There is an idea that is sold and perpetuated as our jobs become more and more intertwined with our personal identities: the idea is that work is not so much a means to an end (paying bills, putting food on the table, and financing our lives )), but a way to live out our passions and make our dreams come true for over 40 hours a week. It’s a phenomenon that Psychologists speak of “entanglement”“And it involves increasingly blurred boundaries between self, work and personal identity.
This concept is encouraged by the idea of a “dream job” that you may see on questionable job advertisements. Listicles, and the Thoughts from motivational speakers. The idea is undeniably a trap – how can work, no matter what you do, take on qualities that don’t feel like work? – but the concept remains a fixation for workers who demand a certain sense of accomplishment from their careers.
Is there a dream job?
If you’re a consultant committed to helping dissatisfied employees find their ideal calling, then dream jobs are true. These career coaches and workplace advisors keep the idea alive because it is profitable, or at least lucrative enough, to keep the dream alive, so to speak.
In an emerging society celebrating rockstar CEOs, it’s no surprise that many Americans are shooting for their dream job in an ultimately futile pursuit of something that does not necessarily exist. Of course, such high expectations can cause workers to crash dramatically when reality sets in.
For Sophie Brown, a young journalist interviewed by the BBC in 2018, an idealized version of the job didn’t match the long hours and demands of her first big break in the industry.
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you said the publication:
I hated the job and I hated the people there … late at night, early morning and on weekends … me and my partner were like ships passing by at night, I hadn’t spent time with my family in years and I realized that this dream job that I had worked hard for was actually not what I wanted.
It is true that you can (and probably should) try to gain a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction from your work. But if you put too much emphasis on getting your job or get personal satisfaction from it, you risk an existential crisis.
This will make you happier at work
For Ross McCammon, author of the Works Well With Others corporate etiquette guide, the key to ultimately finding your emotional base in the workplace is to focus less on the job and more on your personal and professional development. “We should all strive for a certain area or even a certain job title, but a certain profession? That seems misguided, ”he says.
Urging people to have a more realistic understanding of what a job is, he tells Lifehacker, “A job is the work you do, the people you work with, and the culture of the place you are work. Some of it you can search for, some you can control, but a lot just happens organically. ”
A dream can be a motivational tool to help you take a path you might enjoy, but if realizing a dream or achieving perfection becomes the driving force behind a career, “you will never get there,” says McCammon .
Instead, focus on the professional and personal improvement that you will always see throughout your career – and enjoy those victories.
“There are far too many variables” in a career for it to reflect the subjective idea of a dream. But, as McCammon says, “That’s what makes a career so interesting, fun, and fulfilling – that you can look back and see how you’ve adjusted your vision to take advantage of all the opportunities you could never expect.”
In addition, it is most important to understand that all jobs suffer from monotony and their own particular headache. This can be especially daunting when you make a living doing what you love and find that your burning passion is now little more than a calling riddled with emails, zoom meetings, and daily deadlines.
That’s not to say that your job shouldn’t be driven by your passion, but learning how to separate your full-time job from your human need for fulfillment will serve you well throughout your career. You are human, not your job.
