What To Do When You Don’t Land Your Dream Job Right Out Of College
Searching for a job can be very difficult especially when you got through your education with an ideal or dream job in your mind. Unfortunately, your dream job is not always something that just materializes after you graduate. Luckily, even if you are not able to get your dream job right out of school, you can work towards it.
You don’t have to say goodbye to the dream job that you wanted, you just might have to really work towards it more than you thought you would. If you create a plan for yourself and set your life up so that you can get to where you want to be, you’ll do it.
If you haven’t gotten your dream job right out of school, take some comfort in the fact that you are not alone. Many people believe that they’ll be able to get out of school and right into that corner office, but it generally takes a little bit more work than that. And education isn’t always enough to prompt people to push you to the top, instead you have to take some time to prove yourself. How motivated you are to prove yourself will determine how long it takes you to reach your goals. If you really want something, you are the only person that can truly hold you back. So, set a plan of action for yourself and go for it.
The first thing you need to do is get a job that will allow you to find your way to your dream job. If you are working in a job that is not at all related or relevant to your dream job, you’ll find that you will eventually become distracted and you may lose sight of your dream job altogether. You need to find a job that is somehow related to your dream job as this will allow you to keep your eye on the prize. When you work a relevant job you’ll also be creating experience and stability in a job related to the one that you want, and this creates a foundation for you as well as for future employers that will be able to put you in that corner office you’ve been dreaming about. Experience is what many employers look for before they really allow your career to take off, so put in the time in a relevant job to show yourself and anyone who is watching that you really want your dream job.
While you are working through jobs on your way up to the top, you need to do your best. While you might not be doing the exact job that you always thought you would do, putting everything you’ve got into what you are doing right now is important. If you are able to make the best of a less than ideal job, your motivation and work ethic are sure to be noticed and you’ll advance much more quickly toward the job that you have been waiting for. It’s important to constantly apply for the job that you want when it comes open, even if you aren’t quite ready, as this will let your boss or other executives know what you are after. Many employers will help mold you into what you need to be and do if they know what you are after, so remember that there is no shame in letting people know what you want to achieve in one year, five years, or even ten years. Laying a clear plan for yourself as well as the people you work with will keep you in line and allow people to prepare for your success and even help you succeed.
One thing that you can do outside of your job is to continue your education. In a lot of jobs you’ll find that once you get in there and start learning the ropes you’ll realize that more education will help you get noticed and get to where you want to be. When you’re going to school you are often under the impression that a certain degree is good enough, but when you start working you find that you actually need a higher degree or certification to really get there. If yours is a job that requires more education, why not start going to night school and get the education you need while you are employed. Sure, it will be stressful, but if you are doing a great job at work and you’re getting your education at the same time, there is truly nothing that can hold you back. If you need two more years in education to get where you need to go, do the education and work your way up in people’s confidence and respect during that time and in two years you are likely to be just where you want to be.
Even if you don’t need any more formal education, if you believe that certificate programs may help you, you should go for it. In the technological fields there are many certificate programs that can help people move up the corporate ladder much more quickly, and they usually don’t take all that long to complete.
If you start a certification program now, you could have your dream job by this time next year. If you look at your education and job acceleration in terms of what you can do right now to change where you are a year from now, you’ll likely find a lot of motivation to change things.
It’s disappointing not to get your dream job right out of college, but it happens to most of us. Unfortunately, anything worth having takes some work, even your job after college. Instead of getting down about the fact that you haven’t yet obtained that dream job, create a plan and a path for you way to the top. If you’re motivated, you can see huge results in very little time.
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