The old saying “if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life” is something that we all strive to achieve someday. The unfortunate reality of the matter is that this isn’t always the case.

It is highly unlikely that each job you have will be your dream job. After all, if you have your dream job, why would you ever leave? It is important to keep an open mind at each opportunity you have, as you will learn skills and build a network that can ultimately lead to your dream position one day, whatever that may be.

When first embarking upon a career, it is likely that your dream job was something completely different than what it was a few years into your career. The fact that your dream position has changed is not a bad thing; in fact, quite the opposite. It shows that you have continued to develop and based your hopefully future career potential on things you have learned along the way.

Once you identify what you think your dream job is, there are some things you can do in order to land it.

Know What It Means For Your Lifestyle

If you are currently making a high salary with a competitive compensation package but realized that you want to pursue a career as a teacher, or start your own business, you need to evaluate your goals. You may not be able to afford your current lifestyle if you deviate careers. However, if you decide that this temporary financial setback is worth pursuing for the other things you want out of life, you need to be aware of that.

Network

You have heard it before, but here it is again: you must always be networking. You can conduct informational interviews with people in what you’ve designated as your dream job, attend industry events to meet others in that field, or even strike up a conversation with someone new. Networking takes many forms.

Be Willing To Start Anywhere

If your dream career is in a different field, you may not have the exact experience to work in said field. That said, the experience you do have is likely transferable to various industries.

Depending on how serious you are about working in your dream industry, you may have to be willing to start at the bottom of the totem pole. That is not to say you should work for free, but you might have to take a pay cut. Regardless of what you do, it is important to be humble, work hard and willing to learn.

Take Every Opportunity

Early in your career, it will be hard to say no to every opportunity presented to you. You want to make an impression on your company, so you try to be the go-to person to get tasks done. This may lead to burnout, so a crucial skill to develop is being selective.

However, when pursuing your dream career, you should try to take every opportunity offered. For example, if you are asked to interview for a position even if you don’t want the job, you should still take it to gain experience interviewing. Besides, you never know what doors that interviewer could open for you down the line.

Be Willing To Prove Yourself

Sometimes the easiest way to prove you can do something is by showing you can do it instead of telling. This is often done in the form of an internship, but when changing careers or chasing your dream job, an unpaid (or even paid) internship may not be the most realistic option. There are many ways to prove you can do a job, including freelance, but being open to these opportunities and capitalizing on them is what will set you apart.

Wrap Up

Do you have a dream job? Even if you don’t have an exact title or role in mind, figuring out what your ultimate career goal is can help set your path for the rest of your career. The next step is figuring out how to get there. If you consider these tips, you can get closer to landing your dream job, whatever that may be.

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