Dream Job

Fun topic, right?

First, let’s do lunch.

I had some more of the coconut cauliflower chana, brown jasmine rice, plus spinach today for some more green veggies.

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I like how the spinach kind of steams in the microwave, but doesn’t get all weird and soggy.

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I also brought a bit of plain yogurt – I need it on this dish! The yogurt gives just enough cold + tartness to balance out the spicy veggies.

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And some grapes!

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After seeing Caitlin and Jenna’s dreams basically come true over the past few months and watching Nick finish his schooling on Friday…it just has me thinking.

I don’t know what my dreams are, really.

I know that I want to feel like I’m making a difference in other people’s lives, not just my own.

I’m just not sure what that means in the job world.

I had so many dreams growing up…and somehow, not one of my old “job related dreams” have happened.

Growing up, I wanted to be:

  • a teacher
  • a marine biologist
  • an FBI agent / forensic pathologist
  • an interior designer
  • a writer
  • a Ben & Jerry’s flavor creator / taste tester

Now the only thing I know I want to be is a mom. And that’s awesome, and I can’t wait.

But that doesn’t solve my job longings right now or in the future.

I have a B.A. in English/Professional Writing and a M.S. in Health Promotion, but I am not using either. The job market / economy also isn’t helping right now.

I’m not sure where this leaves me. I just know I have a lot to think about.

 

What’s your dream job? What did you want to be growing up?

 

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35 comments

  1. I am SO with you on the job thing. All of the exciting things happening in blogland really have me thinking about me and the direction my life has taken. I long for something more and finally realize that I must go out and grab life by the horns because no one else can make my dreams come true!

  2. This is exactly how I feel. I don’t know what I want, except that I want kids eventually (4 years is the plan; I’m 23 :P). I thought I was gonna go back to school for linguistics, but I don’t think that’s my passion anymore. It’s so hard! Bobby (my fiance) is in the same boat. I wish I could start college over again and major in nutrition. I think I’d love being an RD.

  3. My dream job would be to have a cooking show featuring healthy recipes & easy cooking tricks to make the everyday person feel like they can make a fancy meal. *sigh*

    When I was little I always wanted to be a CEO of a major company (yea, I was a strange lil’ girl haha) – and a lawyer for a while too (??)

    Ended up as a CPA…..

    We’ll just have to see what the future holds!

  4. The economy is so tough right now. Makes finding a new job so hard. Sigh.

    I don’t know what my dream job is. I like writing, but I can’t handle the loneliness of it. I want a job where I can interact with and help people. I’d love to just talk and listen all day.

    :)

  5. I loved HIMYM last night – LOVED. Did they not show a preview for next week or was I just not paying attention then? For about 4 months when I was in preschool I wanted to be a country singer, hah!

    Hope the rest of your day goes well!!

  6. neat post topic!!! i always wanted to be a dolphin trainer when i was growing up. :o) awwww flipper. ;)

  7. I hear you on the job front. I am in admin work, and while I love the people I work with and the atmosphere I work in, I do not love the repetitiveness and just general boredom that accompanies such a job. I would love to use my creative side more, and honestly, just not have to answer to anyone. :D In a perfect world…

  8. I wanted to be a professional singer when I was younger…. then I realized I couldn’t sing for my life. lol. You’ll figure everything out! Maybe you should be a professional food photographer! Your pictures are always so awesome!

  9. I am doing my dream job; which is selling antiques. Growing up, I never knew what I wanted to do other than be a wife + mother. Being a mom to 3 boys was pretty much all encompassing until they were in school a full day. Then I turned a hobby into an income producing job I can do from home, and haven’t looked back since.

  10. I always wanted to be a teacher when I was younger, then thought about graphic design, and interior design, but ultimately getting my degree in education. After just a short while though, I found out that teaching was not for me and now I’m back in school, studying dietetics and so excited about it!

  11. My idea of a dream job depends on my mood. Some days my dream job is a teacher. Some days my dream job is a project manager in healthcare. Other days my dream job is a dog trainer…or a singer….or a baker. . .

