"What would you say ya do here?"

It's funny ... I feel as though a lot of the folks on this site have grown up together. Somehow over the course of tdub's 10+ year existence, many of us have graduated from college, dropped out of college, started careers, changed careers, gone back to school, etc. With that in mind, I'm curious to know the following:

1) What's your dream job?
2) Is your dream job the same as your current job? If not, what are you doing now? And what, if anything, are you doing to eventually reach your goal?
3) Have your career goals changed dramatically within the last few years?

5/31/2011 4:44:36 PM

1) Design strategist
2) Nope, currently a Ux Designer. But I am building towards my dream job. Can't talk about what I'm doing to reach the goal, but it's working very well
3) Not really. My career crisis happened a few years after undergraduate graduation. I flip flopped for 3-4 years, finally figuring things out really ~2007.

5/31/2011 4:54:43 PM

1) working in international student affairs
2) not in the slightest. Economy sucks for education jobs currently. But I have an interview this week for a position that would put me MUCH closer to that goal. Keeping my fingers crossed!
3) I guess it has in the sense I had zero clue what I wanted to do with my life after I graduated. Lucky for me my first job out of college led me to a career I really enjoy and I find personally fulfilling. If not for that job I'd probably be pretty miserable without direction.

5/31/2011 5:01:15 PM

1) Astronaut. Yeah I know it's cheesy but bear with me.
2) Not the same as my current job but you can't just jump into the astronaut pool out of nowhere. Currently an aerospace engineer at NASA though and I've just met eligibility requirements so I'll be applying as soon as a new astronaut class opens up. I've got my pilot's license and I'm currently getting my SCUBA certification so I'm doing whatever I can with my own time to help me stand out. The odds are low but I gotta try.
3) My career goals changed right when I graduated college... through high school and college I was always working to be an engineer. Once I finally got there I thought to myself "what now?" I didn't want my career to plateau at the age of 23 so I figured I'd dream bigger.

[Edited on May 31, 2011 at 5:28 PM. Reason : ]

5/31/2011 5:26:59 PM

i was actually having this conversation with my mom sunday. i used to know that i wanted to be in politics and work campaigns traveling the country, etc etc etc. i worked in it for four and a half years and i was spent, exhausted by the corruptness of it all and i got out.

now, i have no idea what my career aspirations are, what i want to do with my life etc. i have a great job that i enjoy right now, but it's not want i want to be doing for the rest of my life at all.

i have the opportunity to get my masters degree right now for free at a very reputable university - just have to decide what the flying fuck i want to get :-/

5/31/2011 5:37:44 PM

1. Genetic counselor (but to own my own practice... that's a little lofty)
2. Yes (well, kinda). I'm in school for it and am graduating next year!
3. Kinda sorta. I was torn between this and being a herpetologist specializing in venomous snakes.

5/31/2011 6:15:35 PM

1) Project Engineer for major utility projects
2) I have been doing this for the same company for over 10 years now, but lately I find myself doing more personnel management that actual design. I have to know enough about the engineering to review other people's work and to make quick decisions on how to overcome design and construction obstacles, but I don't get to do as much actual engineering as I would like to. I knew this day would come eventually. The biggest challenge I face is learning the strengths and weaknesses of the people who work for me and figuring out how to give them chunks of work that don't encourage me to try to micromanage their engineering decisions.
3) I've thought about getting more heavily involved with the construction side of my company so that I could one day head up our design-build operations, but I'm not so sure that would be the smartest career choice. I can manage engineers and technicians alright, but I'm afraid that as a white collar guy I'll never get the full respect from our construction people that it will take to direct them. I'd be better off letting one of our senior construction people get propped up in charge and just running things under him as an engineering manager.

