The Reality of Dream Jobs

From time to time, the "Career Gods" bestow blessings in the form of dream jobs upon some of us. These are the types of jobs that don't conform to the normal office environment, hours, or duties. The odd thing is that a dream job can take several different forms. For some people it can consist of helping the less fortunate by working for a non-profit, coaching a sport you love, working with animals, etc. Unfortunately, even dream jobs can have their negative sides. Here are a few ways in which dream jobs can have crushing realities and things you can do to keep yourself sane.

The most common reality of a dream job is that you make very little money. Let's face it you are not going to get rich coaching for the YMCA, feeding the homeless, or freelance writing. Even though any older person will say that to get paid to do what you love is the ultimate gift, the sight of mounting bills will bring you right back to reality. The key is to obtain supplemental income, in other words a second job. Yet, it would serve you best to be highly selective in this process. Worse case scenario, you find a part time job that you hate and this negative experience will began to spill over into your dream job. What should you do? First, try to find a second job that is closely related to your dream job. Consulting or contract work would be the easiest transition. The cool thing about dream jobs is that they often given you expertise in your designated area. If you coach a team, you should market your services to train or help improve the skills on a one-on-one level. If you work with the homeless or other underprivileged group, you should look for contract work as a consultant with either your local or state government, or maybe even another non-profit. If you are able to use the skills and abilities from your dream job on your part time job, it may seem as though the dream doesn't end.