The all allusive quest to finding your dream job.
One of the greatest parts of my job as an author and blogger is that I get really interesting and thought provoking questions from readers. I LOVE to connect with you all and it makes me smile big time when I am blessed with an email chock full of questions. I wanted to share this question with you all since I am certain that many of you have entertained this same thought process. I wrote a whole chapter in Stress Point on career and the quest of finding your dream job. One of the main elements in navigating your career (and, well, anything else in life ) is keeping a sharp focused eye and heart on the Lord. What I love about this particular reader question is that it comes from a college student. I love that she desires to seek after God even when she is unsure of her next steps in life after college.
Question from Ivana:
I do have a few questions regarding journal 5 in chapter 1 {of Stress Point}. You see, I’m not exactly in my “dream job” or working in a career to hopefully land that dream job. I’m a full-time student working on my major and babysit for some cash. So I’m having a little trouble trying to think of what I need to work to work on in finding my dream job. How does a 20-something year old student try to find focus on Him alone? How did you go about it when you were a college student?
My answer:
I really think that many other women might be wondering the same thing. College years are such a transitional time. To answer your question about “dream job” I would say that your job right now is to learn as much as you can and work hard to make good grades and get involved with groups at school that will help you to land a job when you graduate. By taking all different types of classes you are exposing yourself to different industries which will help you figure out what you want to do–with God’s direction, of course.
Here is a little snippet of what I wrote in the introduction chapter of Stress Point about finding your dream job:
Nearly every woman in her twenties at some point deals with career woes. We may not be in our dream job at this moment, and we may find ourselves so completely frustrated we’d rather curl up in bed with the comforter over our heads than go to work. But our careers were never meant to be the center of our lives. God planned your career to be a spoke in the wheel of your life, with Him alone as the hub of that wheel. He wants to be not only a reality in your career but the grounding point, the still center to which you come for wisdom, guidance, and godly success.
Ivana, at this point in time, I think that as you work through school and look ahead towards finding your dream job, you WILL run smack dab into what God has planned for your career as long as you are open to God’s leading and direction. This “leading” might come in the form of some godly words or encouragement from a mentor or someone you look up to. It might come from open doors and opportunities. Or, it might come from closed doors. It will definitely come when you take time daily to have conversations with Jesus in prayer and in His Word. As you make Him your one and only Wish–to please Him and to worship Him in all that you do — finding your dream job will be less about what YOU want and more about how you can live your life and work in a job that makes Jesus famous.
How about you all? Let’s chat…leave a comment…
What challenges do you face in finding your dream job?
My challenge is having limited ability to pursue what I think I really want to do. I say think because sometimes we get into things and realize they aren’t for us. But right now its having to choose between what needs to be done and what if rather be doing.
Sarah, this is a fantastic post! I feel like I have certainly had my struggle with a “dream job”. I realize now as a mid-twenty something that life isn’t about a “dream job” but rather a divine calling. God has placed within us spiritual and natural gifts to be used for his glory and his kingdom. (does this mean working in “ministry”… not necessarily!!) God has made us each unique, with different desires, passions, talents and spiritual gifts; and it is our responsibility to be in tune with what those things are and give them to God to use how he desires. He will place you in an environment that uses your specific blend of characteristics to grow his kingdom and bring his glory to the earth. The focus should be less on “the job” and more on our heavenly boss. He will show us, step by step, where we should be. He will use the desires of our heart and passions of our soul to be used in absolutely amazing ways, he will provide, he will care for us, we are just called to give our lives and abilities to him.
Sarah — love every bit of this. Something I would add: Dream jobs are seasonal. What looks and feels like a dream job now may not be a dream job in 10 years. Not only is it okay for our dream career to change, it’s a good thing! God has so much more in store for us than we can ever imagine.
Sarah- I couldn’t agree more. As life changes our perspective and God changes our hearts, our thoughts about “dream job” definitely change. It is in the journey of allowing God to guide us and direct us that we also allow Him to transform our heart and lead us into a life that is fulfilling and glorifying to Him.
