You know the saying as well as I do; “If you love your job, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
Somehow, despite really enjoying my job—as well as many others I’ve held—I have never related to this expression. Even when I had what I still consider a dream-gig, working as Editor in Chief of a college newspaper, there were times I was so stressed that I would rather be anywhere else on those Tuesday production nights. It became very clear, however, that the challenges were what made that job so satisfying and worthwhile.
But yeah, it definitely felt like work.
My blogger buddy, Bill, recently posed a question: what are a few jobs I dream of having? Though I’m quite certain that all of these would still come with plenty of can’t-wait-for-the-weekend moments, these are five choices that have been elevated as dream-like in my mind.
1. Novelist
I want to be a full-time writer, and I plan on taking the plunge once my husband and I are secure in our finances. More than anything, I want to write a novel, from the comfort of home, and fill the pages of a book with my original ideas.
So far, I’ve got the topic. Up next comes the writing. This dream is in its infancy, but still in the making.
2. Seat Filler
Thank you, Seinfeld, for filling me in on this one. I would love to go to fancy events, like the Academy Awards or the Emmy’s (probably not the Country Music Awards, though) as a seat filler. I swear, I’d be the most intentive and enthusiastic clapper in the audience.
3. Newspaper EIC
Here’s the deal: I love newspapers and always will. If I could somehow navigate the decaying industry of print journalism and snag a job as an editor in chief, preferably of a small-town publication, I would do it in a heartbeat.
Any stress and craziness that came from my former job was 100% worth it. You get to inform the masses, create content that matters, and seek the truth. You get to connect an entire community. That’s a dream for me, for sure.
4. Taste Tester
I like food. Writing about it, similar to music, is hard, which is why I went for “tester” rather than “critic.” If I could sample delicious goods and give straightforward feedback, my tummy would be happy and my spirits high.
5. Travel Writer
If people paid me to travel, I’d be on cloud nine. Another word for this dream job might be “influencer,” but I’d rather write a blog post than an Instagram caption about my experience.
I can imagine it now: walking through the streets of Greece, notepad in hand, describing the comforts of the luxury villa I’m staying at. Yeah, that’d be the life.
Bonus job: Designated Hitter
I grew up wanting to be the first woman to play in Major League Baseball, but it didn’t take very long for me to switch directions from overhand pitching to under. If I could join a team, today, I would. Preferably, though, I’d be a designated hitter for a professional softball team. I loved everything about playing shortstop, but I always thought that getting on base was something I could really spend all my time and energy doing.
By the way, based on a recent excursion to a batting cage, it seems as though this option has expired.
For now, I’ll continue to promote tourism destinations and scribble in my spare time, though who knows what the future holds?
To work in newspapers, you definitely need to have a passion for it!
Are there enough awards shows to make a living as a seat-filler, because that does sound fun!
Agreed! I really respect the journalists that have stayed in the industry and keep it going. They are tough cookies!
And, lol, I doubt it! I wonder how much it really even pays. But would be a cool thing to add to my resume I think!
Wait. There’s such thing as a seat filler? I thought those were actual audience members that won/purchased tickets to these events!
I thought a world traveller would be nice but I don’t think I can ever be a nomad. I need a permanent address to call my own and come home to at the end of every trip. Plus, I love souvenirs when I travel and that would be an issue carrying them all with me, haha.
I think so! But I’m not entirely sure. I could be entirely off, but it’s a nice dream to get paid to attend a giant fancy party!
I agree! I’m a huge introvert and a homebody and definitely need a home base, as much as I love to travel. And logistically, I know my engineer husband wouldn’t be able to travel all the time (unless I was paid the BIG bucks), so that would entail a lot of back and forth. And I know exactly what you mean, lol!
Thank you for reading!
I also want to be a full time writer!! It was something I always really loved as a kid and once I started blogging I realized that had always been my true passion.
Great post. I think it’s easy to get stuck in a rut (especially if you don’t like your job), so it’s good to keep thinking about your dreams and jobs that would help you fill them.