5/31/2011 6:23:37 PM

1) Shrimp boat captain
2) No, I need to build some capital so I can put some money down on a boat. So Im saving my pennies!!!
3) unfortunately, My career goals change about every other week (last week it was country music singer/song writer)

5/31/2011 6:25:23 PM

1. i'd love to be a travel writer.
2. my current job is a systems engineer at a power plant. so not at all similar. and unfortunately, i'm not a particularly engaging writer...this seems to be something that requires at least a grain of talent to start with.
3. realistically, i understand that i'll make a good subject matter expert, and i (mostly) enjoy it. so although i may not stay in the same job, i'll probably do this same basic sort of thing, make bank, and then go travel on my own. and not subject people to less-than-awesome writing...

5/31/2011 6:38:07 PM

1) professor of civil/environmental engineering at MIT
2) i am not currently a professor at MIT. in the fall i will be starting a phd in environmental fluid mechanics/computational science. MIT totes needs a guy w/ my interests in their department.
3) no

5/31/2011 7:53:39 PM

1) women's health care NP or family NP

2) No. I'm currently a part time lab tech,but I'm going to start in the hospital in a summer assistant program June 20th. I start the clinical portion of nursing school (junior year) at NC Central in August.

3) I suppose- if someone told me I'd be in nursing school 5 years ago, instead of going to grad school for molecular biology, I wouldn't have believed them.

5/31/2011 7:57:29 PM

I couldn't help but lol at shrimp boat captain... but I assure you, I would support your business

5/31/2011 8:15:49 PM

why you gotta laugh at my dreams?

5/31/2011 9:19:21 PM

Well I mainly had an image of Bubba Gump pop in my head but I know being any type of captain is hard work and you need to be dedicated... props to you for taking on something like that!

5/31/2011 9:21:22 PM

well like I said, next week I will want to be something else entirely. In this regard I am more like a 9 year old than a 25 year old

5/31/2011 9:30:57 PM

1) Still not sure on my dream job. I love working with people, helping people. I am working toward becoming a personal trainer on the side. I have a feeling that is my dream job.
2) Not at all. Currently work for a Consulting firm doing Project Management for different clients. It's ok. I just got done taking a class at a local Community College to help me work toward becoming a licensed trainer.
3) Yes. When I was fat I hadn't even thought of being a trainer. I started work at a Top 4 Consulting Firm and had visions of making partner. Then I wised up.

5/31/2011 9:41:45 PM

1. Marketing/PR director for a non-profit arts institution(art, music, dance)
2. Not really, I'm currently working as a program assistant for a non-profit that works with at-risk youth. I get to do a little of our PR and I plan our special events and fundraisers but it's only a stepping stone of where I want to be.
3. Yes. I had #1 in my head but then I started working a cushy Pharma job in RTP, I put what I wanted to the back of my mind. Then I realized how much I hated working for a terrible corporate company and then I was let go. After that I only applied for jobs that would give me more non-profit experience and would help me build contacts. I'm on that road now.

5/31/2011 9:58:54 PM

^^^you also recently expressed interest in living deep in the mountains, growing a long beard, and doing god knows what.

5/31/2011 10:08:13 PM

My dream job is to have a portfolio of paid off rental properties, a property manager to manage them, and my job to manage my property manager.

5/31/2011 10:20:54 PM

Quote :

" 1) What's your dream job? 2) Is your dream job the same as your current job? If not, what are you doing now? And what, if anything, are you doing to eventually reach your goal? 3) Have your career goals changed dramatically within the last few years?"

1) Major college defensive coordinator
2) No. I am a civil engineer. I am not doing shit to reach my coaching goal because I have no shot in hell of being a football coach.
3) No. I plan on being a helluva engineer. I still plan to.

[Edited on May 31, 2011 at 10:48 PM. Reason : ]

5/31/2011 10:47:36 PM

1 - a - layout editor for NG (designing and organizing the magazine (spacial organization))
b - consultant for a variety of subjects and topics (think tank?)
c - technology transfer attorney (patent stuff for university research)
d - IP defense mostly? not 100% sure.

