Military Careers, Second Careers - Navy Times

Finding your dream job

When we think of the dream job, many of us envision something that entails a personal jet, a job title that includes the word “royal” and an annual salary equal to the net worth of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.

Lofty ambitions, to be sure. But hardly realistic. Many of us labor every day in jobs that help pay the mortgage, put braces on the kids’ teeth and leave us a little extra for a vacation every year. These jobs are hardly glamorous — we work for bosses who don’t appreciate us, in occupations that gain us little worldwide recognition.

But what if there was a way to break out of your workplace doldrums and go to work every day doing something you really enjoy?

That’s where Marty Nemko comes into the picture. He’s sort of a walking encyclopedia of neat careers — he’s been collecting information on interesting jobs for many years, and has had great success with his “Cool Careers for Dummies” book, now in its third edition.

Still, Nemko is the first to caution that there is no “magical” career awaiting a person — that “work is still work” and the odds are “50,000 to 1” that you’ll land the kind of dream job that some in the media claim is out there.

“When you have a job and you’re praised by the boss for being expert and competent — that’s what makes a cool career,” Nemko says.

Years ago, Nemko heard about a job helping children hospitalized for long stays adjust to living without their parents. Nemko, a career counselor, told a client about this child-life specialist position and saw her eyes “light up.”

That’s when he began putting together a list of interesting careers, which today includes everything from thesis completion consultant (helping graduate students finish their theses) to flying car developer (one flying car already exists).

Nemko says his goal is to make choosing a career path easier for a person by helping them discover their general areas of interest, then finding something “that’s a good fit.” Sometimes, a career path can be chosen because not everyone else is interested in it, so the competition for the job will be less. The key, he says, is finding something that you feel passionate about.

One of Nemko’s strategies for a cool career is tailoring the job to fit. Suits off the rack don’t look great until they’ve been altered for the specific person’s body; the same can be done for a job, Nemko says. He suggests you can make any job better by:

• Revising the job description. It’s better, he says, to focus on strengths and minimize weaknesses. For example, if you’re good at long-range planning but have difficulty focusing on immediate day-to-day tasks, you may be able to trade roles with someone who is just the opposite.

• Adding equipment that can make your job easier.

• Changing your work hours to allow you more work/life flexibility.

• Gaining autonomy. Get the OK to take on a new project.

• Changing work location. Maybe you need to spend more time in the field with clients or salespeople, or need to be in the home office more in order to improve your skills or performance.

• Working with different people. If you find you work well with certain people, ask for a chance to work with them more.

• Dressing unconventionally. Nemko tells the story in his book of how one client hated wearing ties to work, even though everyone else did. He got his boss to make an exception for him, Nemko says.

(Anita Bruzzese is author of “45 Things You Do That Drive Your Boss Crazy ... and How to Avoid Them.” Write to her at Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22107.)