It can be hard for someone who doesn’t have the dream job to imagine that life can still be very hard. Even though their friends and family might envy it. Sure, it might be a dream job in the sense that you're earning a steady income from working at a good company, but you also might feel like your career has become all-consuming, leaving you with no time or energy to do much else because of those long hours and stress. The dream job can take months of searching, which in its own right can be a full-time job. The junk food and perks aren’t everything you might think it is, but here are a couple things we can do.
What are my options?
Either work part time and live more frugally or save and open up a business. I want my dream job, but I also want my life back at the same time. If I don't have kids and it is possible for me to just do this from home, I'm going for it. But that's not always an option, especially when you want kids one day (or already on the way). So, you can either: be poor on your own terms with your own hours, be rich but still work your ass off every day, get paid shit and risk getting laid off anytime someone decides they need more money in their household budget, or put in all of the hours only to have what you're working on get shelved because there was a change in leadership.
The Daily Grind
There are a few ways to handle this. You can work hard and keep up with your social life. You can try to start a business on the side but still keep your day job. Or you can do what I do and just let it take over your entire life. It is so easy to get wrapped up in working at a startup or doing engineering, coding, whatever. It's also really easy to neglect yourself when you're not getting any other input to your days besides work - which is all-consuming and leaves me drained. But that's ok because at least I'm living my dream!
Health Costs
We lose sleep, gain weight, can become depressed, irritable and anxious. Develop isolations or addictions. When we are tired and unhealthy it is difficult to focus on our work or take care of our family. Working long hours and not taking care of ourselves can lead to a downward spiral where it becomes increasingly difficult to break the cycle. The saddest part is that you don't have the chance to show another side of yourself to the world where you can monetize your art, or passion.
Is there an end in sight?
No one is denying how great it is to work for a hi-tech company and be able to pay off their student loans. But the reality of it is, when you work for a hi-tech company, your day can go from 8am to 4pm to 10pm on weekdays and even more so on weekends. This could go on for years with no end in sight if you don't know how to pace yourself. The thing about working for high tech companies is: they demand so much of your time and energy because they're constantly pushing the envelope -they're never satisfied with anything less than the best - so it's up to the employees to deliver at all costs.
Happy Ending?
Making a decent salary in a high-tech company, you can't help but feel like you're drowning. You spend so much time in the office that you have no energy for anything else. You feel like your life is on hold and this is it.
And then one day, you decide to set aside 15 minutes a day to do something for yourself - anything. From reading or stretching to meditating or journaling. No matter what it is, if it makes you happy, do it! Begin with just 5 minutes a day and grow from there. Allowing yourself to enter this new realm of doing something beyond the norm, gives you the opportunity to start living again and doing what makes YOU happy.
Bonus - How do I get one?
Successful people in the workforce often juggle many roles and switch between them. If you want to be successful, you'll have to learn how to do this. If you're not sure where you want to end up or don't know how to get there, WE can help you get there. We work with clients on a one-on-one basis to figure out what services they need to publish their art or themselves to the world. We will also help by teaching you the skills necessary for success in the workplace, and to think of one that matches your passion requirements. Our coaching philosophy is that everyone is capable of being successful, so together we will set goals and find the right path towards those goals.
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