Sweating It Out For A Dream Job

MBA ProfessionalsIndia is a land of teeming millions and each one of us dreams of making it BIG in this land of vast opportunities and an even larger competition for survival. In this horde of striving to achieve more from whatever is available, it’s the young and free spirits who are able to grab their share of success. So the catch here is to block out the noise and set yourself on the ‘right’ path.

We all want a dream job. Just like finding that one great love, it’s a goal that virtually everyone has. After all, over the course of our lifetimes, we’ll work for close to 70,000 hours–and that’s a lot of time to waste on something you’re not passionate about. While identifying the ideal career is not a walk in the park, I’m here to tell you it’s also not a fantasy. As with anything in life that is meaningful, it requires making a number of clear commitments. Let us first of all define what a dream job is. This may differ from person to person but for some it is the job in which he can achieve all the goals set by him & suits his career objectives. For some it is only money, for someone else, it could be the job satisfaction which makes a particular job a dream job.

MBAs in today’s world have plenty of opportunities, but they generally stick on to lucrative options like a career in Finance or Marketing. A dream job seldom means a new venture or a startup. We cannot say that “Dream Job of an MBA is Just that”, it can comprise a lot of perspectives depending on person to person. In the end what matters is his expectation from life.

Having a professional degree, specifically a management degree puts you into an entirely different category from other candidates for a few reasons. One of these reasons is that management can see that you’ve been trained in common business practices, and that you have the professional training necessary to think critically and creatively in a number of given situations. It also means that you’re committed to the idea of your field of focus, and that you’re willing to work hard and make sacrifices in order to make it in your industry.

If we consider today’s situation it has totally changed because better economy and more and more opportunity coming in for young graduates to prove themselves which is seen in the manner most of the B­ School graduates are leaving good jobs and taking the route of entrepreneur. In my view “Just that” is subjective to the individual. If the individual chooses to become an entrepreneur, for him that is his dream job and similarly someone wants to pursue as a consultant that is one’s dream job. Putting them together, MBA gives you the ability to choose what is good for you; It is a better filter in terms of choices and makes oneself a better filter and go for the one.

Before we take any further stances, let’s try to understand why we see a shift in the attitude of people towards “Money at cost of satisfaction”. I think it’s the word “Risk”, not many people want to take a risk by starting a company. Starting a company has become a risk these days, unlike countries abroad; there are not many incentives for the person who starts the company. There are people who might not get a good job, though they graduate from a grand B-School but that would be just because they might not be able to find out there right job which suits their personality but their aspirations cannot be stopped and the search for growth and a perfect job begins. MBA makes a man knowledgeable about business organization and ethics and it’s important for a manager of a good organization to have such an understanding.

Management Skills

In the current scenario, it’s quite legitimate to go for a job rather than go for a start up of your own. The spirit of being an Entrepreneur is more important than worrying about corporate taxes. Entrepreneurs are the people who take risks & are ready to face a crisis, persevere to achieve the goals & reap profits of their hard work. It is debatable as to how many MBAs are really trying to be entrepreneurs over the long run being well equipped to be an entrepreneur.

I’ve identified some tried-and-true tactics that help put people on that path, no matter your industry. Consider it your dream job checklist.

  • Know your greatest talent and purpose, and learn to speak with clarity and confidence about it.

This one is the hardest because it requires support from others. You know what you are good at when you hear it, but we all struggle to be completely objective about ourselves. For those who’re not confident about their soft skills, joining a finishing school to develop your personality, body language, inter-personal and social interaction skills will be beneficial. However, once you have an indication of what your talent and purpose is, you can then connect it well to your job. How?

First, find your talent: Ask 10 people who know you, what your unique approach is to the specific work that you do. It is very important that you can work in a team, coordinate with your colleagues, communicate with them effectively and make proper adjustments. Therefore, the first step toward getting a dream job is knowing what interests you and what makes you happy. Then find a job (or create your own job description) that includes and combines as many of those things as possible.

Then, find your purpose: Take an hour and think through your entire life, focusing specifically on the core challenges that you’ve faced. You should be updated with latest trends in your field. Once you identify the number-one challenge, this becomes the cornerstone of your purpose, because helping others overcome that same challenge -whether it’s a team member or your organization, is what leads to career fulfillment. The key to this exercise is understanding yourself and being able to connect your talent and purpose to your career objectives. If you can’t find a way to link them, then it may be time to consider switching gears.

  • Commit to finding or creating your ideal job, no matter what.

An employer is not only looking for a MBA degree but also the application orientation of the student. Students in B-school study the concepts of management in their classes but hardly understand how this knowledge can be applied in real business scenario. Thus there is a gap between theory and knowledge. To be able to bag the coveted job you must understand what business is all about and how you can contribute to the growth of any organisation.

  • Be realistic about your basic financial needs; but know that when you follow your passion, money often comes too.

To be a successful professional, you must be well connected and have a strong networking with people in your field. As Baba Ranchod Das rightly said, “Pursue excellence and success will follow”.  In the real world, it’s important to figure out how much money you need to live and what type of job will accomplish that. Passion is important, but you can’t build your dream job if you can’t pay the bills.

  • Be patient and give yourself regular reality checks.

You must select a good/ reputed company in your field for internship as it is the only opportunity where you can exhibit your skills by translating them in performance. At the same time, you learn about a particular industry, how it functions and its operations in detail. It could take two years, five years, or even longer to find the right mix after lots of trial and error. Along the way, look for quick wins and positive trajectory. For some, it comes faster than for others. You can’t compare yourself to others and you can’t have a set timeline.  If you aren’t energized by your day-to-day professional life, then you won’t stay committed, which will block the path to your dream job.

Thus, I would conclude by saying, most people blunder their way through their careers. They see an opportunity open up, figure the job is good enough, and then let momentum carry them forward. That might have made sense back in the days when a regular job meant a steady income and a retirement package. But today, if you’re not doing a job that’s uniquely yours- “your dream job”; you will eventually lose it to somebody whose dream job is your job. Your goal therefore must be to find the perfect job for you, the one that only you can perform the best, because it a manifestation of your personal dream and your life’s goals.


Contributed by Deeba, (Class of 2013, IBS Gurgaon)

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