I’m so envious of people who have dream jobs. I’ve never been passionate about anything or certain about what I want to do with my life. Most people who have a dream job will fight tooth and nail to get it. Me however, I have a bad habit of dropping any potential career choices the moment I hit a road block.
My first dream job was to be a figure skater because I was enamored by the performances when I first watched the Olympics. Then while I spent my childhood playing sports, I realized I hated constantly giving up my weekends and all of my free time. So I pivoted. My next dream job was between being a marine biologist or veterinarian because I loved animals and biology was my favorite subject in high school. Unfortunately I wasn’t good at math and science, and particularly hated math. So I pivoted, again. My next dream job was a nurse because I was enamored by hospital procedural shows. Then I realized I’d have the same issue with the marine biologist and veterinarian career choices, in that I’m bad at science and hate math. So I pivoted, again.
I didn’t know what to pursue in college, so I chose a degree in business administration because my mom said it’s a universal degree. I majored in hospitality because my student advisor said one of the jobs I’d qualify for was travel agent, and my newest dream job was to work for an airline company so I could fly for free. Then COVID happened, my germophobia amplified, and I realized I didn’t like traveling as much as I thought I did. So I pivoted, again. My new dream job was to make advertisements since I’ve always been fascinated by commercials due to being a TV kid and an early adopter of the iPhone. It was too late to change my major, so I made marketing my minor. Then Gen A.I. came along, and made the majority of entry level marking jobs either unobtainable or thoroughly unpleasant. So I pivoted, again. My new dream job was to work for a non-profit because I’ve always been interested in volunteering at animal shelters and soup kitchens. I don’t even mind doing the less than desirable jobs like cleaning cages and sweeping and mopping floors. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that non profits barely pay livable wages for non executive level employees. So I pivoted, again.
Now I’m striving for an administrative/office assistant position. I’ve always had a knack for organizing. I also can sit still and do the boring repetitive tasks that no one enjoys doing like writing emails, sorting documents easier than others. It’s not what I’d consider my dream job, and I don’t know if I’ll ever get that spark of passion that people with dream jobs have. However, getting paid for doing what I know I’m good at is still a good step in the right direction.
