The Flâneur's Turtle

By Brenda Santos, RMU STUDENT!

The elusive “dream job” is what many of today’s undergraduate students aspire to attain someday. Despite unemployment, the bad economy and stagnating public trust in the government, college students across the country persevere onward against the odds.  I, on the other hand, do not. That’s not to say that I do not have a dream job, but on the contrary, I do. The current dilemma is: I don’t know what exactly that dream job is…yet. Figuring out what my ideal career, or life’s work, is perhaps one of the most difficult hardships I face on a daily basis. Although that may sound a bit dramatic, it’s really not. Deciding a career is a big decision that should require deep thought and introspection. In the following paragraphs, I will define what my ideal life’s work is, whether to follow my passion, or to simply get a job.

As of right now, I can’t exactly pinpoint specifically what my ideal, or “dream career,” is, but that doesn’t mean I have absolutely no idea of what I want to do.  To me, my ideal life’s work involves helping the surrounding community, finding fulfillment on a daily basis, and having a manageable stress level, and having a potential to go beyond the work and to make a change. It seems very vague, but it’s exactly what I want and I believe it to be unique because what most people say they want a career where they love what they do, but I say finding fulfillment. The reason for that is because finding fulfillment is something that changes more often than loving something which remains relatively unchanged.  Much, like trying to find true love, or a soul mate, finding your life’s work is a similar process. They both require time, dedication, fearlessness, and a lot of thinking.

Drake

The phrase “follow your passion” is probably what most of us have been told. Recently, the more and more pondering into depth I do into this mantra, the more I confirm my belief that it is somewhat foolish advice. I can’t help but make a connection between this advice and the popular modern day motto of: you only live once, or yolo, for short. Yolo is a pop culture motto that is popular among teenagers of generation Y, and is also used by artists, including the rapper, Drake, in his song “The Motto.” YOLO is foolish because the widely used motto can be used as an excuse for some behaviors and even justification, but I can see the good in the motto as well, and that is, enjoying every day because, hey, you only live once. Similarly, the advice of “follow your passion” is foolish to me because if one follows their passion, it may not always work out because then they tend to focus more of what they love rather than what they must do as part of their job (making ends meet, becoming more efficient, profit, etc.)

Beggars can’t be choosers.  When following your passion doesn’t quite work out and the harsh reality dawns on you that the current economy isn’t catering to your needs, what good is doing something you love that isn’t bringing home the bacon to meet basic needs? Now you have to take on a side job or quit the job you love because it’s not turning out the way you hoped it would. This thought lies deep behind my mind, but creeps into the exterior sometimes. Or another possibility could be that you loved your job, but then after years and years of doing the same, repetitive job that you love it became dull, boring and eventually unbearable.  This scenario, in my mind, can be illustrated by a still of Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Life, a film in which Charlie Chaplin portrays himself as an assembly worker who eventually loses his mind from repetitive and fast-paced work at the assembly line.  Although there is no hint that Chaplin loved his work, it does make a good point that any job done repeatedly can become overwhelming over time. It also illustrates the other side of the spectrum—“just getting a job”, growing to hate it, and the employer constantly trying to get the workforce to do tasks faster and more efficiently, and along with those goals, sacrificing the workers’ well being.  In my opinion, this practice may be good for the company, but it is probably the underlying cause of the overall employee dissatisfaction. 

With these thoughts in mind, I march on to the beat of my own drum, to find the elusive dream job because I believe that passion is a powerful emotion that gradually builds on after time; it’s not something already built up inside.  Passion can be good, foolish, and scary if followed fully and blindly as well. On that note, I persevere onward with these thoughts in mind, to find my life’s work.