How to Find Your Dream Career
When finding your dream career, it helps to have a crystal clear vision on what you actually want. Knowing how to find your dream career can be overwhelming and frustrating, and this can cloud our perspective! Breaking it down into smaller steps will help you find the fulfilling work you’ve always wanted.
Photo by Armand Khoury on Unsplash: there is a large lake with rocky mountains along the horizon, in the distance there is land that juts in towards the lake, there is an expansive sky of blue, cloudless sky and beautiful blue waters, a ladder is at the forefront and centre, towering up towards the sky, the silouette of a boy stands on the top of the ladder, one hand touching the ladder, the other reaching up towards a plane leaving a trail in the sky.
Here at SIC headquarters, we’ve compiled a few ideas to make finding your dream career feel less like a dream, and more like reality. This is a practical guide, so grab a notepad and let’s get stuck in!
Identify your Passion
Albert Einstein once said, “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” His passion was the driving force behind his insatiable hunger for knowledge and his masterful thinking. He may have been a highly intelligent man, but his intelligence was supported by a few other qualities, such as imagination, intuition, initiative and creative new ways of thinking.
These valuable qualities are by-products of passion. Passion gets the job done through times of stress. Passion drives you through the more mundane tasks. Passion is the energy you need when you’re running on less sleep.
The result? Your career (and life) is made a hell of a lot easier. Need more convincing? Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, makes the connection between passion and happiness in this article, outlining all the ways passion can enrich your life with more happiness and meaning.
So, how do we find passion amongst what might feel like total career chaos? Firstly, writing a list of your hobbies and interests is a good starting point. You may find something you hadn’t considered before because it didn’t initially fit into your box of options. Many things we love already can be monetised or pursued as an employed position.
NEWSFLASH — they don’t have to be traditional!
What do you feel called to do? What excites you? What are your strengths?
Are you good at listening to people with empathy and curiosity? Maybe you could start a podcast. Or if you enjoy writing AND you’re a great listener, you could work as a copywriter, interviewing people for feature interview articles.
Is baking like meditation to you? Ever thought about making candles? You never know where getting creative with your interests will lead. The bottom line: many of our interests are profitable, and following what excites us the most helps us along the path to finding meaning and purpose in our work.
Experiment and have fun getting creative. A good way to get started is to block some time in your diary as a task each week. If you’re feeling nervous or it’s difficult to think about what you might enjoy, talk with a trusted friend and ask them what they think you’re good at. Sometimes it’s easier to see yourself through someone else’s eyes to offer a new angle.
Understand your Boundaries
This is essential on the quest to find your dream career. How will it ever be THE DREAM if the right conditions for you are off?
If you deal with fatigue, working out what drains all your life force will help you avoid unsupportive environments to your flourishing. For example, do you prefer a quiet work environment with less distractions? A smaller company with a smaller team might be ideal, or making a quiet space you can retreat to a requirement of your job negotiation.
Does commuting feel like you’ve already worked 8 hours before you’ve even got to work? Perhaps remote working is for you.
Do you prefer the social aspect of being physically in the workplace? Or a balance of both with hybrid working? Jobs with a physical workplace and a social culture might appeal to you.
Now to consider your hours. Time can never be bought back. How do you want to spend your precious time?
Maybe working shorter hours each day is more efficient for you and allows a greater work-life balance. Would you like to set your own hours? Research self-employed opportunities. Start your research with our article on why self-employment can be a great option.
Would you like to work for a company that cares for your wellbeing? The two giants, Google and Nike, have guidelines for their employees to take naps. Some companies, like MetroNaps, have sleep pods installed in their workplace.
Einstein himself was an advocate for naps and their health and brain benefits. Working for yourself is another way to set this napping boundary.
Find Opportunities
A great place to find opportunities is LinkedIn, which has its own search engine like Google, so by utilising SEO, more eyes may fall on your CV. There’s also a LinkedIn Learning Hub on the premium version to complete online courses, which can then, in turn, be added to your CV.
Many people don’t apply for jobs due to a lack of confidence. There are many ways to build your confidence, and we’ve compiled a list of TED Talks you need to watch for more confidence to watch at your convenience.
Volunteering and work experience is another great career confidence builder. If you’re interested in working for SIC, we have remote volunteering and work experience training opportunities right here!
Volunteering and work experience can also help you gain more clarity on what a dream career looks like for you. And building clarity around your vision is everything!
Fancy having a bit of fun? We have your perfect creepy career sorted! You can take the quiz here!