November 14, 2013 at 8:41 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Dream Jobs
November 15, 2013 at 6:34 am
I work freelance so, as with all dreams and nightmares, they always end reasonably soon. It has the obvious disadvantage for dream roles and advantages for nightmare positions.
Most of the places I have worked at have been somewhere in between, however, usually there is something far from perfect either in the corporate culture or the project I am working on (rarely have both been terrible).
I have only once had a "dream job" by my own definition. I was working with the most excellent of people, on an exciting project involving the latest of technologies, applying new techniques (even doing groundbreaking work [at the time] which I have never seen anyone do the exact same thing to this day - must redo an open source version and let you guys know), mentoring my peers and learning from others. Even the offices were nice.
The only downside is that it raised the bar of what an excellent role is but by being realistic I have enjoyed, and continue to do so, most of the opportunities I have had.
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
November 15, 2013 at 6:48 am
I've never thought about having a dream job. I've always looked at jobs as means to other dreams in my life. I earn money in my job so that I can accomplish other life dreams and goals. I've known a few people who have targeted certain dream jobs only to find themselves in nightmares.
November 15, 2013 at 6:58 am
Tom, I agree that jobs finance the rest of life. Given how much time we spend at work isn't it worth trying to optimize the work/environment some? What if that dream job let you work less, or make more in the same time? Could it be a case of the non-work dream driving the work dream? Or even just non-work requirements? For me it's the latter, I wanted to be at home more and commute less, that shaped my current idea of what I need in a job.
November 15, 2013 at 7:00 am
Gary, nightmare is an interesting take. Do you think people are quicker to bail on a bad job than they are to dream about the great job? Or we just find ways to bend to the job and make the best of it? Or both?!
November 15, 2013 at 7:09 am
Some people bail quickly. Very quickly.
Most people try and give a position a chance to improve. Some people are more optimistic than others or are, perhaps, less confident in themselves so wait longer.
Working freelance, I have always seen the job out. Even when offered something else or feel that I am being taken advantage of I still feel loyalty to the project. It may seem daft but I feel it is the level of professionalism that is required of me.
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
November 15, 2013 at 7:23 am
To be honest, my dream job would have little to do with programming and more to do with my true first love, music. Even though I would love to make a living at it and spend most of my time playing guitar and writing, working in IT is a much more stable environment.
Tony
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Are you suggesting coconuts migrate?
November 15, 2013 at 10:13 am
Dream Job? We all have them and we think of them often. But for some reason we do not speak of them much. Could be that we would like so much that it is just not possible or it might be that if we look at the really great dream job we would dearly love to have it would make us feel miserable about the current job and how far it might be from where we would want to be.
But I have my dream job. It is not perfect and it is not as highly paid as some get for far less experience, but it is steady, challenging, pays enough, and it forces me to keep learning. I also have contact with the new developers and admins as to not get rusty. And work with new technology as to not become a fossil.
As I have said before, most of those I started this IT journey with have either gone to that big computer lab in the sky, or have retired. They did not stay in the field long enough to see technology advance to this point where many of the technical challenges we once thought magical, mystical, or simply impossible have been overcome and the impossible has become the norm. And now since we have institutionalize the dreams and hopes of the past into the everyday, we can now start to visualize an even broader and technologically advanced future that we once could not even think of dreaming about. Simply said, we can now dream it, work it, and possess it, be it a job or a process.
Dream big, and success big!
Not all gray hairs are Dinosaurs!
November 15, 2013 at 10:43 am
I had a dream job once ... but one wrinkle was that it was a dream job only at that particular time in my career. If I went back to it now it would be fun for a while but would get pretty boring pretty quick.
It was during the second part of my programming career when I was working for a growing company, doing all the work myself. It was all corporate systems so all internal. We were small enough that I was doing all of the analysis, all of the development (Cold Fusion and SQL Server) and all of the testing/troubleshooting/changes/reports/etc. It was all very satisfying for lots of different reasons.
One of the best things about it was, since I did all the work, I got all the "glory" ... ie: when you get raises every year because so many people are sending your manager thank you emails, saying how awesome and amazing the new system that you developed is.
Everyone else was working for a pay cheque, I was working for "glory" 😀
November 15, 2013 at 11:41 am
Andy Warren (11/15/2013)
Tom, I agree that jobs finance the rest of life. Given how much time we spend at work isn't it worth trying to optimize the work/environment some? What if that dream job let you work less, or make more in the same time? Could it be a case of the non-work dream driving the work dream? Or even just non-work requirements? For me it's the latter, I wanted to be at home more and commute less, that shaped my current idea of what I need in a job.
I'm not saying that I don't think about work. I do. I try hard to advance my career and try for the best work environment for me. For instance, i will bever take a job that requires me to be on call regularly. I also require an office with a door. Some people may think of that as a dream job. I just never looked at it that way. I have certain requirements but nothing that I dream of having.
Maybe it's related to age. I've been in programming for more than 30 years. Retirement is around the corner. Early in my career, not being on call and having an office with a door may have been my dream job requirements.
I like your idea of less work and more pay, though. 🙂
November 15, 2013 at 2:15 pm
OCTom (11/15/2013)
I've never thought about having a dream job. I've always looked at jobs as means to other dreams in my life. I earn money in my job so that I can accomplish other life dreams and goals. I've known a few people who have targeted certain dream jobs only to find themselves in nightmares.
Spot on. be careful what you wish for in life.:-D
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
November 15, 2013 at 3:03 pm
There are days when the dream job is flipping burgers at McDonals (etc.). Where I want nothing more than just put in myu 8 hours a day and be done with my job. 🙂
For me I would like being back on the farm. Lots of hard work for sure, but it is different than this. (although some of the equipment on the farm these days would take me days of reading the manuals to figure out how to use the computers!!! Dang things are as advanced as modern aircraft).
November 15, 2013 at 10:13 pm
At the moment I'm sort of in my dream position. I'm making a decent amount of money; the work conditions are such that we get a free lunch three days a week, we're allowed to have beer (or wine) in the office on Fridays, my hours are currently 9:30 - 6:00 (behind both rushes), I'm going to start telecommuting soon, and I have minimal supervision. My workload has dropped to the point of looking for work.
The company gives bonuses, takes the employees out to events fully on them. The Christmas party is being held in a PGA rated golf clubhouse. And it is no buffet, it will be a served dinner.
About the only thing better would be to hit the lottery.
But this question sort of reminds me of the opening question from a Fidelity Investments retirement introduction. "What do you want to do after work?" That is in reference to when you retire.
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Jim P.
A little bit of this and a little byte of that can cause bloatware.
November 18, 2013 at 5:17 am
I like the point about dream jobs only being that for a while - we grow and we change and suddenly the dream has been lived, now what? Do we chase the next dream? Or maybe it's not always that way - maybe it's dream career and not dream job?
November 18, 2013 at 5:55 am
I had a "dream" job once - working in the server group of a large global manufacturing company.
The thing that made it "dream" for me was working with a highly competent group of people who collaborated well and truly cared about the team's success.
I have enjoyed other jobs too - but this one was "the one".
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