The Realistic Dream Job
Many of us might want to retrain and start a new job. We might think that we would enjoy doing something else much more. We might feel unfulfilled in our career choice. We are asked from an early age what we want to do when we “grow up”, but many of us today will not have the same career throughout our lives. Lynn left school and became a carer. She then retrained and worked as an accounts clerk until she had children. When she did, she realised she had always enjoyed the caring side of things more. When her children were a bit older, she retrained as a nurse. Tanya trained as a secretary and worked in this field for several years until she realised that it was not for her. She liked the outdoors and working with animals. She retrained in animal health and began to work in a country park.
So when we think about what we want to do when we “grow up”, perhaps we should start to think about what we want to do in five years’ time, ten years’ time, or right now. If you are not happy with your job at the moment, then take a moment to think about what you would like to do.
Firstly, think about what your dream job would be. But also consider is your dream job realistic?
Think carefully –
- Is the job what you imagine it to be?
- Is the job one you are likely to be successful in getting?
- Does the job suit your personality and skills?
Your dream job might be to become an astronaut, but if you are 54 and unfit, this is never likely to happen, so we have to consider if what we want is realistic. If we always aspire to the unrealistic job, we are going to be forever disappointed. However, this does not mean that we cannot find a realistic dream job and achieve it.
Get Advice
The first step to changing your career is to get advice from education providers, colleges, career advisors, friends and family. Talk to others about what you are good at, what you are not so good at. For example, Jake, 16, announced he wanted to be an accountant. He was not particularly good at maths. He never liked to sit still, always wanting to play sport. He didn’t want a job in an office, but someone had told him accountants earn a lot of money. Jake spoke to his parents who advised him that perhaps this wasn’t the job for him and to look at areas that did interest and inspire him.
This is not to say we should always listen to the views of those around them. Tanya, who we mentioned above, was told by her parents that she should become a secretary because it was a good job for her. She was not interested in being a secretary and was never happy in the role. We should listen to the opinions of others, but it doesn’t mean we always have to do what they suggest.
Be Realistic About Yourself
We also have to be realistic about ourselves - what we are not so good at and what we ARE good at. It is so easy to focus on the negatives when looking at what we want to do, but it is important to focus on everything about us.
Be Realistic About What Motivates You
We are all different, so think carefully about what motivates you. It could be –
- Money
- Creativity
- Praise
- Interest
- Status
- Being very busy
- Being needed
- Helping others
There may be more than one thing that motivates you. You may be motivated by praise and helping others or creativity and money. Think carefully about what does motivate you and what demotivates you.
Some people may thrive on a high adrenaline atmosphere with tight deadlines. Others may find this extremely stressful and a terrible work environment. They may prefer to work hard at a sensible pace and enjoy their work.
So when looking for a new career think carefully about why you want to do the job and what will motivate you to continue.
We are all different and what interests one person will bore another person senseless.
When planning to change careers, think about –
- What do I really want to do?
- Is it realistic? If not, what else could I do that is similar?
- Do I have the right skills?
- Does this job motivate me?
How Will I get the Realistic Job of My Dreams?
Then decide – what am I going to do to achieve this new job?
- Do I have the skills I need to do the job? No, then how do I learn those skills?
- Do I need to get work experience in the form of voluntary work?
- Do I need to do a training course before I can work in this field?
- Are there other options?
We are more than happy to help prospective students with advice on courses to help them into new careers, such as horticulture, agriculture, writing, psychology, counselling and much more.
Click here for free course counselling or email us at info@acsedu.co.uk or phone us on 01384 442752.
We are happy to help.
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