Does anyone here actually work at their "dream" job?

[Hallelujahhh]

Aside from religious, does anyone here have a job that actually pays enough to make a living AND is one they actually enjoy?? If so, what do you do? My experience is the 9-5’s are such “toil,” usually for some company’s profits and bottomline, and with only two weeks off an entire year and working literally all day with so little time for other things.

 

[1234]

Aside from religious, does anyone here have a job that actually pays enough to make a living AND is one they actually enjoy?? If so, what do you do? My experience is the 9-5’s are such “toil,” usually for some company’s profits and bottomline, and with only two weeks off an entire year and working literally all day with so little time for other things.

Consider a profession in health care.

Nursing, MD, physician’s assistant, therapist of any kind—physical, occupational, respiratory. Radiologic technologists are in great demand and fetch top salaries and can often pick their hours. Even more so for ultrasound techs, CT and MRI techs. If you are into computers, then health care software and delivery.

The job should have some associated skill or training, not just involve answering a phone or scheduling someone.

There are literally dozens of jobs and job categories in health care. They all pay well and are in high demand, bec. of the boomer generation now officially entering Medicare. Most of the jobs are hands-on and can’t be outsourced.

The work is very varied and you are never alone. You’re always meeting people and working with interesting colleagues.

You are helping people. You are in a field where there is need and demand which will continue indefinitely.

These jobs do require some college-level training with technical training on top of it. But the money and time spent is an excellent investment. You’ll be able to pay back loans working in your new profession and have a long and rewarding career. You can work part-time during the child-raising years. You can work extra hours to earn overtime, if you want. You can confine your work to weekends, working overtime, and have your workweeks free. If you are married to someone with health care benefits, you can free-lance as an independent contractor for high wages-per-hour.If you are single and adventurous, you can travel, while working for a placement business.

At the end of it you can probably continue with part-time work.

 

[blessedtoo]

I did - until I got laid off two weeks ago.

 

[Joannm]

I have a dream job. I work for a parish, I get to go to mass every day and can go pray in the church whenever I want to. I can basically make my own hours as long as I give them 35 hours a week (the next week will be like 70 hours). I also have the freedom to do whatever I want within the paramaters of my job description. I talk to great people all the time (an a couple of frustrating ones),I get invited to all parish parties for free, I get 4 weeks vacation, one study week and one retreat week a year. I get paid pretty well too. I just hope my pastor stays on a few years longer so I can keep this job.

 

[PoliSciProf]

As a senior academic in private college, I have my dream job. I can work and teach not only in my field but in my speciality. Students are good and willing to learn and I have great colleagues none of whom engage in petty politics. My salary is quite good. Best of all, I am essentially my own boss. My obligation is to teach 4 courses a semester (two, occasionally three) preparations, to hold office hours, help with some administrative obligations and to be professionally active. In short, I get paid to read books and talk to people. There are no downsides here at all.

 

[Just_wondering]

I am almost in my dream job. I’m currently a lecturer at a university. There are a few issues that I’d like cleared up, but I love my job.

I make enough money and I live on campus for free (love my school!). I’d earn more if I were a real professor, and so I’m currently pinching pennies for my higher education.

I teach 9 hours a week. Kinda wish it was more - I don’t see the students enough.

I hold office hours, and generally have a lot of visitors who just want to chat. My school has me holding way more office hours than necessary, so I’d cut that down.

But the good parts - I love my students. They’re great. My classes are fun, and my students often want to come to me for further discussion after class. I make enough money to live comfortably, or to pay for my further education in cash. Nice. I’d love to get a similar job back home, with fewer office hours so I could be a part-time professor and a full-time mom after I get married.

 

[pnewton]

I love my job. I couldn’t imagine a better place to work. I supervise a shift at a correctional facility and work without anyone over me almost all the time. I have two supervisors and thirty officers under me that make my job a breeze. Some of us have been together for a decade and we work very well together as team.

