Planning Your Dream Career

They say, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” Did you feel that way when you woke up this morning? Why not? Is it because your life plays like Bill Murray’s character in Groundhog Day? Where your life has become a repetitious event of getting up, getting ready, going to work, coming home, eating, sleeping and starting all over again!!! Not to mention obligations to family, friends, chores, etc.

During the day, did you daydream about the perfect life? Everything would be better if only I had…money, a better job, no stress, blah, blah, blah. Then some distraction interrupted your daydream and you got depressed all over again.

Have you ever thought about turning that daydream into reality? Why can’t you? TOO MANY, obligations!!! NOT ENOUGH, time or money!!! EXCUSES!

What you need to do is DREAM BIG and plan small. Take the steps below to help you get started:

1. Write down all the activities you love to do or have an interest in doing: jogging, swimming, photography, writing, fixing things, inventing stuff, etc.
2. Write down skills or talents you have.
3. Write down the types of jobs/careers you’ve had and the duties/responsibilities you liked most.
4. Write down your ideal job/career choice and the duties/responsibilities that you like to perform with this position.

Now compare your interest and current skills/talents to your ideal job. Do you see any similarities? Do you currently have some of the skills or experience that would be needed to perform your ideal job? Sure you do. Or maybe you have the interest, but you are lacking the actual skill, for example photography –w ell that’s an easy fix, take a class.

Having the job/career you want is just around the corner. Waking up with a smile, instead of a frown is simply takes planning. Happy trails to you!

Visit www.online.onetcenter.org or www.salary.com to view the career exploration tools they have available. Or go to a bookstore to check out Career Guide for Creative and Unconventional People by Carol Eikleberry and Richard Nelson Bolles or Career Solutions for Creative People: How to Balance Artistic Goals With Career Security by Dr. Ronda Ormont.