  12. Ah, I know what you mean, Brandi! I get those same feelings all of the time. I’m not sure what I want to do either when I ‘grow up’. I’ve wanted to be a singer, a lawyer, a highschool guidance counselor and a marketing manager. Now, I just want to find something to do that I’m passionate about and that I love. But I guess still have some more exploring…

    Your breakfast was so beautiful today!

  13. I understand it’s hard! I’m not sure what my dream job is but I think that I know (hahah) that I would love to get an internship this summer with the NYC Dept of Health. I just want to be successful at whatever I do. It’s hard right now especially with the job market. But your dream job will happen :)

  14. i wanted to be a teacher…. and went through a dozen majors before getting my masters in… teaching. now, only there were teaching jobs in oregon :-)

  15. Weird that your thinking this way now, as I am too, I’m contemplating a big job change, just need to get the courage.

  16. Ha! I have no idea what I want to do with my life. I double majored in undergrad (English/Secondary Education) and then taught for 2years and hated it. Now I literally have 5 choices that have nothing to do with each other and I’m freaking out trying to choice what to do with the rest of my life!!

    http://eatventures.wordpress.com

  17. Growing up I wanted to be a teacher and a pastor. Two things didn’t really seem to mesh so I became a HS spanish/middle school french teacher.

    Then God really reminded me of my call to ministry and I went back to seminary. Now I’m a pastor for The Salvation Army and I teach people everyday about God, budgeting, life, and I get to preach and lead ministry. I love it and its PERFECT!

    I’m with you on the mom thing. I don’t want to be a full time mom but I can’t wait until we are ready for a family. I’ve always wanted to have children (adopted). I can’t wait.

  18. Fun topic for sure! I always wanted to be a nurse for babies. I love babies. :) Right now my dream job is being a mom!! :)

  19. I LOVE being a makeup artist. it has been my dream job since I was little. :)

  20. I am in the same boat as you; I don’t really know what my dream job would be. Probably something involving theater, but not acting. I also really want to move out of state, but as you said, the economy is not helping.
    I sometimes get overwhelmed when I think about the rest of my professional life – can I do what I’m doing now for the next 40 years? Do I have the courage to make the changes and take the steps needed to get where I want to go?
    When I was younger, I really wanted to be an astronaut, which is actually hilarious now because I’m scared of flying.

  21. I think recognizing this is the first step. At least for me it is!

  22. I think I have my dream job, although I’d like to put less hours in it :-) By the way, yummie lunch.

  23. Your lunch looks sooo good! I’m a bit jealous of all your leftovers… ;)

    I honestly don’t remember what I wanted to be growing up. But once I graduated from college I “got stuck” in a law firm for the next 12 or so years. I knew my job wasn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do for a long time. Plus, the stable, good salary and good benefits made it easy to not change anything…

    By chance, I ended up getting a part time job in a community college, working with students in the Writing Center. I loved it! And I knew what I wanted to do: go back to school and become an instructor. And that’s what I did. It wasn’t easy and took quite a bit of planning (I did not want to go into major debt). But I did it. Finding and pursuing what I really wanted to do was the best thing I have ever done.

    Keep an open mind and explore different options. It’s never too late to make a change (which really also means you don’t have to be in a big rush and can take your time to find what you really want to do…). Good luck! :)

  24. I think your 20s are the time when the answers to all these questions start coming together. You know yourself fairly well, you’ve got some credentials and some experience under your belt, you know what you like and what you don’t like, and what your interests and skills are. The challenge is to pull it all together into something that will be challenging and rewarding for you and, hopefully, that someone will pay you do to.

    I’m doing my dream job now (sociology professor), but it took me a good number of years to figure out what I wanted to do, acquire the degrees I needed to do it, and find the right job at the right university. Also, who knows if this will always be my dream job–I think our needs, interests, and priorities naturally shift over the lifecourse, and so what you want to do can and will change over time.

    Good luck with your process of discernment. I have a feeling the outcome will be interesting and rewarding!

