After university I thought I won, when I got the job I wished for since I started to study design. How mistaken I was. What I learned in university was designing and planning exhibition stands, but only in the visual aspects. I had fun and loved building exhibition stands and retail interior with my animation programs. That’s what became my dream job in my mind.
So I was unbelievable happy when I wrote one job application in this field and directly got the job. The people there seemed nice and the job of a technical product designer was all I could have wished for, one month after graduation.
It’s not, that I hated everything about it, but it was like doing math. You can do it, with much effort and maybe succeed, but it will never be fun like the real deal would. Sure there were things I like about that job, and not everyone there was horrible BUT I still have the opinion, that you should LIVE your life and not simply stay alive. I am a passionate person and I expect that from my work too, and how can I be passionate about something I don’t like?
First signs, that your dream job is not your dream job:
1. You will lose the love for your passions
I lost my passion for writing and reading really fast and only typed 3000 words in six month. That’s bad! I wrote my second book in about 3 month, so not being able to write drove me crazy. For you maybe it’s your art, or sense for making music, or your fun while doing sports – or just – doing anything after work. Sure work is exhausting and every job will be. But i had two jobs during university and still managed to have a social life, read AND write without struggles.
I often took my work home with me, mentally, and also my coworkers behavior and that was a real problem.
2. You count the seconds till you can leave
Some days will feel like eternity and you will desperately stare at the clock to make it move faster with your telekinetic powers. Well I can tell now – it won’t function. Sure there will ever be a day where the time won’t go by, but if its every day over a couple of month, than maybe you have the wrong job.
3. You cry when you are coming home, because someone was mean to you
I don’t talk about a single bad day, or one single person you don’t like. I am talking about people who make your work more difficult, people who won’t help you with anything cause they are so “stressed out”, people who give you the feeling you are dumb, not welcome, worthless – summarized: an idiot! That’s wrong! Sure sometimes you will ask silly questions, but they are in no position to judge you. And if they are being assholes, try to show them that you are better than that. Don’t get bitchy, mean or offending. Just ignore the mean jokes and comments or reply politely, or like if you are not understanding what they are talking about. That will bother them the most.
Never make a job, where the people make you feel worthless! You are good in what you do – and if not – you are there to learn it!
4. You’ll question your skills and soon your whole being
In university I thought I was good at what I did. I made my bachelor with a solid 1,5 and my Professors told me I would be good in that job, and that I should keep them updated. But no one wants to message their professors that they failed. Well I did. I told him. And he was not surprised. Not because I am not good, but because the market is difficult. And for people working in creative jobs especially. Like Musicians, Artists, Designers, Dancers, Actors, all of them have a hell lot of problems to find a job – not speaking of a good one. So never give up. Finding your dream job is like finding your big romantic love – it will happen – eventually 😀
If some of these points apply to you, maybe you should change something. I don’t mean, that you don’t feel like working on some days, thats pretty normal, but when you hate every minute at work. Some mean coworkers are enough, to make you suffer. So don’t believe, only cause you are not being mobbed, that you don’t have the right to be sad or offended. You have!
For me it was like not being myself. I was unhappy, I cried a lot, i had bad thoughts about my work and thought i am just bad in general. I couldn’t bring myself to go out anymore, or talk to anyone, because I hated myself for whining so much. And at some point i just woke up and KNEW I couldn’t go on like that anymore – and being the extreme person I ever was I just went to work and quit.
I am not suggesting you should go to work the next day and quit (like I did) because it won’t be the best idea ever (trust me :D), only because it was good for me. But search for possibilities to change something. Search for new jobs, try to speak to your coworkers or boss, try to educate yourself at home additional if you can. Because one thing I can tell now: No on out there in the real world will gift you anything.
They day after i quitted was some of the best days I had this year. Cause I felt like myself again. And now, weeks later, I am so much happier, more creative and fond of myself. And that at least tells me, that I made the right decision 🙂
If you have any questions, tips or you just need some mental help from me or anyone, send me an email! Comment here. ASK! ♥
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