Dream Job Debunking, Boredom, and Alternative Schedules

Why do we talk about dream jobs? I have lost count of how many articles I have read that talk about "finding your dream job" or some permutation thereof in the past three months. I will admit that there are places I would like to work, and job titles I wold like to have, but "dream job"? Not for me.

Imagine having a dream job working for a certain company with a particular job title. You're building it up in your head, getting the basic skill-set, getting the degree for the job, and then after some heavy networking and interviewing, you finally get into the company you want...only to then realize the fantasy of what you're going to do is nothing like the cubicle-dwelling reality. What a let down.

Instead, find a job you are good at and would like to do for a long time, with skills you can build on so you don't get bored. Jobs where you can be content and get paid decently (or even well) are, in the long run, a much safer bet than chasing after a dream job. 

I would much rather have an interesting job where I do not get bored. Boredom is awful, but especially if you are bored at work. You ever read about those experiments where a company or a state will do shorter work days, or shorter work weeks, and then they find productivity goes up and employees claim better home-life balance and that they are happier? I would posit that because the company/state is removing time from the work day where employees would be working steady to make sure they pass the time, but be bored out of their minds, now the employees get to be more productive outside of work, and that motivates them and makes them happier.

I used to do 3 days off in a row, and then 4 days at 10 hours a day. I wish I could have flexed my hours to be more in keeping with my natural night-owl sleep cycle, but other than that, it was actually great. I had one business day off where I could run errands during business hours and/or go to appointments and not have to take time off work, plus the weekend so I could hang out with friends and be social. I would much rather have an alternative schedule than the regular nine-to-five/five days a week.

I hope in the future that companies will see that alternative or flexible schedules can be much more productive for them in the long-run. I hope that people understand that dreams are great, but reality is not always kind, and jobs come and go. 

The important thing is: I still have hope.

-A.M.W.