 

[Contarini]

Aside from religious, does anyone here have a job that actually pays enough to make a living AND is one they actually enjoy?? If so, what do you do? My experience is the 9-5’s are such “toil,” usually for some company’s profits and bottomline, and with only two weeks off an entire year and working literally all day with so little time for other things.

I don’t work at my “dream job,” but I do enjoy large parts of what I do (I’m a college professor). There is too much paperwork and grading and too little reading and talking about ideas, but there is a good deal of the latter, and I’m very lucky that way.

Also, I get summers off–though I have to prepare for next years’ classes and try vainly to get caught up on my backlog of writing projects, so that phrase is a bit misleading!

Edwin

 

[joeybaggz]

“Aside from religious, does anyone here have a job that actually pays enough to make a living AND is one they actually enjoy??”

Hallelujahhh: A little perspective, some dreams are called nightmares.

Over twenty years ago, I started my own business. It was the outgrowth of a hobby, one I truly enjoyed. I thought how marvelous it was going to be to work everyday at my hobby. Well, as a business, it’s turned out to be a mixed bag. There are enjoyable aspects to the job (nobody can fire me, for one), but there are downsides (there’s no paycheck at the end of the week). Or, just when I have dealt with six customers that were angels, one junkyard dog will walk through the door. I know very few people who have started their own business that don’t feel the same way. There are postives and negatives about all jobs. I think that probably you can find religious who will tell you that sometimes they wonder why they chose that field. So, every job has its ups and downs.

As to any advise I’d give. There was a movie in the 80’s called “Flashdance.” It’s theme song was sung by Irene Cara and included a line “take your passion, and make it happen.” It’s a good thought, especially for someone who feels stale and unsatisfied in the job they presently have. Just be realistic about the grass on the other side of the fence. A “dream” job where everything is perfect doesn’t exist, at least this side of heaven. But if you dread getting up and going to work every day, make a change. For your own good.

My two cents.

 

[agapewolf]

I’m a musician. I get a salary from a church for flex time hours, and in addition, get wedding season, extra gigs,etc

I get to play with lots of Catholic recording/publishing artists. My office is 15 feet from the adoration chapel. I get some days free.

THere’s aspects that are draining, but who doesn’t have that?

 

[dixieagle]

My husband has been fortunate enough to do that all his working life. He is a TV news anchor and can’t imagine doing anything else. However, nothing is perfect, and that business has changed (very bottom-line, investors who want to make a quick, huge profit but know nothing about TV stations buying groups of them and slashing budgets, ill-prepared, often literally ignorant young reporters hired because they work cheaply…on and on.) Ironically, he is in contract renegotiation now and we are holding our breath - he has about 10 years until retirement and we have put down deep roots and want to stay here. But, these days you don’t know, and even highly successful and respected news anchors such as my husband aren’t guaranteed…sad.

My daughter and future son in law are finishing their senior year as speech and hearing science majors. They will get married this year, work a year, and then get Master’s in Speech and Language Pathology; it, and any health-related profession is booming and quite rewarding.

Just identify your passion and go for it; don’t leave yourself open to regrets down the road. I am now finally starting to do research for a novel; I know I write well, have published articles, but have always wanted to do this. I have no excuse not to, and have finally decided to get on with it.

My prayers are with you; pursue your dream.

 

[Hallelujahhh]

I have a dream job. I work for a parish, I get to go to mass every day and can go pray in the church whenever I want to. I can basically make my own hours as long as I give them 35 hours a week (the next week will be like 70 hours). I also have the freedom to do whatever I want within the paramaters of my job description. I talk to great people all the time (an a couple of frustrating ones),I get invited to all parish parties for free, I get 4 weeks vacation, one study week and one retreat week a year. I get paid pretty well too. I just hope my pastor stays on a few years longer so I can keep this job.

Sounds great! What is your official title?

 

[puzzleannie]

Aside from religious, does anyone here have a job that actually pays enough to make a living AND is one they actually enjoy?? .

well depends on how you define “living” I am basically working for healthcare coverage and to cover meds and copays, and transportation. if something happened to DH I would have to dip into retirement accounts early.

but yes this is my dream job, actually my 3rd dream job. I long ago got tired of rum-dum jobs and decided if I had to work it would be at something I love. first dream job was tech writer and editor which led to a lot of freelance work and supported the family during the years DH was building his business, next was in the field of archives & public records, which I am “retired” from.