2 - I'm in law school so no job really.
a - no real education or experience here, I'm just ridiculously good at spacial organization, and I like doing it. NG has really interesting material.
b - multiple degrees, wide interests, good researching skills, and good associative skills. All of these could help me get in, but it's more who you know.
c - in law school with a IP / patent / technology focus / hard science degree, planning on taking the patent bar
d - ditto

3 - a and b have always kinda been there. I'm just now getting more into a position to do 'b'
c and d are newer.

5/31/2011 10:56:00 PM

1) Something I do because I want to and not for the income.. such as golf course marshal.
2) No, need to retire first.
3) No, I do what it takes coz i'm about makin papes

5/31/2011 11:23:44 PM

1) Out of things that I could realistically do (i.e., not racecar driver or Beverly Hills gigolo), probably something...clandestine with the CIA or NSA.

2) No...I was sooo close to my dream job. I wanted to be a fighter pilot in the Marines...I'm now an attack jet navigator/electronic warfare/weapons guy in the Marines. I had a couple of breaks that didn't go my way...just a couple of little things along the way can keep you from ending up where you want.

3) Yeah...even after being assigned as a navigator (didn't want to do it) in an airplane I didn't really care for, I still planned on making a career out of the military. I ended up getting kind of professionally blackballed in my squadron, though. To make a long story short, I ended up, just with luck of the draw, in a squadron where I was a very poor fit, didn't conform to the mold very well, and ended up on the losing end of some silly-ass office politics. I could stay on active duty if I wanted to, but there would be some limitations on me, career-wise. I'm kind of one to play to win, so that's not really an attractive option to me. I'm pretty much counting down until I can get out and go do something else, now.

5/31/2011 11:44:27 PM

1) dream job: Education director/coordinator at a Zoo. or a zoo keeper
2) I'm currently teaching Agriculture which is what I've wanted to do for a long time and enjoy it. After five years of doing this and relocating to a new state this summer I am considering making a career change. I still love what I do but I've truly burnt myself out. What else can I do with my degrees? (B.S. and M.S. in Ag Education?...)
3) My career goals have changed in that I'm considering other careers that I might enjoy more (and get paid more).

6/1/2011 9:27:38 AM

Quote :

"1) What's your dream job? 2) Is your dream job the same as your current job? If not, what are you doing now? And what, if anything, are you doing to eventually reach your goal? 3) Have your career goals changed dramatically within the last few years? "

1. I honestly still do not know. My dream job would be not to have a job. I hate the fact that I never had very many aspirations when it came to careers.

2. No, I work for an electrical contractor doing project estimation and PM. I'm doing nothing to reach my non-existant goals.

3. I don't know, i'm comfortable and have decent job security. For the most part I get to leave work behind at 5:30 each day and spend more time with the stuff that matters which is enjoying myself and having fun.


as i've said in some similar threads in the past...I'm good to great at a ton of things. But i'm an expert at nothing..

6/1/2011 9:35:32 AM

1) I want to design adult toys.
2) There are no degrees in adult toy design, but I picked something close.
3) I originally thought I wanted to design medical research equipment.

Getting sick convinced me that medical research was a waste of time. So much info out there that docs would ignore because they learned something different in med school, so why contribute to an ignored body of knowledge when I could be doing something fun?

6/1/2011 11:13:26 AM

1) I still don't know yet. I have been out of college 9 years now and have worked at 6 different companies. I have had decent success in tech sales but I am to the point where I really don't like sales anymore and don't know what to do.

I've been thinking something fitness related, not really a personal trainer though, I'm not really sure...

2) No. I'm still in tech sales working from home for a startup. It has the benefits of being flexible but it's really unstable.

3) Yes. I went to a military college with the aspiration of doing that for a living but decided it wasn't for me. I've changed jobs several times and finally thought at my last job I would be happy in the role I was in (sales systems engineer) but eventually got really fed up with that and quit to start my own business (which is still going but doesn't generate enough income to cover the bills). Started with the company I'm at now and ready for a change into something totally different.

