In Trinidad and Tobago, hundreds of thousands of workers face a tough choice several times during their careers: Do they stick with the paycheck or look to earn money by following their passion? If the 2015 study from the London School of Business and Finance (LSBF) offers any indication, most people choose the paycheck. In the UK, an estimated 47% of employees are actively looking to switch jobs. In America, 30% of people admit their job is just something to ‘help them get by.’
Regular Job Vs. The job of your Dreams
No matter who you are or where you live in Trinidad and Tobago, you have a passion you would love to follow. In most cases, people decide it is ‘impractical,’ and perhaps they try to analyze the situation as follows:
• Financial Stability: In practically every instance, money is the glass ceiling preventing you from leaving your ‘regular’ job and following your dream. Passion is a wonderful thing you but still have to pay the bills. Your regular job enables you to do just that whereas your ‘dream’ job could involve long periods without stable income.
• Consistency: The stable paycheck tends to come with consistent working hours. For instance, your office job could be a 9-5, Monday-Friday affair. In contrast, following your dream could involve far longer hours which require you to be more flexible.
• Relationships: The combination of inconsistent hours and fluctuating income could place a significant strain on your relationship. Money is one of the most common topics of argument among couples. At what point do you give up on your dream to pay the bills? Will you bear resentment towards your partner for preventing you from fulfilling your goal?
• Productivity: There is no question that you’ll be more productive when working in a job you love. Instead of clockwatching, you’ll probably miss meals and forget to shave such is your devotion to your work!
• Satisfaction: Few employees ever derive satisfaction after a long day or week working in a job they don’t enjoy. They take the paycheck and view their next work week with a sense of foreboding. While there will always be setbacks in your dream job, you’ll feel happy and satisfied most days and look forward to the next time you work.
Why Is It absolutely worth it Pursuing Your Dream Job?
There is an adage which says that if you genuinely love what you do, you never work a day in your life. The saying means that you’ll never feel like it is ‘work’ because it is what you love. We’re here to tell you that this adage is completely untrue! Unless your dream job involves sitting on your backside and getting paid for it, even your dream job will have stress, tiredness, and hard work. Most people have embraced the idea of finding a job that fits your professional goals.
But it will be worth it!
While it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone, the University of Southern California completed a study that showed you are more likely to succeed if you enjoy your job. In your dream job, you’re more likely to be ‘in the zone’ and feel focused, creative with tons of great ideas. Your passion for your work provides you with even more energy to complete tasks.
Imagine waking up at whatever time of day you want; safe in the knowledge that you finish as and when you please. Whether you prefer working late at night, early in the morning, in the afternoon, or at weekends, you are in control. In your dream job, you lose track of time and are often disappointed when you need to rest!
Finally, in your dream job, you have a discernible goal to work towards as the days of dead-end jobs come to an end. Instead of just punching the clock, you’re reinventing the wheel and loving every minute of it!
How to find your dream job in Trinidad and Tobago
When it comes to following your dream, there are some crucial things to consider before pulling the trigger on what is an uncertain future.
• Desire: How much do you really want your ‘dream’ job? Is it a flight of fancy or something tangible? Moreover, what is the ideal job for you in Trinidad? Answer that question, sleep on it, and answer it again. If the answer has changed, it is not worth pursuing.
• Practicality: Although you need an immense amount of skill and talent to get what you want from your dream job, you also need the power of networking. In other words, if you go headlong into trying to achieve your dream, you’ll find it becomes impractical as you have no connections within the industry. For instance, it might be better working as part of a television show’s set rather than writing, pitching and then failing to get your show on the air straight away. At least with the job, you’ll have one foot in the door, and your dream could be ‘practical’ one day.
• Options: What do your finances look like? How many openings are there in the company offering your dream job? If your bank account is empty and the phone isn’t ringing, you may have no choice but to put your dream on hold for the time being. In this situation, your best bet is to work, save up and have that emergency fund for a time when your dream job is more available.
• Mindset: There’s a reason why so many people don’t work in their ‘dream’ job; they don’t have the mindset to pursue it. Sadly, it is easier to take the paycheck than following your passion. If you’re serious about landing your dream job, are you prepared to work harder than you’ve ever done before for a LONG time? Dream job or not, you’ll start at the bottom, perhaps you’ll need to go up the extra mille starting as an intern and then becomming a permanent employee, and only the hardest workers will make it to the top. Nothing worthwhile is achieved overnight so if you’re not prepared to work hard for years, stay where you are!
