The "Dream" Job

I've talked at length on this topic, in several blog posts, if you're one of those few people who do read my blog ... Well, after fiddling with mindless matters, which has taken me more than 15 years to arrive at this crucial moment, I think I have finally nailed what it means to have the "Dream" Job ...

Before I go on and explain what it is, let me just point out that a number of people in this world are actually doing their dream jobs ... Whether by luck (though some people may not believe in that as they would prefer to think that they arrived at their dream job through hard work and perseverance) or by design (again some people may not agree with this as think that it was just pure dumb luck that they got their dream job), some people are doing their dream job and are happy as hell ...

Well, I'm happy for them ... But for me, in my case, I have yet to come close to the "Dream" Job ... In fact, that is what it's all been about for me ... Just a dream and nothing more ... The closest I've come to a dream job was when I was working as a reporter for a property supplement of a major local newspaper ... It wasn't the stress that made it a dream job for me ... It was definitely not the people I worked with, though I remain in contact with one of them, and she's alright ... I think it was because I was working in the Media, and I've always been fascinated by the Media, as things like TV shows, and movies, and even newspapers (the English-language ones) have shaped my views and perceptions of almost everything from an early age ...

But, Allah decided that it wasn't the job for me, because I fell ill and had to quit that job ... In fact, my path down this road of getting this job and that job has been pre-destined by Allah ... Okay, you can condemn me all you like, but like I've said before, I'm not going to turn my blogs into a platform to preach about my relationship with God ... I'm simply stating it as it is ... And as it is, is that my path to the Job has been meandering and aimless, but nevertheless, pre-destined ...

I just want to say that after nearly 17 years, I've sort come up with the criteria of what makes a job the dream job for me ...

One, I have to be passionate about it ... And let me tell you, I have never been passionate about any of the jobs I've done in the last 15 years or so, with the exception of the reporter gig ... There was this job that I was happy to get, and I talked about it at length in a couple of posts, but let's just say that I became demotivated when I realised that all the hours I put into that job, even on the weekends, did not result in a better pay increment ... In fact, I got a measly pay raise, and it went downhill from there ... I quit that job, then I found that I couldn't find another job, so I went back to that establishment and they were ready to give me back my job ... But, again, Allah had other plans for me, and I fell ill and had to be hospitalized ...

Anyway, I think PASSION is one of the main reasons why anyone would stay at their job ... So, what is my passion? ... Once upon a time, I thought it was the movies ... But the path I'm on has taken me further and further away from from any line of work connected to the movies ... And again, I realise that this is because Allah has decided a job in the movies is not on the cards for me (The irony of using 'playing cards' metaphor when I'm talking about pre-destination and God) ... But, I accept God's fate for me, no questions asked ... Why is that, you ask? Simply because having Faith in Allah, to me, is like taking a leap into the unknown ... I don't know what lies ahead of me, but I absolutely believe in Allah's decision or decisions where my career is concerned, in this case ...

Like I said, my path to the Job has been meandering and aimless ... That is because I am not sure what I want to do with my life, and Allah has shown me this, time and again ... I'm 41 and I'm still unsure what want to do with my life, at least where my career is concerned ... I do, however, am getting sick and tired of doing jobs I don't like, including my current one, which brings me to my second point ...

I have to be doing a job or in a working environment where I'm SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE WHO NOT ONLY MOTIVATE ME TO DO MY JOB BETTER, BUT ARE ALSO ON THE SAME 'WAVELENGTH' AS I AM ... And I can tell you for a fact that such people are non-existent in my life ... I know they are somewhere out there, but I haven't been, for the lack of a better word, 'lucky' enough to find them ... If you, kind reader(s), have been reading my blogs, you may have an idea of what kind of a person I am ... I'm flawed, definitely, but there are pretty cool stuff about me, too ... I think that I've been working in the wrong country all my life ... There's nothing actually wrong with the country I live in; the country where I grew up and have lived most of my life in ... It's a comfortable country ... In fact, the perks of living in this country is that I can be close to God in a practical way, meaning there are countless places where I can pray when the time comes, for example ... If I worked in the States, for example, I'd surely be faced with ... goodness, Islamophobia? 9/11 certainly changed a lot of things for people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, whether they be Americans or otherwise ... But, I'd think I'd like to work in a country like the US or UK, because I think I can find like-minded people there, colleagues who can become good friends, and to tell God's honest truth, my life is sorely lacking in having such people in it ...

Just to reiterate, MOTIVATION IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT in whatever I do ... God knows I don't get any motivation from my dearest mother, so I seek it elsewhere ... And in almost all the jobs I have done, none has ever provided the kind of motivation I seek so desperately, except maybe from my asshole of a boss while I worked at that reporting gig, which is kind of ironic considering what an asshole he was ... I need constant motivation ... I need to be reminded again and again that I am a valuable commodity to my workplace, and that my work itself is also invaluable, among other things ... I don't mean a good pat on the back every time I do a job well or somebody saying "Job well done!" all the time ... I think what I mean by constant motivation is that I really feel like I belong in that workplace ... That the workplace will not function as well if I were not part of it ... I'm not sure how to explain this ... I guess it's not only extrinsic motivation I seek, but intrinsic motivation as well ...

Well, as a Muslim, I believe, as all Muslims do, that being in the state of life that I am in, my career path is a test ... In fact, Life itself is a test ... Life in this world, I mean ... As Muslim, I am continually being tested to see how strong my faith in God is ... I'm continually being thrown in situations that are out of my control, and that is because God wants to see whether I seek out His help, or do I find the easy way out ... Like I said, I don't want to preach about my faith, so I'm not going to talk about the different paths that people can take in this life where Faith is concerned ... In fact, Faith is a private thing for me, but at the same time, I can't help talking about it because it's now inextricably linked to my opinions, my feelings, my identity ...

Can't find a suitable pix, so this short conversation from the dudes in Clerks will have to do ...

Randal: Great, Brainjuice is in one of her lousy job fugs ... again.

Dante: You do realize the irony of us talking about job fugs?

Randal: *It takes a couple of second but with an afterthought look* Oh yeah, Dr Jones ...