Post #96 Hoping to Find ‘The One’
Life is tough as an engineering student with deadlines, courses and labs. Throw resumes, career fairs and job searching into the mix. You have a perfect vision about your dream job. Future plans include rigouous hunt for the best job at a reputable company. After all, you worked hard and you deserve a great reward. Right?
Dreamland
Let’s dream about your dream job for a moment. Perhaps it includes a higher-than-average starting salary. That would be nice, lots of spending money! Your dream job may also include the best boss in the world, one who acts more like a buddy than an authority. And then there are colleagues you will work with – they are pleasant, helpful and look out for your best interest. The commute is a short one with little traffic in the best geographic location. The work is challenging but not stressful. You have the best benefits a company could offer. Did I miss anything?
No Guarantee
The ideal job sounds amazing, who wouldn’t strive to reach that? It should be obvious but I still want to point out that not all requirements will be found at the exact same point in time. You may love your job but hate the commute; you may love the salary but hate the job, etc. There is critical distinction between envisioning your dream job versus acting on that dream. What I wish someone would have told me at your age is: dream realistically (see Post #69). In other words, do not allow yourself to be emotionally dependent on your idea of a dream job.
Reality
Over the course of my many years in the aerospace industry, I had the pleasure of meeting many fabulous people. Most of my colleagues were not living their dream jobs. I was not living my dream job. In fact, I had searched for a long time but always came up short. There were always negatives to go along with the positives. I didn’t learn this valuable lesson until I created my own coaching business that I operate today. The most relevant question is not, “Where is my dream job” but rather, “How do I maturely accept the negatives along with the positives?”
It is okay to fantasize about a perfect job. But don’t keep switching positions hoping the next one will be it.
For additional tools and brain exercises to help you manage your COVID-19 circumstances, visit my YouTube video: Managing Student Life During COVID-19.