Quote :

"I'm good to great at a ton of things. But i'm an expert at nothing.."

That's exactly how I feel too. Pretty good at a lot of stuff - photography, exercise / sports, tech, writing...but not traditionally qualified or overly experienced in any to jump into a new career.

6/1/2011 11:15:12 AM

1) level 20 corporate goon
2) no, currently only level 6 but i'm on that grind!
3) nope

6/1/2011 6:55:35 PM

me and Noen have pretty similar answers, but I don't know what his ultimate goal is (corporate or entrepreneurial, product or software)

but here's mine:

1) Design / Operational strategist for entrepreneurial software ventures. Basically a serial good-idea guy and the guy that makes shit happen. This is a short-term goal.

I also have a very strong desire to be recognized in my field as a business cliche alert "Thought leader" - a teacher and facilitator of best design & operations practices. This is a long-term goal.

2) I'm working on it on the side now. My main job is like Noen though - UX design. Trying to go corporate now after having worked the last few years in consultancies.

3) 5 years ago if you had asked me what I wanted to do with my life, I'd have said this same thing, but without the design component. I managed to identify another skill set I possessed and wrapped it into the overall package.

6/1/2011 7:10:09 PM

1) Screenwriter/novelist
2) Getting there. I'm a creative writer for Disney. My goal is to eventually move from advertising to entertainment. Would love to write scripts for feature films for a major studio, preferably Disney.
3) I was very practical as a kid ... Thought I'd be a professional news reporter and editor, and eventually become editor-in-chief of a newspaper or managing editor of a publication. I ended up going into TV news and worked for several years as a reporter/producer before realizing that I needed to aim higher, since I'd settled for the practical career option. It never occurred to me that the impractical fantasy could be within reach.

6/1/2011 7:39:34 PM

1) Foreign Service Officer.
2) Take the test next week.
3) It's been pretty consistent for the last few years.

I guess the real dream job would be a travel writer for war and crisis zones like my man PJ O'Rourke, but I'm not funny enough and it's hard to get people to pay you to do that.

6/1/2011 7:56:53 PM

1) Director of Team/Hockey Operations for an NHL team (pref Tampa Bay), or some major marketing position for the PGA
2) No. I just graduated and have 2 years of part-time experience with the Hurricanes.
3) Not much. I have always wanted to work in the business of sports. I'm starting to find other cool options, rather than having such a narrow focus. And if it doesn't work out, scuba boat in the Keys it is!

6/1/2011 9:06:31 PM

^^ PJ O'Rourke is great.

6/1/2011 9:40:53 PM

1) Fire Fighter
2) No. I own my own millwork company. I do not think I can ever leave what I do as the pay for a fire fighter is multiple times less that I make now. With a family and a lifestyle we are used to I do not see me going backwards in pay. I am doing nothing to be able to be a fire man.
3) Yes my goals have changed. I am only 2 years into owning my own business. I am considering looking for something with a similar pay check and I do not have to worry about employees.

6/1/2011 9:45:24 PM

1) I don't know.
2) I doubt it. I'm doing heat transfer/mechanical engineering. It's alright. I can do it, it's not hard, but it's not something I want to spend the rest of my life doing. I'll sit on this job for a few years and move on to something else.
3) No. I had no career goals a few years ago and I still have no career goals.

6/1/2011 10:49:21 PM

1. Forensic structural engineer.
2. Not really. I do a number of structural analyses/inspections on a given week, but part of my job involves making my job easier/less mind-intensive so that you can work faster. I kind of despise this, but I'm being paid a solid wage. I'm working towards becoming a proper SE to reach this goal. I also pick up any weird/fucked up project I find along the way that could build experience towards this goal.
3. Yeah. Working for the federal government taught me that idealism won't get me shit. Working in the private industry taught me that working for a massive corporation won't get me shit either, unless I drink a lot of corporate kool-aid. The benefits are here, however, that will pay for the advancement of my career. I think I can deal with that, quite happily, until I have opportunity to advance in my career even moreso.

