Discover Your Dream Job - Part 3

Forming A Vision

It is extremely important to know where you are going in life.

In this section, I’ll give you some exercises that will help you enhance your career choices and explore other options. My aim is to help you form a career vision and determine your vision of an ideal day at work!

Forming a vision is an engaging and an introspective exercise. However, it can be optimally formed if you rid yourself of any “life conditioning” that you have had in the past.

You need to unlearn it all and do this exercise with a blank fresh mind. This way you can keep biases and prejudices at bay and look at the options available to you in a totally different light.

Don’t think about the advice and suggestions given to you by your family and friends. This is all about exploring what you want and where you see yourself in the future.  It’s all about choices.

Don’t get bogged down by the “good intentions” of your parents to find a respectable career that they did not have.

This is the chance for YOU to create the dream job that YOU always wanted!

To  kick start the process, do the exercise below and you’ll be on your way to a career you not only enjoy but are good at too!

Dream Job Discovery Exercises

The following exercises will help you to determine your likes and dislikes as well as your career aspirations.

Please take your time in answering the questions.

As you answer the questions, you will start to formulate some conclusions as to what is “right” and what is “wrong” in a career for you.

Q

LIFESTYLE

• Identify the key characteristics of your ideal lifestyle - what would they be?

i.e. 2 hours quality time with the kids every night, earn $100,000/year, less than 30 minute travel time to work, 2 holidays per year, work in a team, etc.

• Does/will your current career allow you to achieve your ideal lifestyle?

Q

LIKES/DISLIKES

• What are your likes and dislikes at work? Make 2 lists below.

• What activities do you enjoy?

• Which activities would you rather avoid?

• Does your current job have more likes or dislikes?

Q

STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES

• Put yourself in the shoes of a potential employer.

• What are your key strengths and weaknesses?

• Think experience, qualifications, training, ability, attitude and knowledge.

Q

PERSONALITY

• Does your current career fit with your personality type? Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

• Do you like to learn by doing or by thinking and reflecting?

• Do you like variety and changes to the work that you complete or do you like routine and certainty?

Q

Ideal Day at Work

• Describe in as much detail your ideal day at work - what sort of things would you be doing?
• If you’re having problems answering this describe the worst day at work possible.   Imagine the worst job you can possibly imagine in the worst environment and with the nastiest people as your boss and co-workers.  Describe it in vivid detail.Once you’re done, your dream job should contain the opposites of what you described.

Q

Ideal Career - Characteristics

• Based on all that you have written  so far, determine the ideal career for you.

• Imagine you are a kid again, what would you like to be when you grow up?

Remember, you’re not locked into any particular career path.  You could decide to be an organic farmer for a few years then decide you’d like to be a travel writer.  It‘s ok.  Whatever you want is great.  Maybe you want to pursue freelance web design at the same time you sell fine furniture that you created in your workshop.

Anything goes.  It’s a new world and the old rules have changed.  Basically there are no rules.  You decide.  The opportunities are limitless.