Research from fish4jobs (www.fish4jobs.co.uk) can confirm that despite most Brits not working in their dream job (86%), we are actually quite content with our lot. Most of those interviewed said that they wouldn’t retrain to get their dream job (57%).
The survey asked people what their dream jobs were when they were growing up. 22% wanted to become famous (actor / singer / TV Presenter), 24% wanted to be professional sports people and intriguingly only 10% wanted to work in the police force, which must be bucking the trend from previous generations when it was considered one of the best professions. Some slightly wacky dream jobs included a fighter pilot (1%), scientist (6%) and astronaut (6%). None of our respondents wanted to work in an office when they were growing up and teaching did not seem to inspire us either.
Out of those surveyed, 25% studied further to improve their chances of landing their dream job, with 4% still in training and 3% having given up the dream despite training for it. Strangely 9% said they never had a dream job whilst growing up!
Joe Slavin, CEO www.fish4jobs.co.uk comments “It’s really interesting to see the transition from our childhood dreams to adult reality. Many kids grow up wanting to be in glamorous careers but the reality is that it is very difficult to get that dream job when there is so much competition out there. People end up quitting college and their dreams to pursue something different and often more stable” He continues “This doesn’t mean that we are encouraging people to not have a dream but if you want to make it on TV or in the music industry or in fact want to be an astronaut you really need to be at the top of your league. Our advice is to work really hard at school, go to college to get the right qualifications, and make sure that you take as many opportunities that come your way regarding work experience”.
The survey also revealed some of the regrets people had about their time at school – for example 20% wished they had concentrated harder, with 23% regretting that they had not taken better careers advice and 22% wishing they had gone to University or college.
At fish4jobs they have a tips site (http://www.fish4tips.co.uk/jobs/) which helps jobseekers and recruiters alike. Our top 5 tips for people searching for their dream are:
- Research your career choices carefully – speak to careers advisors, colleges, universities and make sure that your A-levels and further education qualifications will be suitable for your career choice.
- Make sure you stand out in the crowd – try to get work experience relevant to your dream job. Be prepared to do this for free, with the knowledge that you are gaining experience not necessarily a salary.
- Plan carefully – be aware of the risks and be realistic in competitive markets. Have a plan B just in case you do not get the grades you need, or find it difficult to get onto the first step of the ladder.
- Keep up to date with industry news so that you sound informed when you go on interviews either at college or at the workplace.
- Don’t give up. It may take years to get to where you want to be but it will be worth it in the long run. Be prepared to take on other work whilst pursuing your dreams so you can pay your bills.