As young, naive, fresh to the working world Ashley entered adulthood and the future of her career, she dreamed of the perfect job. Determined, armed with a multitude of skills - she vowed never to settle when it came to the dream career. And that same grit, passion, and stubborn refusal to accept anything less than the best exists within my soul today. But there's one big difference - current Ashley understands that while the perfect job does not exist, the dream still does.
I hate to break hearts here - but there is truly no job that you will be happy in 100% of the time. You will not end each day thinking- WOW I really loved every single thing that happened today. Not all tasks will be enjoyable. But that does not mean you are not in your perfect job.
Understanding that the dream job can be the dream job with bad days is the most important tool you can ever have as you go on your journey as a business person.
For the first four jobs I had in the real world - I lacked understanding for this fact. Certainly there were deal breakers that were not normal parts of any job. But there were also may times I could have taken a step back and gained perspective in my situation. And by doing so, I could have avoided a lot of drama, unhappiness, and just taken these pieces of my journey as learning experiences for my future.
If I could give any new to the working world human one single piece of advice, it would be to have perspective.
Know your deal breakers, make sure they're reasonable and by all means never compromise those deal breakers. Without principle, without knowing your value - you have nothing.
But also realize that anything that does not fit in your box of deal breakers belongs in your box of "this isn't fun but life isn't always fun." That's where you store the crappy things nobody enjoys doing but that are vital to the growth of who you are in your career. Those are the critical must get done for this company to function pieces that you don't want to do but that don't take away from the amazing job you have.
There is just no perfect job. But there is a perfect job for you. Just like relationships, not every moment is glitter and rainbows, but at the end of the day, it's your person regardless. Think of your job this way. Sometimes your boss sucks. Sometimes you have to spend hours on spreadsheets that are the worst. some days your coworkers are the least helpful people in the world. But when you think about leaving your job or your company, you can't bear to consider it. THAT is your perfect job.
Focus less on perfect and more on your level of happiness. Do you feel inspired? Challenged? Do the people around you feel like your teammates? Do you feel happy most days? If you can confidently say that the majority of your days you love your job, that is the perfect job for you right now. If you cannot claim to feel joy most of the time, either change your perspective or change your job.
To add another layer of depth - understand that the perfect job for you can change throughout your life. What works for you at 22, can change at 26. The hunt for the dream is not limited to a timeline. There isn't a rule book to follow. As you grow, mature, and your skills and your lifestyle change - so may your career path. That's OK.
As someone who has had the most nontraditional career journey, who has broken every rule - I know that at the end of the day I have to lie with the results. Why would I ever allow anyone else to dictate what my path to get there looks like?