6/1/2011 11:54:12 PM

1) The only "dream job" I ever had was to coach a high school soccer team and since I never had an idea of what my real dream job was, I was honestly close to becoming a high school teacher just to be able to coach. But that would have been dumb and I majored in accounting instead, mostly for the versatility of the degree and the abundance of job opportunities it provides.

2) Nobody could describe this as a dream job. I'm a junior level accountant at a small private accounting firm. It makes decent money and I'm working on getting my CPA license and my wife is getting her master's in teaching. Once we both accomplish that and she serves her required 3-4 years to the county for paying for some of her degree, we're moving somewhere else. It's actually been a little frustrating lately when I think about our future, where we'll move, what I'll do, etc. because nothing just jumps out at me and I don't want to be somebody that hates my job my entire life.

3) Being married changes your perspective on a few things but my goals have always just been to make some money however I can and then find things to do fun outside of work, because there's never been a job or profession that I thought I'd really want to do.

6/2/2011 8:33:32 AM

1. Design and apply nanotechnology for the military, either in armor or weapons.
2. Very close. I design and apply (well, hopefully apply ) nanotech for the military, but nothing is soldier level. We might get some contracts for soldier level technology, but I've been seeking out ways to apply the tech to weapons and sending out solicitations on potential improvements. In my company's tech area, its going to be harder to get into armor...and I'll probably have to think it up myself.
3. Sort of. Going into college and up until junior year 1 or so, I was all "I want to do nanotech." Once I got into my nano courses, I realized that that wasn't a career at all and I needed some way to apply it. My dad was in the Marines for 29 years and I felt I needed to give back to the military. Fuck being raised in it and then going out and making some random product for nothing but profit of some fat cat above me in the chain.

Quote :

"3) My career goals changed right when I graduated college... through high school and college I was always working to be an engineer. Once I finally got there I thought to myself "what now?" I didn't want my career to plateau at the age of 23 so I figured I'd dream bigger."

I felt this way too . Still trying to figure out what next, especially since I had almost no confidence in getting a very specific research niche straight out of college. Extremely relevant undergrad experience and preparation for the position has certainly helped though...

6/2/2011 9:12:39 AM

^ ditto on the plateau bit. We worry so much about setting realistic goals that we sometimes aim too low.

6/2/2011 9:20:39 AM

1.) I've always wanted to incorporate my love travel with my passion for renewable energy. I'd own my own business, be happy and own a cool boat.

2.) finishing up graduate school, 6 more weeks left.

3.) Ya, I'm being more realistic about my 'billionaire' dreams. I'll settle for multi-millionaire

6/2/2011 1:27:31 PM

2.5 Year Later - has anything changed for those who responded?

I searched for a career aspirations thread because of a discussion I'm supposed to have with my manager. He asked me to think about the future and what I really want to do. I doubt saying "making as much money as possible while doing as little as possible" is the correct answer. I feel like it's ridiculous that I still have no idea what I want in a career even though I'm almost 30 and have been with the same company for 7+ years.

Seeing the higher-ups make insane money while I can't get a raise because of budget constraints has left me bitter and unmotivated.



1) What's your dream job?
If I had any writing talent, I would love to be a food writer, travel writer, hotel reviewer - I want Padma Lakshmi's job. My reality to to find a job that I absolutely love doing. I have friends that do, and I'm jealous.

2) Is your dream job the same as your current job? If not, what are you doing now? And what, if anything, are you doing to eventually reach your goal?
It's is far from what I'm doing now, which I don't enjoy at all. I don't feel that the dream job a realistic option for me. I'm not a good writer, I have no background in culinary or hospitality.

