And if the answer isn’t “the one I’m doing now,” why not?
I like my job and I love the people I work with. As the lone communications guy in a steadily-growing association, I get to do a tonne of cool stuff. My day-to-day responsibilities run the gamut from graphic design to writing to planning to web development to editing to… well, you get the idea. I do a lot.
However, I wouldn’t call this my dream job. My dream job for this stage in my career, perhaps, but not my dream job.
So what is that elusive dream job? That’s a question I ask myself a lot. And I don’t necessarily have an answer.
I know I want to write. I know I am passionate about journalism and new media. I know I love thinking and I know that I love getting other people to think. If there were a job that consisted of inspiring people to think for themselves (and equipping them with the tools to do so), I’d want that.
When you’re in high school, your guidance counsellors are all about life plans. Pick a career and pick the path you need to follow to get there. Thing is, most of us have no idea what our options really are. My first job out of university was media monitoring (something I still do on contract before I go to my real job). When I was 17 I didn’t know that kind of job existed. Frankly, some of the stuff I do on a regular basis in my job now DIDN’T exist when I was 17.
So how does one ever really know they’re on the right path? I guess it’s about finding the balance between following your passions and earning a living. The challenge is finding that balance when you’re busy working.
Archibrarianhood is a good way to provide people with the tools for thinking!
I am taking a class on Archives and the Web next term which is about Web 2.0 and archives. I’m hoping it’ll be interesting.
Hi Joe!
I’m very glad that I’ve just stumbled upon your blog. I run a website called TalentEgg that connects students with high-quality Canadian employers. We also have a resources section that has a growing list of articles written by recent grads already in the work force. The idea is to help recent grads figure out what they want to do and then help them connect with reputable opportunities in the workforce…
I was particularly drawn by your article because it addresses how students/recent grads often have no idea what they want to do. That was me and that was the beginning of the inspiration for TalentEgg.
Give me a shout if you’re interested in chatting further!