Waiting for the one

I am very active with social media. I post stuff every day. Over the years, my different digital platforms have built a considerable amount of following. Posting stuff is just a part of it. Answering questions and giving advice is another important part of what I do. Social media has enabled people from all over the globe to communicate with one another. Some communications are pleasant, friendly and petty while others are extremely deep and profound.

Some time ago, a career person whom I prefer to leave unnamed sent me a personal message or “PM” if you prefer it. She said, “I am depressed. I feel so lost. I graduated 2016 but still does not have a job.” I said, “Do not give up applying. Dig deep into your friends and networks and have them help you get a job. Meanwhile, you may even try to offer your services without pay. Get some experience. Build up a resume.”

She replied, “I am so afraid because I am still waiting for ‘The One,’ the job that will give me the joy of work I am looking for. My immediate reply was this: “I am afraid the dream job you are waiting for does not exist. That is the sad news. The good news is that the dream job you are looking for does exist. But there is only one condition. You need to create it. The joy is in work itself. And waiting just rusts you out and meanwhile time passes you by.” 

Time is the scarcest commodity these days. Waiting to have a “dream job” or videoing one’s self hoping to be a YouTube star or a social media influencer is not going to happen when you have not established a skill, competence, gained experience and most importantly, built a network of people who can get you there. And then, there are those who are able to secure a job interview; the exams hurdled, the company about to hire, and the ticklish part that comes in is when the interviewer asks the question: “How much starting salary are you looking for?”

And when told that the starting salary in that particular company is what is unexpected, the applicant refuses to take on the job thinking that the initial salary was too small and is way below his or her expectations.

The sentiments, though unexpressed but thought of in the mind, goes like this: “What? After my parents invested so much money for me to get into this Ivy League institution, and after all the hard work I have put into my college career acing those tests and getting those “As,” they have the audacity to offer me that small starting salary?”

So, there you have it. A graduate with all the academic records supremacy yet remains jobless. While their less impressive classmates who struggled with their school survival are not happily working somewhere but somehow manages to earn for an income. How could this not be depressing?

Unrealistic expectations have caused a lot of heartaches and disappointments. I graduated top of my class in college a long time ago, but I was willing to take on a job that paid me miniscule salary because of a mindset that has remained with me all these years. I know that companies were not necessarily impressed with academic achievements even when embellished with Latin honors. What they want is experience, and should there be a lack of it then they would at least put their bet on people who are willing to learn, easy to work with, and have an attitude of wanting to be a part of a team.

I reasoned to and convinced myself that if I had to pay tuition in college just to learn stuff, then how bad would it be for me to be learning stuff and to get paid for it anyway no matter how small the starting pay was? And once I got my foot into the door, then it was learning time, working time, networking time, grinding time, and time to work harder on myself than I did on my job.

It is a common belief in the career-world that until you reach age 30, your only job is to learn. And when I got to 30, I had the skills, the competence, the network and the experience to go even higher and as such took hold of the highest position in the company.

And then the realization hit me. As I became good at what I do and was producing positive results and delivering them, that was my dream job. In the field of consultancy, I have not given up on learning, building competence, grinding, and networking until today, this is the reason why this job I have is my dream job. Waiting for the one—the dream job and the ideal company to work for—is not realistic. So, do not be frustrated and do not be depressed.

Just remember, the good news and the not-so-good news. The not-so-good news is that there is no such thing as a dream job. The good news is that yes, there is a dream job. But you will have to be the one to create it.

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