3) Have your career goals changed dramatically within the last few years?
I've never really had an ultimate career goal, which is why I got a business degree and then started working for a bank.

Maybe I'm just having a pre-30 freakout because I don't know what I want out of life.

[Edited on January 15, 2014 at 9:26 AM. Reason : red x]

1/15/2014 9:25:20 AM

Amy, i'm right there with you.

Quote :

"I feel like it's ridiculous that I still have no idea what I want in a career even though I'm almost 30 and have been with the same company for 7+ years. "

I'm in the same boat. I am with the same company and i'm probably a little complacent to be honest. It's a good job, and affords me the opportunity to do other things that I enjoy much more than work. That being said it's a stagnant job, my days wear on and I just don't have a passion or real commitment to it.

But the pros out weigh the cons to the point that i'm actually frightened to look for something else.

1/15/2014 11:00:08 AM

I applied and failed to be selected for the last pool of astronaut candidates! It was expected though, nobody ever gets in their first time, especially someone as young as me. Since then I've gotten more responsibility and stuff at work though, so I gotta keep on working on it!

1/15/2014 11:05:21 AM

I'll answer the question a bit more seriously this time, although I was on point the first time around.

1) What's your dream job?

I don't have a 'dream job' per se. I feel the notion of a dream job is one of those things that sets you up for disappointment. There's basically two scenarios. 1- you fail to attain your dream job and that failure creates misery in your life while in reality you probably have it pretty good. 2 - you reach your dream job, and either it isn't want you had built up in your mind, or you get beyond the initial honeymoon phase of said dream job and fall into the "now what?" stage.

So for me, I continually look at what I currently do and gauge my growth potential (growth = gaining/improving skills, salary, responsibility, relationships) against other jobs that have some level of commonality but are mostly different. Certainly, I also weigh work-life balance into the equation. At the end of the day a job pays the bills, but spending time with family and friends is more important. I have no desire to wind up in the corporate executive ranks. My job is not my life.

And this strategy continues to evolve as I move along in my career. I started out as a tech support engineer, became a manager of engineers, then moved into business process design based on my work being part of a working team as a manager. Didn't see much growth there, and now I do corporate crisis management.

Currently, the growth potential is ridiculous in this role, and I don't see myself moving on for a while. It sounds kind of silly, but I'm always the most comfortable in a job when I feel like the dumbest person on the team. That means I'm constantly learning and growing. Once I start feeling comfortable, and feeling pretty smart, it's probably time to start looking for something else. I stayed in my first job about 3 years too long. I could do the job in my sleep, had the respect of my peers as a great resource, and everything was easy. But for about three years, I didn't really learn anything new-- other than avoiding complacency and that the best way to grow and attain new skills is to live outside of your comfort zone.

So tl;dr: it's not about a dream job, but deriving satisfaction from the journey, and all of the skills, accomplishments, and relationships that come with it.

2) Is your dream job the same as your current job? If not, what are you doing now? And what, if anything, are you doing to eventually reach your goal?

Re-framing the question in the context of my previous answer, yes-- I'm definitely where I want to be for the foreseeable future. I'm relatively new in my current job, but I continue to self-assess and ensure that I avoid complacency.

3) Have your career goals changed dramatically within the last few years?

Nope. Once I figured out how and where I derive job satisfaction, I've been successful at maintaining it.

1/15/2014 11:41:55 AM

1) What's your dream job?

A. Multiple streams of (almost) passive income to augment and achieve desired lifestyle.
B. Day to Day work creating content and coaching individuals (fitness, lifestyle, and personal development)
C. Coaching small businesses and entrepreneurs on brand building and boot strap marketing.

2) Is your dream job the same as your current job? If not, what are you doing now? And what, if anything, are you doing to eventually reach your goal?

Almost. Currently optimizing my own business(es) and learning best practices. Also, actively systemizing all processes so they run independently of my involvement or require minimal time commitment.

3) Have your career goals changed dramatically within the last few years?

