Landing Your Dream Job, Part 2: What Do You Think About?

In order to be happy in your career, it's imperative to answer this question honestly: "What do I think about?"

I heard a story once of a father who tutored his son in chemistry. The father was a well-known scientist and professor at the local university and thoroughly enjoyed tutoring his son. One day they sat down to go over one of the son's homework problems and the father exclaimed, "This is the exact same problem that you had last week! Hasn't your mind been working on this problem all week!?" "No," said the son, "I haven't thought about it at all since then." The father put down his pencil and sat back in his chair. "Son, if this isn't what you think about all week, then you might be in the wrong major. Go find a subject that gets you so excited, you can't sleep until you conquer it." The son went on to get a business degree and became an influencial business professor.

The father was right. If you're not engaged in a subject that excites you, you've got a long, boring career ahead of you. Not only that, you likely will not be competitive at what you do. Imagine trying to compete in cut-throat classes in medical school against students who have dreamed of being a doctor, have a passion for the medical field, and who lie awake at night trying to find a cure for cancer. It's difficult to pass a class that's graded on the curve filled with students like that. On the other hand, if your thing is math and there's nothing you enjoy more than proofs, then go do it! Go find what you love. If you're doing what you love, you'll excel and become a leader in your field.

Too often we feel limited by what our peers are doing with their lives, or what our family reputation is, or perhaps we feel an obligation to carry on the family business. Life is too long to spend it at an 8-to-5 job that doesn't stimulate you, and too short to waste time thinking that you can change occupations later.

My professor once made a statement to me that left an unforgettable impression: "People always say, 'On your deathbed, you won't be wishing you could have spent another day in the office.' Well," he said, "that's assuming they had a terrible job! I will definitely wish I could have spent one more day in my office." This is a man who is past retirement age and who gets up at 2:00 AM daily to work on research he loves. This is a man who found his passion and is incredible at what he does. Now I'm not suggesting that we should all want to spend our lives in the office - there's much more to life than that. I am suggesting, however, that the time we spend in the office can be enjoyable if we choose the right office.

So, what do you think about? It's worth giving that some thought. Just pay attention to where your mind goes when it has nothing to think about. What do you fantasize about? What would get you up in the morning before your alarm? If you can find it, you'll be unstoppable.

Landing Your Dream Job, Part 1: Introduction

I climbed aboard my return flight from an interview with a company I had followed for years. They were a good company working on interesting things and I was pretty sure I'd receive an offer from them. I found my seat and enjoyed the green, mountainous view as we lifted off. I could definitely get used to living here, I thought. There is plenty to do by way of out-of-doors in this area!

Still, I wasn't completely satisfied. When I was downright honest with myself, I still wanted to work for that little "cowboy" company in the middle of the desert. That's where the fun is, I thought.That's where I'd be doing cool stuff! The interview here in the fairy land had gone well, but I felt a little unsure about the type of work they would be asking me to do. It sounded like a lot of paperwork and documentation - not what I had hoped for as a first step into industry after years of education. If I could have landed a job with the desert company, I know they'd have me involved with design, build, and testing. That's the fun stuff. If only I could have landed a position with them. They didn't even read my resume! I was sure of it. I had applied cold turkey with a carefully designed resume to that company three months earlier, and received a form rejection letter in the mail stating that they were not interested. Not even a phone call! Well if they don't want me, I don't want them. That was the best consolation I could give myself.

I stared out the window in frustration. Not at myself, but at the system. Why do I feel like I have to obey the job-seeking system and take status quo? Why can't I find the job I want and become what I want to become?

Then, a crazy idea.

I decided to write a letter directly to the CEO of that little cowboy company. I'd never met him and he wouldn't know me from Adam, but what did I have to lose?What could he say? No? His staff already had. But at least I would have made it clear that I was serious about working there. I was serious about being an "A" player. I began to draft a letter on some scratch paper, "Dear Mr. _________, ..."

Although I never sent that letter, today I work for that little cowboy company in the desert -- and I'm working on one of the coolest projects I've ever heard of. I learned a lot through the application and interview process, and I'd like to share some tips I picked up along the way. Although my experiences are with the engineering field, these principles can be applied to any occupation. Most importantly, my journey taught me that landing your dream job is possible if you're willing to take some risks and pay the price.