FAQ: What Is a Dream Career? (And How To Find Yours)

Many people choose career paths based on their talents and passions. Like other professionals, you're likely seeking a fulfilling and meaningful job that allows you to use your skills and pursue your interests. Understanding your personal and professional strengths is essential to helping you find a job that meets your requirements and preferences. 

In this article, we explain a dream career and share questions you can ask yourself to help you find a profession you love.

What is a dream career?

A dream career is a job that is best suited to an individual's passions, talents and goals. You may find a job that suits these aspects of your personality by exploring your interests, skills and values to determine what motivates you. Another consideration before choosing a career is how you want to affect a particular field, your community or the world.

Finding your dream career may involve changing fields or developing new professional strengths, such as learning relevant technical skills. These kinds of challenges can be rewarding and may help you build confidence when working toward your dream career. One way to determine if a field is a good fit for you is to practice using the skills and tools you might use on the job. This allows you to become comfortable with them and decide if they're skills you'd be comfortable using regularly.

Related: Top 24 Dream Jobs To Consider (With Average Salaries)

How can I find my dream career?

Here are some steps you can take to help you learn more about yourself and discover your dream career:

1. Make a list of your favorite activities

A dream career allows you to focus on your passions, so you can start by listing your favorite activities. This may include hobbies, tasks you enjoy doing at work or topics you like to study. You may find it helpful to answer questions like, "What would you do if money were no object?" This can help you identify the aspects of your life and career you find most fulfilling.

2. Determine what interests you about them

Once you've determined your favorite activities, consider why you like them. You might ask yourself what you enjoy about them, what makes you look forward to doing them and what about them gives you satisfaction or makes you feel rewarded. For example, if you enjoy doing jigsaw puzzles, you may find that using problem-solving skills to reach a logical goal motivates you.

3. Research roles that involve those interests

Understanding the basic components of the activities you enjoy and why can help you find roles that include those elements. Consider the jigsaw puzzle example. If you feel motivated by solving problems at work, you can consider roles that allow you to practice this skill. You can find careers in many fields that focus on solving problems depending on your interests and strengths. For example, if you enjoy technology, you might find a dream job in IT that allows you to solve networking issues and determine ideal setups for customers.

Related: Interview Question: "What Is Your Dream Job?" (With Examples)

4. Pursue training and education

After you decide on a career that allows you to do what you enjoy, research the education and training requirements for the job. If it requires a degree, you might explore different colleges and universities to find a program that works best for you and your lifestyle. If your chosen career requires experience in your chosen field, you can determine the entry-level roles you might pursue that can help you advance into your dream role.

Related: 34 Online Training Programs To Advance Your Career

5. Explore mentorship and networking opportunities

Through your education and training, you may meet experienced professionals in your field or who have your dream role. They can provide you with valuable insight about the job, including positions that allow you to learn and develop important skills for your dream job. Consider asking a professional you admire to mentor you so you can expand your professional network, learn how to gain relevant experience and find opportunities in the field.

Related: 100 Strategic Questions To Ask Your Mentor

6. Apply for your dream job

After you've completed your education and training and gained the required experience for your dream job, you can search for open positions. Start by creating a detailed resume with your most recent and relevant credentials. Then, you can search for job listings to see what's available. You might also consider joining professional organizations in your field, as they often share job opportunities at reputable organizations. You can also consult your network and ask other professionals if they know about any open roles or can recommend you for a position.

Related: Resume Writing 101: Tips for Creating a Resume (With Examples)

What are some qualities to consider when pursuing my dream career?

Contemplating certain aspects of your identity allows you to learn more about yourself and the career opportunities that may suit you. Professional and personal qualities you may consider include your:

Strengths

Your strengths are tasks you perform well in a professional role. These include skills you learn or develop at work through talent or practice. Your strengths can include hard skills that pertain to your specific role like software proficiencies. They may also be soft skills like communication and leadership, which can benefit you in any job. If you aren't sure what your strengths are, ask your peers for their insight or take online aptitude tests. Understanding your strengths can help you find a career that allows you to maximize them for personal and professional success.

Related: How To Answer the Question: "What Am I Good At?"

Values

The optimal career for you fits your values, which are a set of beliefs that shape how you live your life. Your values may include how you want an employer to treat you as a professional, how you set your priorities and what activities you find meaningful. You can use your values to help you determine:

• What industry you want to enter

• What position may be the best fit for you

• What you expect from a company's culture

• What jobs or industries aren't a good fit for you

Related: 6 Steps To Discover Your Core Values

Motivations

Knowing whether intrinsic or extrinsic motivation influences you is essential to finding your ideal career. It can help you perform well, experience satisfaction in your role, and determine the benefits and support you expect from your dream career. For example, if you find motivation in activities that give you a sense of personal fulfillment, you can find a role that aligns with your intrinsic motivations. Extrinsic motivations include external rewards, like recognition or bonuses.

Related: 8 Types of Motivation To Help You Achieve Your Goals

Hobbies

Your hobbies can offer important insight into your skills, interests, values and strengths. Explore what you love about your hobbies and what initially drew you to them, then use that information to find a career that can offer similar satisfaction. Some people can turn their hobbies into a career. For example, if you enjoy playing video games, you might find a career as a game developer or an animator.

Related: Hobby vs. Passion: Definitions and Differences

Personality type

Your personality type can help you determine the dream career that's a good match for you. Some employers even use personality tests like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to help professionals find roles that suit them. A profession that aligns with your personality type is likely to be more fulfilling and enjoyable, which can help you succeed in your career. For example, extroverts often enjoy jobs that require a lot of collaboration, while introverts prefer to work more independently.

Related: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator: 16 Personality Types in the Workplace

Goals

You can use the goals you want to accomplish, such as retirement or being your own boss, as a foundation when researching your dream career. Understanding how you want to affect the world in your professional role. That impact, whether it be societally, on a community level or individually, can also help guide you to a dream career. For example, working in social services or helping to design parks may be a suitable career move if you have an interest in making a positive impact on your community.