Ask yourself the key question. The respected philosopher Alan Watts said that the best way to find what you should be doing with your life was to ask yourself this important question: "What would you do if money were no object?" What if you won the lottery and you could do whatever you wanted to do with your life? Sure, you'd want to relax for a while, but eventually you're going to get bored. So what would you do to make yourself really, truly happy?
Break your dream job down into its
most basic components. Take whatever activity or job you discovered in the
previous step and break it down into its most basic parts. If you were
explaining the job to a 3-year-old, how would you describe it? If that child
asked you what was fun about it or how it made someone feel when they did it,
what would you say? These basic components make up what you should be looking
for in a career.
Think about what it really is that
makes you happy. Think about the basic components of that career experience
and decide which are the aspects that pull you. Realize what attracts you to
that career. Do you find happiness in making other people happy? Are you more
attracted to the art of acting and the process of creating the work of art that
is a film?
- You can do this for your current job as well, not just a theoretical dream job. If there's something about your job that you do now, factor that in as well.
Look into what jobs provide similar
feelings and experiences. Look for jobs that mimic the feelings that you're looking
for from that career. For example, if you were a millionaire and would rather
travel, jobs which mirror the experience you have would be a tour guide, a
teacher abroad, or a flight attendant position. If you would rather spend all
day outdoors in nature, you could consider a job as a geologist, lumberjack,
wilderness guide, or park ranger.
Consider the upsides and downside of
that career.
When you consider these more-attainable careers, make sure to do your research.
Be well acquainted with what life looks like in that career path. You will need
to know what the downsides of those jobs are if you want to make an informed
decision.
Factor in your financial needs. If you're really in a job that
fulfills you and makes you happy, getting rich off of it really won't matter to
you. However, life is full of obligations that go beyond your happiness. If
your dream career can't help feed your family or pay your student loans, you
might need to look into other options. However, you should always keep your
focus on jobs that provide similar feelings to what makes you happy.
Factor in what you're good at. Do you have an area where you
really excel? Not just something that you do okay but something where you do it
better than most people that you meet? This is something that you should factor
in when looking for a career. You may not think that you enjoy it too much, but
the fact of the matter is that you often won't get good at something unless you
enjoy it on at least a certain level. You may be able to monetize your skill,
or even home in on the aspect of it that you enjoy so much (for guidance).
Analyze your hobbies.
Many hobbies can be monetized. This often means starting a small business and
the headaches that come with it, but you may end up with a career that you
really enjoy. Before you dismiss your hobby as being something that you could
never make money off of, do some searching on the internet. You may be
surprised.
