There’s no such thing as a true dream job

Image by Lisa Yount from Pixabay

I don’t know how many people need to hear this, but I know I did at one point:

It’s okay that your day job doesn’t fulfill every part of you.

I spent many years wanting a “dream” job.

I wanted to work in a major publishing house as an editor. That was — and a little bit still is — my dream job.

But here’s the issue — major NYC publishing houses have SO MUCH competition for every job that they don’t need to be high-paying. Most regular in-house editing jobs for big publishers just don’t pay much.

I live in NYC and make good money, so I’ve never been willing to take a massive pay cut to have the “dream” job. In my case, the dream job doesn’t fulfill my financial dreams and goals.

For others, they may have a specific dream job in mind and later find other things they don’t like about it. A friend who is super organized dreamed of and trained for a job as a highly paid project manager. Now, she complains about how it often feels like glorified babysitting and not what she expected.

Another friend dreamed of being an elementary teacher and spent years getting her degree. Now, she is often frustrated by parents who blame her for any behavioral issues and that the administration just does whatever the parents want. She feels unsupported and may change careers.

When I came to realize that no job is perfect, I refocused my efforts on finding better editing jobs in other industries. For a few years, I freelanced and found clients. Eventually, I decided to get a regular 9–5 job, and I landed a job as a managing editor for a smaller content production company.

I enjoy being a managing editor. It may not have been my “dream job,” but it checks a LOT of my boxes: nice coworkers, a good boss who values good editors and researchers, and, in general, the human touch on all content.

But it doesn’t really fulfill me creatively.

In the past, I might have let that fester and kept rolling around in my head. It’s not perfect; it’s not the dream…

As I’ve gotten older, however, I’ve come to understand that EVERY job, every career has its advantages and…