What is your dream job?

[saltwaterfish.com Verified Sponsor]

(Hi My name is Mary)

So, when I was young I wanted to be a veterinarian. Then I grew up, learned what they actually do and it can be some really traumatic stuff....Fast forward to now. What do I do? Well it is pretty close to a "dream job" but I never imagined this was "the one".

I get paid to talk about aquariums and help people be successful in start up to expert level aquarium stuff. When I got this job 15 years ago, I submitted a photo of my aquarium as part of my resume. I was young and didn't really know "the business" and I had dabbled in a lot of jobs that I liked but I didn't get much satisfaction from. What I knew I enjoyed though was customer service. I did find satisfaction in that. Repeat customers, family like interactions, discussing topics I actually cared about..........And 15 years later, I still do. Everything about my job keeps me intrigued and equally entertained. It just never gets old and I never take it for granted.

So....What do you do now, and what is your dream job?

 

[exnisstech]

I'm retired and can say after working full time for 49 years I now enjoy my job lol. I never had a dream job or a job that brought me pleasure. I worked for a paycheck to support my family nothing more. Never in my life have I woke up looking forward to going to work. I'm kind of envious of those that do but that's not how i was raised. I'm from a blue collar family where a job is just a necessary evil required to get through life.

 

[c4haskett]

I'm retired and can say after working full time for 49 years I now enjoy my job lol. I never had a dream job or a job that brought me pleasure. I worked for a paycheck to support my family nothing more. Never in my life have I woke up looking forward to going to work. I'm kind of envious of those that do but that's not how i was raised. I'm from a blue collar family where a job is just a necessary evil required to get through life.

Never be ashamed of that. We were not meant to slave away at a job just to be able to live. We are all ants in a tax farm. Although I do enjoy what I do, I enjoy being home with my wife and kids more than going to a job everyday. Throughout my career I have always refused weekend work unless it was mandatory and I couldn't tell you how many times I was called lazy because of it. I now work an office job where weekend work is almost non-existent and I have plenty of time off and able to work from home when I need. I'm able to take off whenever I want and I never miss anything important for my kids. I am grateful I have a job that allows me to do that. Being retired is my dream job, but for now I couldn't ask for a better job.

 

[c4haskett]

I am an estimator for a defense contractor that works on Navy ships. The Navy sends out a package of what all needs to be repaired or updated on a certain ship, and I estimate the labor, materials, rentals and subcontractors needed to accomplish those repairs. If my quote comes in the lowest out of the other contractors, our company is awarded the work. I do enjoy my work because I find it to be more of a game rather than a job. My dream job is being retired. I don't want to wake up with responsibilities everyday. I want to be home with my wife and kids. I want to be with them and tend to a small homestead with animals, garden, orchard, fish tank, etc... I wish I could provide for them on my own terms, not by working my life away in an office. That being said, I couldn't ask for a better job. I have plenty of time off and I'm able to work from home when I need to. I'm able to take off whenever I want and I never miss anything important for my kids. I am grateful I have a job that allows me to do that. I take off plenty of time during the holidays and take off the two weeks during Christmas and Newyears every year. If I absolutely had to pick an actual career, it would be this one.

 

[LovinlifeinGuam]

It's interesting that this thread just appeared on the forum because I'm currently writing a new article that delves into career paths for hobbyists. It'll be finished by the end of the week and should be published online early next week after I submit it to the editor. I offer insight and advice to those who wish to turn their love for the hobby into a career, so many hobbyists on R2R who have asked similar questions will find it helpful. I've worked many different jobs in the aquarium industry but found my place as a dive photographer and writer for magazines and online publications.
Anyone interested can check out my website and subscribe to receive a free email notification after it's published.

www.malcolmgraylevison.com

 

[exnisstech]

Never be ashamed of that. We were not meant to slave away at a job just to be able to live. We are all ants in a tax farm. Although I do enjoy what I do, I enjoy being home with my wife and kids more than going to a job everyday. Throughout my career I have always refused weekend work unless it was mandatory and I couldn't tell you how many times I was called lazy because of it. I now work an office job where weekend work is almost non-existent and I have plenty of time off and able to work from home when I need. I'm able to take off whenever I want and I never miss anything important for my kids. I am grateful I have a job that allows me to do that. Being retired is my dream job, but for now I couldn't ask for a better job.