Yes. I opened my first Business 1.5 years ago. It's consuming most of my time currently and is a great experience.

1/15/2014 12:04:48 PM

My dream job is one where I get to be lazy, but it sounds cool and feeds my ego.

So, yeah, travel writer like the rest of you.

1/15/2014 12:05:56 PM

Quote :

"systemizing "

I believe you want to say automating, since systemizing isn't a word.

For my 2.5yr update, things are going pretty swimmingly for me. While my title is still Ux Designer, the reality of my day-to-day job is now a majority of design strategy. I am a functional peer to the directors in my organization, and finally have the resource support I needed to be able to lead larger efforts.

The only frustration I have (definite first world problem) is that my title (and thus salary, bonuses, and external perception) lag dramatically behind my activities. But it's not a matter of my management not knowing this, its just a matter of time (you can only be promoted one band per year). I want to be a principal level IC, which will take another 3-5 years inside the company. I could leave and take a principal position somewhere else now, but I'd be leaving years of trusted connections I would have to rebuild if I ever returned.

1/15/2014 12:45:10 PM

1) What's your dream job?
Working in Historic Preservation and adaptive reuse of old/threatened/historic buildings. It started as simply adimration of architecture and over time, after seeing what we've lost over the years, what potential there is for new life for old sites, and how much historic context contributes to the fabric of a community, I realized that's where my true interest was.

2) Is your dream job the same as your current job? If not, what are you doing now? And what, if anything, are you doing to eventually reach your goal?
Nope. I'm currently a computer systems engineer working primarily in Windows application packaging and SCCM administration. I enjoy what I do and I'm in a much better position now than I was a few years ago, but it's not working toward "The Dream". Not really doing much to move in that direction either--I'd like to get into a volunteer capacity with one of the local preservation groups as I become more settled here, but it's not something that's really viable as a long-term career goal. I don't have the right training (they probably don't have much use for IT folks other than the odd web designer) and, while I could go back to school, it would be taking a big gamble for a career that probably wouldn't pay well, as nonprofits tend not to be flush with cash. If I could even find a job. The numbers just don't work. My wife is finishing grad school and we're thinking about starting a family, and that's not the time for me to go from bringing in steady money to putting us further into debt for an uncertain return.
Maybe when I retire it could be a "second career" for my sunset years.

3) Have your career goals changed dramatically within the last few years?
Not dramatically. As I've moved from a primarily user support role to a systems engineer role, I've warmed to the idea of staying in IT for the long haul--I was burned out on user support but now I rather enjoy my work most days. But there hasn't been a major shift in quite some time.

1/15/2014 3:01:36 PM

1) What's your dream job?
Photojournalist Commercial/Editorial Photographer

2) Is your dream job the same as your current job? If not, what are you doing now? And what, if anything, are you doing to eventually reach your goal?
Nope. I left a job as a Creative Services Marketer to become a Stay-At-Home Dad (kind of a dream job). This actually works out best, because as a marketer, I had less time to work behind the lens, whereas now I can pick up the occasional freelance gig, plus I get plenty of practice taking pics of my kids.

3) Have your career goals changed dramatically within the last few years?
Yep. The death/decline of professional photojournalism has led me into a path that would allow me to work as a freelance photographer and eventually move into something more commercial. I hate the idea of losing the story telling aspect of my work, but eventually I think I can pick up enough editorial work to scratch that itch.
Also, leaving a desk job to raise kids changes things quite a bit. It puts me behind a lot of my peers when it comes to going back into a full-time professional in a few years, since the gap in my resume isn't something employers are looking for. However, it also removes a lot of the supposed risks if I decide to strike out as a full-time freelancer, and gives me the freedom to work for myself, and set my own schedule.

1/15/2014 3:52:14 PM

Go Wolfpack

[Edited on January 15, 2014 at 8:23 PM. Reason : n]

1/15/2014 8:07:58 PM