people talk about it..but seems to elude you. So why can’t you find it? You wish a genie would appear out of nowhere and find it and tell you! If only it were that easy…I will stop the ‘cheesiness’ at this point.
The ideal career may or not exist for you, it just depends on what your definition of ideal career is. And getting there starts with an inward journey. That is why instead of dwelling on what is THE IDEAL CAREER, I recommend identifying ASPECTS of your ideal career first.
Here are a few recommendations on finding the same. All these involve thinking, reflecting and introspecting.
- Likes vs Dislikes: The most obvious question to ask yourself is – what do I like about the job I do now or the roles that I have had so far in my career. Simultaneously also ask yourself what aspects of your work do you not like. Make a list of both. You may like to organize meetings, create a powerpoint, strategize with clients, write code, test code, create new product, analyze data or dislike any and all of this. Awareness is the first step towards your ideal career destiny. So write your list.
- Visualize: Take some time to reflect and visualize. What would a day in your ideal career look like? What kind of tasks would you indulge in? What percent of times would you do these tasks? Give your visualization a free rein. Don’t try to stop yourself with blinders such as this is not possible for me, this is not realistic or practical, this would never be possible for me etc. There is no fee or charge or punishment to visualize! Go full steam ahead.
- What matters to you? Identify what forces drive you to work everyday- Intrinsic or extrinsic ones? Think beyond paying the bills and leading a comfortable lifestyle. Is there anything beyond that? Are you at a stage where you need to make a difference in people’s lives through the work you do? Do you need to be able to express your creativity ? Do you need to be able to interact with people personally and not sit alone behind a computer?
- All about you: Make a note of your talents, your strengths, your passions, what causes stir you, what values do you uphold, what do you look for in others and organizations. If you do not have anything to add to the list, ask people around you. Think about the feedback you have received in performance reviews, what do friends admire you for, what do people generally complement you for.
- Role models: Who are the role models you look up to? What careers have caught your eye? Here’s where you may have the urge to tell me, “I love acting, but who are we kidding. I can never be an actor” or something along similar lines. Here’s where I beg to differ. The goal of this exercise is not to identify specific careers that you like, but again, understand what aspect of it do you like. If you say you like acting, why do you like acting, what about acting do you like. Anytime an answer pops into your head, ask yourself- Why. And ask yourself another Why in response to the first Why answer. You are fascinated with someone else’s job? Meet with them and try to understand more about the job.
There are many other aspects to consider, discover and use in your search for the ideal career. Finding your ideal career is a journey. Enjoy the journey with keen focus on the destination. And don’t forget, there is no one ideal career choice!
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