 

[bluerose]

Yes and no.

I’m a cake decorator and if that was all I did all day, then yes, it would be my dream job. However, I don’t work at Charm City Cakes, I work at Wal*Mart and due to the fact that we are chronically understaffed, I also fry donuts, bake bread, stock shelves, and unload pallets. Any day where I get to do nothing but cakes is rare (and some days I don’t do any at all! )

However, it satifies my creative urge and I’ve gained a reputation for taking on projects no one else in town will do (well, with only two bakeries–both supermarket ones–there isn’t a whole lot of competition to begin with). But when people want more than just a few roses on a cake, they come to me. Yesterday (which was supposed to be my “short” day… I was just supposed to come in, fry donuts and leave) I had to do a cake for a woman who was hosting a party for her husband’s construction business. She wanted a full sheet cake that had a picture of one of her husband’s model homes on it. We have a machine that copies photos onto edible rice paper, but it’s down for repairs right now, so I had to freehand the design onto the cake, with frosting and airbrush details, PLUS she wanted me to add the landscaping details (cactus, trees, yucca plants, stone, etc. all done in frosting) as well. It turned out really nice and my manager said she was very happy, said a lot of nice things, and I was very satisfied.

My other dream job is to be a published novelist. Still working on that one. That job I can stay home and not have to go in to work at 2 a.m.!

 

[water]

I believe I have the “dream” job although I complain sometimes; however, I am reminded that when I have too much to do, that is a blessing from God - I could’ve had no job at all. The job does not pay a whole lot but I am able to go to mass every day and the schedule is very flexible.

 

[KCT]

In April I’ll start teaching at a wonderful, small, Catholic school. My largest class will have 13 kids, my smallest will have 7. Pay is good comparitively.

The Faith is not watered down and there are priests, brothers and consecrated on campus 4 days a week. They’re a wonderful presence. The academic and behavior standards are high. Couldn’t ask for more.

My husband, on the other hand, wants to be Rick Steeves and be paid to travel. That’s his dream job!

 

[Jeanette_L]

I have a dream job. I work for a parish, I get to go to mass every day and can go pray in the church whenever I want to. I can basically make my own hours as long as I give them 35 hours a week (the next week will be like 70 hours). I also have the freedom to do whatever I want within the paramaters of my job description. I talk to great people all the time (an a couple of frustrating ones),I get invited to all parish parties for free, I get 4 weeks vacation, one study week and one retreat week a year. I get paid pretty well too. I just hope my pastor stays on a few years longer so I can keep this job.

I’m sinning because I’m in envy. I want your job!

 

[Joannm]

I’m sinning because I’m in envy. I want your job!

Not this week you don’t. I am sitting here at home with 101 fever knowing that I have to go in either this afternoon or tomorrow afternoon to prepare for Palm Sunday Masses. I really can’t be sick this week. Final RCIA session is on Sunday, HUGE funeral on Monday plus preparation for Diocesan Day of Reconciliation (means confessions at all churches in the diocese from 3-9 PM. Finalizing all the details for the Triduum, rehearsing with the servers, helping our young priest prepare a Easter Homily for the children at the Family Mass (he really has no skills in talking with kids and basically retells the Gospel almost word for word).

Please God, you can give me the full blown flu on Easter Monday but just not this week.

 

[puzzleannie]

I do have the flu this week, worst possible timing. I am already lining up delegates for various Holy Week responsibilities, CCD and RCIA, and hope I am back in action before the Triduum. we just decided to drive around looking at wildflowers right after Easter, anything to get out of Dodge.

 

[jrabs]

I love love love my job. Love the hours - think the industry I am in is completely fascinating. I learn something new almost every day in a job I have done for 8 years.

I am in the Energy - Natural Gas/Oil industry and work as a consultant helping companies save money with their energy.