Jobs may be referred to in entrepreneurial circles as “J-O-B’s,” or “Just Over Broke,” and in many cases, working a nine to five job will not lead to independent wealth, as saving can be difficult with the myriad of payments vying for your dollars, including car and health insurance, cell phone bill, credit card bill, educational loan payments, mortgage payments, cable television bill, electric bill, and more. But happiness need not come from independent wealth.
Happiness Comes from Enjoying What You Do.
Doing what you are passionate about may seem an impossible task. For the construction worker who longs to write novels all day, the daytime job may provide essential dollars and seem unrelated to the goal of becoming a novel writer. Happiness as a novel writer stuck in a construction workers body? The nine to five job (or other 8 hour part of the day) would certainly require a mind that can both focus on the task at hand and wander into the depths of fiction. The following article suggests just three steps that will push you towards greater happiness in your current job, and greater happiness on a longer term in your dream job.
Step One: Take Action Steps Towards Your Dream Job.
The first step to happiness in a nine to five job is to consider switching careers, and move towards that goal. True happiness will not come from fooling yourself into thinking that you are happy in your current job when you’re actually longing for a better job, even one outside of your expertise and comfort zone. Action steps towards your dream job will begin to make you happier outside of work as you explore the possibilities of your dream job, and should make your nine to five job a happier experience as you embrace it for what it is, stability while you prepare to plunge into your true passion. Think of this step as a double sword. One side of the sword will bring you short-term happiness, or perhaps longer term happiness, as you prepare for your plunge and embrace its role in your happiness development, and the other side of the sword will bring you long-term happiness in the form of your dream job.
The first true action step, though, is not to consider switching careers, its to actually move towards the goal of achieving your dream job. So begin step one by writing down elements of your dream job. This is particularly essential if you have not already identified what your dream job is. If you have already identified the dream job, write your own help wanted ad, or rewrite the one that’s already written for that dream job in the classified ads. This way, you will see what is required of the people who have your dream job, or are applying and getting those dream jobs over you. It is important not to omit or remove essential aspects of the job. While some web developer jobs require heavy programming experience, others do not, but will obviously be limited in scope. For the customer service representative in a call center who wants to be a web developer, do not omit the heavy programming experience. This action step is simply identifying the skills that need to be acquired, and while potentially discouraging, will become uplifting. Once you have identified the elements of the job, it’s time to turn to creating the skills and expertise required to be successful in your (soon to be) new job.
Step Two: Create the Skills and Expertise Required in Your Dream Job
The second step to happiness in a nine to five job is acquiring the skills and expertise that will prepare you for success in your dream job. As noted previously, identifying the skills necessary to success in a new job may appear discouraging. Step two is to overcome the discouragement and break the skills down into small and manageable tasks that can be achieved. For the budding web developer just mentioned, the dream job may require knowledge and experience in HTML, CSS, PHP, C#, ASP, Javascript and more. Begin by creating skills and expertise by understanding the language of your dream job.
To understand the language and acquire the skills and expertise, create weekly schedules for learning and corresponding implementation. As your skills progress, or you find that progress is not meeting your weekly expectations, revise the schedule and ramp up your learning and implementation efforts. Preparing for your dream job may become all-consuming for some people. Utilizing resources and seeking opportunities at your current job that can complement your learning and implementation is ideal, as it will improve your short-term happiness, though the resources and opportunities are frequently just not available. The key is remembering that when the pursuit of your dream job becomes a task, it has seized to be your dream job, as the passion to create the skills and expertise will not dwindle if it is. As an extra to step two, remember to document successes and failures, as they could be the golden ticket to achieving step three.
Step Three: Interview for, and Land Your Dream Job
The third step is perhaps the most obvious of the steps involved, but is very likely to be the easiest of the three steps. Step three to happiness in a nine to five job is getting the job. The aspects of this goal involve a variety of areas, though, including networking with people in and around your dream job, crafting a concise and persuasive cover letter and resume, and interviewing confidently and persuasively. For some, this will come naturally, and others, it will require considerable studying. Ultimately, once you have acquired the skills, some employer will see your dedication and be excited about the passion that you can bring them and offer you a deal you just can’t believe.
Summary
Happiness does not come from independent wealth, it comes from doing what you enjoy as your job, specifically, your passion.
Take action towards your dream job by identifying the opportunities and the skills and expertise required to compete in the job market for your dream job.
Create a weekly schedule for your learning and implementation of new skills applicable to the dream job. When available, use resources and opportunities at your current job that can complement your learning and implementation.
Document your successes and failures in preparation for the interview stage of achieving your dream job.
Network with people in and around your dream job, write an awesome cover letter and resume, and interview confidently and persuasively.
