Question #7
“What’s the best way to combine all of the things I enjoy doing with my major in order to create the ideal job?”
Dear Z,
The first step is to accept that no job will be every single thing that you love, and nothing that you hate. That being said, I think one of the key approaches is to just try stuff out! Experiment with different kinds of roles, or different kinds of careers. You can start this journey by looking for jobs that require at least one thing that you’re passionate about, and two things that you’re good at. You can try something out, realize that it’s not for you, and most importantly, take note of what made it a bad fit, and what you actually liked about it. For example, was it the perfect job but in a horrible work environment? Or a great work team, but awful hours/scheduling? Or maybe a rockstar manager, but you absolutely hated the actual work?
Don’t be afraid to just try stuff out, because figuring out your dream is not a linear journey.
Another way to learn more about combining your interests into one job is by informational interviewing. Look for people who seem to be living your dream, and ask them what the reality of it is like. I wrote more about informational interviews over here.
You can also use volunteering to fulfill the parts of you that your job doesn’t, and then take those experiences into work too, as you continue to grow in your career. As you gain more experience, all of this will benefit you in two ways: (i) You will have a much more specific idea of what you want, and what is even out there that you could do, and (ii) You will bring a wider variety of knowledge to each new position, which will allow you to be more precise moving forward in your career.
Always think, what do I love about where I am? Is there anything missing? If so, how do I find that?