  25. Curry + yogurt is delicious together!

    Dream jobs… I always wanted to be a doctor. When I was 3, I wrote to my nursery complaining that they didn’t teach me anything about medicine. Somehow I ended up in marketing, which I just blogged about (!) Honestly… I have no idea what I want to do. Not what I am currently doing- I’d love to do something health/nutrition related, but time/money are constraints. I’d also love to write…all grown up and still no idea what I want to do with my life!

  26. I wanted to be, and I literall quote, “An actress, a lawyer, and a reporter who writes books on the weekends.” Hahaha, I get teased about this a lot.

    I did drama in HS and though I was okay at it I dropped that dream because I felt it would have led to me being a little too self-absorbed.

    Law school is just too hard!

    I graduated with a Journalism degree but 3 years at my college paper taught me that reporting wasn’t for me.

    And I’m still working on writing books on the weekends, haha. I have a lot of thinking to do too I guess.

    Good luck with your goals and dreams! They sound great! I didn’t know about your MS in Health Promotion. That’s awesome!

  27. My answer to you is find out while you are young what you want and go for it before you “have” to stay at your job because of family, raising kids, etc.

    Maybe I’ll be doing my dream job by age 50, which would be to own a soup and bread shop.

  28. Brandi – You ARE using both degrees, right now! This could be your dream job! You are already doing it! You are writing about health HERE! Jenna and Caitlin made blogging work for them, this seems like a perfect match for both your degrees, you can do it too. Plus, it’s the perfect Stay at Home Mom job for “someday”. ;)

    When I was a kid I wanted to be a doctor, because the human body has always fascinated me. It still does, but I’ve redirected my energy toward health and wellness instead. I went with Computer Science in college because it was where I thought I could make a lot of money. But money isn’t everything. Some things you can’t put a price on – like staying home with your kids or finding a way to be truly fulfilled in how you spend your days.

    Good luck – I think you are already on your way toward your dream job. ;)

  29. I remember the agonizing days of you wanting to be an interior designer and how that all changed with one drafting class :)

    Since I was young I wanted to be an Athletic Trainer. I feel so lucky to know exactly what I want to do and that I actually was able to do it for a few years before life circumstances changed everything. I want to get back into it because it was my passion and I loved every minute of it, even working on the weekends and putting in 80 hours a week most of the time.

    Don’t worry, when you find it, you’ll know! And congrats to Dr. Nick!!

  30. how old are you? I’m 23, and lately I’ve been craving being a mom too. My boyfriend even said he wouldn’t expect me to work when i had babies! i was shocked! we aren’t married though but hopefully will be within 2 years … are you married yet or just craving that experience?
    i tear up whenever another friend is pregnant, i longingly look at pregnant women … i’m obsessed and i don’t know why.
    eek!
    lol, maybe you can’t relate to THAT kind of extent, but i can at least relate to wanting to be a mom.
    but my dream “job” otherwise would be what I’m going to school for … a registered dietitian and to also have my personal trainer’s certification.
    -muffy

  31. My fiancee and I were just having this conversation last night! I’m the same as you…I’ve wanted a lot of different careers, but the “career” I really want is to be a mom and wife. We’re simple girls I guess :)

  32. First of all, your lunch looks fab.

    Secondly, the first step is realizing you want to have a dream. Just keep dreaming, and planning, and you will find it! It’s when we sit idly that our dreams pass us by.

    My dream is to be a health writer!

  33. this post is awesome! :) i think we all are thinkin alot about what we want to do. My dream job is to become a fashion designer with the intentions of opening up my own boutique! Your dreams are going to come true girl! :)

    http://saladdiva.wordpress.com

  34. i’m definitely doing my dream job, which i’ve been wanting to do since i can remember, but it is hard, living your dreams because it doesn’t guarantee happiness and security. no job is perfect, turns out…i’m still figuring it out too!

  35. ever since I was 8 years old hiding out in my basement teaching the ABC’s to my stuffed animals rather than playing outside with my friends I knew I wanted to be a teacher :) lets hope that works out for me now!

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