I’d love to make that jump! I expect that it will be a little scary when I have to figure out if I’m ready or not, but for now I’m excited at the future possibility. And agreed—I think it’s really important to check in with ourselves! Thank you so much for reading and for leaving such a thoughtful comment.
Omg seat filler is a job?! I would love that! A travel writer would be the perfect job, I would love to be paid to travel that would be insane! This post was amazing! x
I *think* so! If not, I think I just manifested the best job ever, lol. Thank you so much for reading and for your too-kind words! xx
Okay so I didn’t know seat fillers were a thing and I would absolutely love to do that and be a writer would be so much fun! Thank you for sharing these great ideas! ❤️Xxx
I’m not 100% sure that they are, but I hope I didn’t just make it up! Thank you so much for reading and commenting. <3 xx
I’d love to be a novelist too! Or taste tester sounds good too.. 😉 Great post! xx
I can only imagine all of the delicious foods that await! Thank you for reading and commenting. xx
I think that alllll the time when people tell me what they do, it always sounds so interesting. Taste tester sounds like it would be amazing! I would love to work in product development for a food company, I think that sounds like a pretty cool job. x
Sophie
http://www.glowsteady.co.uk
Agreed! That sounds like a fun-yet-practical job that exists and would be a nice gig! Thank you very much for reading and commenting. x
I literally didn’t know a seat filler was a thing haha! There’s so many jobs I’d love – maybe in another lifetime! A Formula 1 engineer, a tennis player, owning my own book shop… A gal can dream!
Love all of those options! And, you never know. Thanks for reading!
Can I combine being a taste tester with being a seat filler to make restaurants look really busy? That sounds like an ideal job for me! And maybe a gym reviewer B-)
I love product/recipe development and that is the most enjoyable part of my blog for me….although I often wish for a little army of taste testers to help me eat up the 12 different versions of a recipe XD
Brilliant! I agree. If that’s not a thing, let’s make that a thing. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a whole team to determine if a recipe really is delicious or it’s just your taste buds?? Thank you for reading and leaving a fun and thoughtful comment! 🙂
I always wanted to be a novelist and look at me now, being a software developer writing code and stuff haha. But yeah, travel blogger is a dream job for me. I loveeee to travel and if I’m being paid for it, what’s better? xx
That’s a really cool jump though, from writing words to code :). There’s always time to write a book for those of us that also have full time jobs but writing aspirations in the side. And totally agree with ya! Thanks for reading! xx
Travel writer would be my dream job as well, although I currently can´t travel internationally a lot because of my two babies…but that´s only currently lol Plus I completely agree with you about writing a blog post rather than an Instagram caption, I´ve abandoned my IG cause it´s hard to do a quality job both there and on personal blog, and I really prefer to invest into my own platform! Besides, many claim this IG influencer trend is changing, and I´m noticing it myself – so many of my followeres&following are not active there any longer…
Anna / http://atlifestylecrossroads.com
It’d be so fun! Hopefully some day you’ll be able to take them with. And yes, IG is such a tough gig with a TON of upkeep. You bring up a ton of valid points—so many that I used to follow have stopped all together. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!
I love this! I know exactly what you mean: I’m in a role I wanted in the dream industry – and I definitely count down to the weekend. I’d love to be a novelist as well – the writing is progressing, but because I never really dedicate enough time to it, I’m definitely going in circles with it, aha. I hope the future holds some dream jobs for you!
Yes! I think that people who think that every day is a vacation are maybe in fields that are super high-end (I’m imagining a rock star, maybe), but I could be way off. Writing is hard, but that’s part of why I love it too. Thanks for reading, and same to you!
I had no idea seat fillers were a thing! But that sounds like a great job. I’d love to be able to write or travel for a living too.
I’m not 100% sure that they are, but I can dream! 🙂 It sounds like an amazing gig. Thank you for reading!
I’ve never played Baseball before but wow what a dream!! I didn’t even know seat fillers were a thing!
Sounds like such a great gig! Thanks for reading 🙂