For most of my professional career, I've been working as an accountant, primarily for nonprofits. It pays the bills alright but I'm not really interested in any of the responsibility that the managers above me deal with. So I wouldn't mind moving on in one way or another.
My "realistic" dream job would be either:
1) A budget analyst. What can I say?
I like the idea of putting a budget together and monitoring its progress. It probably sounds boring to most but there is actually a lot of competition (at least in the DC metro) for this type of job. However, I caught in the catch-22 of needing the experience to get the job and vice-versa.
Or;
2) A travel agent. I love travelling... or at least the idea of doing so.
Whenever I'm not hanging out on this site
, I'm often on a similar travel forum picking up ideas for my favorite destinations. Despite my reserved personality, I think I would be successful at making recommendations and setting up itineraries. The challenge would be trying to match my current salary in the age of consolidation and online travel sites.
My "fantasy" dream jobs would be:
1) A translator of international languages. I enjoyed studying French and Spanish in school and sometimes wonder if I should had been a language major in college. Although I could probably put my Spanish to good use sooner, I am in the process of relearning French as I enjoy it more. Eventually I hope to do the same for Spanish as well as a few other languages. The market for translators as well as interpreters is pretty tight, though. Then again, being a mulitlingual accountant (or travel agent!
) might not hurt my career prospects.
Or:
2) A songwriter. I have a lot of musical ideas but a limited way to express them. However, I am on my second stint of taking piano lessons (for about a year, this time) and I hope to set a PC at my place that I can devote to composing in the not-too-distant future. I know enough about the music business to realize that I'd be more successful promoting myself online than trekking off to NY or LA. I also realize that although songwriters can make more than the artists that they compose for, the competition is steep, to say the least.
I'm glad I found this thread; it's been very therapeutic for me!