DREAM JOB ...

Is there such a thing as a dream job?

My niece asked me recently. 

She said some of her friends are also faced with this dilemma.

And knowing that I am a Corporate person, she wanted my  thoughts on this subject.

She explained, "I work in a big Organisation that pays very well.  I get to travel first class, stay in posh hotels and eat in good restaurants."

There was a smug look on her face as she continued,  "On top of that my company gives me a generous expense account and I decide on the spending!'

Wow!  that certainly sounds like a dream job to me!

I know of people who would kill for her position.  You do too. I'm sure!

But Hilary, my high-flying, fast-talking and worldly-wise niece is sadly disillusioned. 

She isn't in the least bit thrilled or enthusiastic about visiting exotic places and meeting interesting people.  Once upon a time, she was but today she is just ... cynical. 

She's not yet forty!

And so I asked her, "why?"

She shrugged and replied nonchalantly, "It's so boring!  (and she's talking about New York, London and Cape Town).  Every city is the same! (hello, is that the same Paris, Brussels, Zurich and Shanghai we are referring to) Too much hotel food!" (I was stunned into complete silence).

Executive suites don't impress her anymore. 

Where once the elegant boudoir drew breathless oohs and aahhs, today it is merely a room she retires to sleep at the end of the day after an endless series of meetings and more meetings.

The jet-set life has lost its appeal.  Living out of the suitcase doesn't sound as glamorous or sophisticated as it used to.

"I want a quiet life; sick of meetings and entertaining strange people. Tired of pleasing them.  I want more time for myself.  This busyness cramps my lifestyle!" she insists.

Uh ... okay.  Let me try to digest this.

Perhaps I am anachronistic and a tad old-fashioned but this doesn't compute.  My system doesn't recognise this completely new data entry!

Is she mad?  This is the life, isn't it?

What's with this generation?  Are they so spoilt for choice?  Do they really have so many options?

Is this what an affluent society is about?

You spent a good part of your life, perhaps the first twenty three years, preparing youself for entrance into the market place.  You progress from potty training to nursery to kindergarten.  You skip  to primary and secondary schools; onward to college and then to the university in pursuit of academic qualifications. 
So much invested into your 'future'.

I know parents who had to sell their house, car and pawn their belongings just so they could collect enough to put their children through higher education, usually at coveted institutions of higher learning abroad.  They sacrificed a lot of their own personal comfort in the hope of giving their children a good foundation to start them right in life.  Provide the platform for them to move in the right circle to land the perfect job.

Some of these young people succeed and return gratefully to repay their family for their immence self deprivation and struggles, while there are many others who would opt to remain abroad.  The lure of the big-time in the big city is a constant temptation and selfishly they ignore their responsibiity back home. 

And of course, their aged parents are left saddled with much hardship brought on by huge debts.  Never mind that they have 'lost' their sons or daughters to the lure of greener pastures.
It is very sad indeed but testimonies such as these are numerous and common. We hear of families going bankrupt because of children's education.

Cheng comes from an extremely wealthy family and like most of his kind, he was sent off to boarding school at an early age.  Having spent two decades overseas he returns home, armed with his PhD from a reputable University in England.  His parents are naturally very proud of his academic achievement and often sing praises of his brilliance.

 

Unlike some of his peers who need to look for employment immediately, Cheng had the blessings of his parents to 'just enjoy life'. It was his reward.  

His mother assured him that he need not worry about his livelihood as she and his father would provide well for him while he took his time to look for the perfect job.  As his family own several businesses, he could even work for his father, if he so chooses.

Flashy cars, credit cards with unlimited spending, clubbing and mixing with other rich kids soon influenced him greatly and in some ways led him astray.  Because everything is so easy for him and as money comes without hard work, he soon gets very comfortable with the 'good idle life'.  In time he becomes lazy, lackadaisical and lethargic. 

Several job interviews were unsuccessful because the companies just didn't meet up to his expectations!
His parents encourage him to be choosy and not settle for any position that would reflect poorly on the high social standing of the family.

It's been three years since Cheng graduated and he has yet to find a job that really suits him.  In his own words, his dream job!

Whose fault is it?

His parents, his friends or his own?

Someone defines a dream job as a hobby that you love passionately.  You get paid for this hobby, much more than you expect and think you deserve! AND  to top it all you will never get the sack!

Is there really such a thing as a dream job?

It's like waiting for the knight in shining armour on a white horse!

Although, admittedly dream jobs and knights in shining armour are few and far in between, still we can make the most of what we do have.

Dreams are afterall custom-made ... are they not?

That's for another chapter.