Ivana, I just graduated from college this December and was set on going into corporate consulting. That was my dream job…or so I thought. Everything was lining up just right. I was going to land a job with a big important company, make a lot of money, and later on in life use the consulting skills I would get from corporate consulting to work with Business as Missions. I planned to save a lot, too, so I’d never have to struggle financially and could live comfortably. Pretty good plan, right? And doors were opening and everything was falling into place.
Enter God. I was down in Atlanta for New Years at the Passion Conference and God did some work on my heart. He basically told me that he wanted me to start out my career in a ministry like business as missions or fighting human trafficking rather than waiting until later. I was a little annoyed because, as a business major the goals of building financial security, proving you can climb the ladder with the best of them, and getting all those other benefits from envied jobs just makes so much sense. But then, as I sat and processed through his leading and my circumstances, I began to realize how uneasy I had been the last few weeks with the thought of starting at a big firm. I would jump with excitement as I looked at these fancy websites and the neat work they were doing, but was filled with an anxiousness anyway. At the conference, God reminded me that he is the God of immeasurable things, takes care of even the sparrows, and uses even the least of us in his plan. Kicking and screaming, I finally surrendered my well-planned plans for his crazy notion and found a sense of peace that I didn’t know was even missing but was so wonderful to experience.
All this to say that you could have the perfect future lined up and God can change it in an instant. I was prepared well in advance of needing a job, knew exactly what I wanted to do, where I wanted to work, and even had good contacts within the companies to help me get in. Yet our plans are not the Lord’s and if you let him, he will open and close doors before him. I could have served him well as a follower of Christ in the consultant world, but God closed doors and I listened. I’ll keep walking through doors now until he closes them, for I believe he has me in this place in history for a reason and I belong on this path he is crafting before me. Be bold enough to ask him to show you what he wants for you, believe that he will answer, and be brave enough to obey. Who knows where he will put you, but I promise you this- it will be much more rewarding than whatever prestigious job you can dream up. I know human trafficking is not the place for making money, stability, planning for the future, fame, or any of the things I wanted in my fab consulting career, but I cannot express to you how infinitely more excited I am to go into this ministry. God’s a funny guy.
Don’t worry about not knowing what you want to do right now. He will show you when he is ready, even if it’s right before you have to make a decision. And he will show you if you ask. And even if you hate where you end up for your first job, look around and learn because God always has a reason and is teaching you something that will help transform you into the woman he wants you to be. What a mighty God we serve!
Amen! Amen! Amen!
First off I want to thank you for writing this book. I am 22 and a junior in college and I am studying business administration. This is my passion because God gave it to me. I was a mess up as a late teen and when I got saved I had no idea what I could do with my life. God revealed it to me through my talents and I felt confirmation after speaking with a Pastor. This was in 2010 when I started college again and now it’s 2013 and I’m a junior and I can’t find a job in the market. I am working in a yogurt shop as a cashier and feel tons of pressure from my parents to get a “real job”. I continue to explain I’m taking full time classes and how I want to focus on that to maintain my scholarships. Although I try to convince them I myself feel like a loser. I feel like I should be starting my career already or at least have a part time as a receptionist or administrator because its gonna be much more difficult when I graduate having no experience. If I had supportive and encouragement from my parents it would help because I feel so pressures. My boyfriend however is way more supportive and tells me not to worry so much because God has a plan. Your first chapter was a great way for me to begin the being this is the book I choose for my 21 day fast. I am praying for guidance on my next career step. Whether its to look for new employment or be still and finish my college career.
Genesis-Girl, I definitely think you are on the right track. It is great that you are able to work to make a bit of money while you are going to school full time. You should absolutely NOT feel like a loser—for God doesn’t make losers! :) Keep working hard at school and at your job. This is what you need to focus on right now. Also, keep seeking God daily–keep your eyes straight on Him in the knowledge that He will lead and direct your paths. I think that if you have been blessed with a scholarship, you should continue to work hard and be a good steward of that blessing by doing well in school. What a great thing it is to get a scholarship! Good for you!
I would say get lots of experience on what you think you want to do. God will let you know when something isn’t a good fit. Don’t be afraid to let God lead you somewhere new. The road may be hard, but the rewards will be great.
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