I was fortunate and didn't have to work weekends most of my career and I was home every night. I do not envy those that have to leave home and travel for work. I like sleeping in my own bed.
The last 10 years they had us working four 10s. It was a rotation so the days changed but every 3rd week we got five days off in a row. That was sweet. I never had more than 3 weeks vacation and here I was getting a vacation every 3 weeks. It sure made the last years much easier.

 

[c4haskett]

I was fortunate and didn't have to work weekends most of my career and I was home every night. I do not envy those that have to leave home and travel for work. I like sleeping in my own bed.
The last 10 years they had us working four 10s. It was a rotation so the days changed but every 3rd week we got five days off in a row. That was sweet. I never had more than 3 weeks vacation and here I was getting a vacation every 3 weeks. It sure made the last years much easier.

That's great. I don't understand why most companies haven't adopted that 4-10 schedule. I also forgot to mention that my company started a new time policy where we are allowed to work 5-9's and take every other Friday off. I take advantage that when I can. Some times, I have responsibilities where I can't take that day off. We are really slow right now, so I have been. I get to sleep in my own bed every night, however I do have a pretty bad commute. I get up at 4:30 to be to work by 6:00. Takes me 45 minutes in the morning but traffic is awful when I leave and often takes me well over an hour to get home. I used to drive 1 hour 30 minutes one way before I moved closer several years ago. Well I'm glad that you are getting to enjoy your time better now. Make the best of it. The world is going to hell, and fairly quickly. Enjoy it while we can.

 

[get-salty]

I drive myself to an office 4 times/wk to sit in front of 3 monitors, keyboard/mouse, and an engineering laptop in a small cubicle space for the next 2 decades to think of my dream job.

Until then...

 

[EricR]

I'm a work-at-home software developer for a large corporation -- 31 years and still like it a fair amount of the time.

Dream job would be something in astronomy, especially involving time with telescopes. Would have to wait until after retirement (not real soon) but maybe:
- public outreach (teaching/etc)
- Palomar observatory (professional) is about 50 miles away (maybe 1.25 hr drive) so that'd be interesting but my degrees aren't in that field

 

[Head-High and Glassy]

National Park ranger. Totally not qualified and imagine many people want to do this, but that's why its a dream I guess.

 

[Jasonak]

Work in a warehouse not my dream job at all, but my boss is amazingly cool so that makes it my dream job, or as close to me having a dream job that is. BUT my actual dream job would have been working on the Calypso

 

[Rocco's Reef]

My dream job is to have no job

 

[BeanAnimal]

Duh... who doesn't want to be the kings universes official bacon tester when they grow up.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I get to work from home, get to be with my wife and son all day, and still get to do the things I love. I would say I have my dream job, haha

 

[tzabor10]

Working for @LiverockRocks diving with Tampa Bay Saltwater to see the beautiful sponges. Living in Northern NY keeps me dreaming.

 

[X-37B]

Retirement is still work. I report to myself every day for assignment, lol.
19 years in electronics, 12 years automotive industry, and 10 years driving doubles.
My full time job now is living as long as possible while staying healthy. Reefing, gardening, and the gym keeps me active these days.

 

[ediant]

I guess my dream job would be something in interior design or home architecture. I’ve always been fascinated by how a space comes together, choosing the right layouts, or even just remodeling a kitchen to make it both functional and beautiful. There is something incredibly satisfying about transforming a blank or outdated space into something stunning.

Right now, I mostly handle administrative paperwork and official reports all day. It’s a stable desk job and it pays the bills, but it definitely leaves me dreaming about doing something more hands-on and creative. Until then, my tank at home is the one project where I get to be the designer!

 

[LPS Bum]

I played professional golf for 6 years after college. That was always my dream job, but I didn’t enjoy the lifestyle (the daily grind and the constant travel) and I wasn’t quite good enough to make a 20 year career of it.

I’ve owned a marketing agency for the last 17 years. Working behind a desk is far from my dream job, but it beats working for someone else. Could always be worse.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Table Tennis Emporium Owner.

Instead I spent 40 years practicing law.

 

[PharmrJohn]

When I was in my 20's I was on the path to become a Theoretical Physicist. That was my dream. To be a part of research that would lead to something. Anything. Now, I live in the Pacific Northwest and had absolutely NO plans on moving. I love the area that much. But there were more job opportunities on the east coast and abroad. So before long I was accepting that TP was not in the cards for me. I ended up becoming a Pharmacist purely because I knew there was a shortage of such and I could work where I lived. It was a great career choice. I still had a positive impact on people's lives and I could raise a family on the pay it provided. I'm retired now and, while a little regretful my original idea didn't pan out, generally happy with how things worked out.