Why the“Dream Job” is Killing Your Dreams
How the myth of the “Dream Job” is holding you back and stifling your professional growth.
The phrase of the “Dream job” has been in the lexicon for decades now, but we believe it’s the right time to retire this dated, tired, and fundamentally flawed concept.
In Cal Newport’s “So Good They Can’t Ignore You” the author highlights how the 1970's book “What Color is your Parachute” sparked a generational concept of following your passion. A remarkable and aspirational message to the job seekers of the day. But the implied, and likely unexpected, repercussion was that the concept of craftsmanship, hard work, and pursuit of exceptionalism in your field was left in the dust. Suddenly gone were the days of doing a job that you don’t necessarily love with the knowledge that over time you would become skillful and become a paragon in your field.
Similarly the concept of the “dream job” has been perpetuated, peddled, and packaged in a way that makes many of us always feel like we’re leaving something on the table out there if our day to day experience isn’t a blistering ray of perfection. But here’s our hypothesis — there is no such thing as a “dream job”.
At Talentpair we know this — but don’t get us wrong: we’re not here to cast a somber gloom over your job seeking experience. We just know that there is a better way. Though we feel the concept of a dream job is a tired old trope, we do know that there are great jobs out there.
A great job is different, and better, than a dream job. A great job is a place where a person can feel they can contribute; where a difference can be made, even if it is just a short time. There are no devotional commitments to great jobs — they are all just spokes in the ever progressing wheel of your career.
Whereas the concept of a dream job perpetuates the idea that all days will be filled moment to moment with undisrupted, golden, joy; a great job recognizes that there will be hard times — that some days you will be stressed, some days you will be elated, and some days you will be bored. Some days you will suffer terrible defeats, and on others you will achieve brilliant successes. And, over time, you will see your contributions begin to stale — and the challenges you used to face will seem more commonplace, and less engaging. The polish will begin to patina. And then, in a moment of recognition, you will know it’s time to seek out your next “great job”.
We’re of the belief that you shouldn’t sacrifice or short an exceptionalopportunity for the neigh-impossible concept of a perfect opportunity.
As you know: the market has changed . You no longer need to sign your claims of loyalty to a single company for life, rather most individuals are better served by writing the history of their career through the milestone impacts they make across numerous companies. This is most notably true in the tech industry, where Talentpair lives and breathes.
We recommend you don’t “fall” for the concept of the dream job to embrace a more practical, realistic, and ultimately rewarding philosophy: that your next great opportunity is out there, and your next great job is only few clicks away.
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At Talentpair I am delighted to say that we are, indeed, changing the game of the job seeking world. We use intelligent and empathetic AI to find you the best possible opportunity for our talent, and to find exceptional talent for our amazing clients. Our platform is geared to find you a great job — one that is fulfilling not only because it knows your worth based on what you’ve done, but because it respects and honors where you want to go in your career. Come check us out and find your next great job!