When I was searching about job interview tips, they mentioned that we shouldn't say that "This is my dream job." The fact is we never know if our 'dream job' turns out like our dream :P
Most of us now may work in a position that is not our 100% dream-job. Nevertheless, to be able to work well, it is important to love our job. How can we love a job that is not our dream job?
Honestly speaking, the first few weeks of working as a research assistant (RA), I felt a bit discouraged because my job was printing questionnaires, photocopying questionnaires, calling kindergarten one-by-one, and keying-in data "only". After one year, I realized that this is not a 'brain-less' job. After my colleague spotted some crucial mistakes in our data file, I realized how important it is to key in data, check the data over and over again. These mistakes opened my eyes to the understanding that even a 'simple' job, such as data entry has a crucial impact. It's really not a simple job.
In difficult times at work, it's important to see the big picture of our project. As a new working adult, I often expect an immediate result. In the university, every midterm we have midterm test or midterm essay and we have our grade after one semester, be it A, or B, or C+. In work, sometimes I don't see immediate result. Some projects can drag for very long. Apparently, this is a normal thing in research. Of course we should have deadlines, but unexpected obstacles do occur here and there.
So how do you love your not-a-dream job?
1. Think of positive things that you can't get if you're not doing this job
For me, even though I always think that I love meeting people and doing field work, after one year working as RA, I realize that meeting people and doing field work requires lots of stamina. So things that I love in this job is to have a balance of sitting-in-the-office and going-out! There are some days that I spend in kindergarten, there are some days that I spend in elderly care centre, and there are some days that I spend in my office cubicle. In fact, tomorrow I will spend my morning in a Senior Activity Centre (a centre that provides various activities for elderly in 1-room-HDB-flat), then a few hours at a Day Care Centre (an elderly care centre for those with dementia or with stroke history, they must be referred by their doctors to go to the Day Care Centre), and an afternoon to run experiment in kindergarten!
2. Think of how current job experience will help you to get your dream job later on
I think this job really train me to relate with various types of people, from principals, teachers, to elderly centre managers!! I think this skill will be useful later on because as a psychologist, you also need to work with people from various disciplines (e.g., a Social Worker and family of the client). The pattern of "meeting-participants-then-enter-their-data" is also a practice before you "meet-client-then-write-a-report"
3. Always think of the big picture of your project!
It's easy to feel stuck in the thought "Ahhh.. I only write proposal" or "Ahhh... I only make videos for experiment" or "Ahhhh.. I only do data entry". From various meetings with my boss, my colleague, principals, and managers, I do think that research has a great value in the understanding of the society. We are facing real issues (e.g., what's the 'best' bilingualism policy? what's the 'best' for elderly?) and if we're not doing what we're doing now, there's a missing piece in this effort to understand the society.
4. Never stop learning
Last week, the topic of my circle is "Study". They said, "Study is an 'always-norm' ". We mustn't stop studying. In my first few months of working, when I did not have SPSS for statistics analysis, I tried to learn using R, a freeware for the same purpose. Now that I'm much busier, I didn't really have chance to learn R, but I still need to learn and continue learning. For example, how to interpret some advanced statistical analysis? I may not understand them fully now, but I do think this effort has helped me to understand the discussion between my colleague and my boss.
5. Think of other areas that you can pursue later on with this current job experience
I always think that perhaps if I don't end up as psychologist, I may choose to be a kindergarten teacher :D
Or...homeschool-'expert'. Hahahaha. This thought came to my mind because of my encounter with some kindergartens. I always joke with my colleague, "Well, after observing various types of kindergartens, don't you think your standard of what kind of kindergarten you want for your kids will be higher?"
Ya... Love your job!! :D
Most of us now may work in a position that is not our 100% dream-job. Nevertheless, to be able to work well, it is important to love our job. How can we love a job that is not our dream job?
Honestly speaking, the first few weeks of working as a research assistant (RA), I felt a bit discouraged because my job was printing questionnaires, photocopying questionnaires, calling kindergarten one-by-one, and keying-in data "only". After one year, I realized that this is not a 'brain-less' job. After my colleague spotted some crucial mistakes in our data file, I realized how important it is to key in data, check the data over and over again. These mistakes opened my eyes to the understanding that even a 'simple' job, such as data entry has a crucial impact. It's really not a simple job.
In difficult times at work, it's important to see the big picture of our project. As a new working adult, I often expect an immediate result. In the university, every midterm we have midterm test or midterm essay and we have our grade after one semester, be it A, or B, or C+. In work, sometimes I don't see immediate result. Some projects can drag for very long. Apparently, this is a normal thing in research. Of course we should have deadlines, but unexpected obstacles do occur here and there.
So how do you love your not-a-dream job?
1. Think of positive things that you can't get if you're not doing this job
For me, even though I always think that I love meeting people and doing field work, after one year working as RA, I realize that meeting people and doing field work requires lots of stamina. So things that I love in this job is to have a balance of sitting-in-the-office and going-out! There are some days that I spend in kindergarten, there are some days that I spend in elderly care centre, and there are some days that I spend in my office cubicle. In fact, tomorrow I will spend my morning in a Senior Activity Centre (a centre that provides various activities for elderly in 1-room-HDB-flat), then a few hours at a Day Care Centre (an elderly care centre for those with dementia or with stroke history, they must be referred by their doctors to go to the Day Care Centre), and an afternoon to run experiment in kindergarten!
2. Think of how current job experience will help you to get your dream job later on
I think this job really train me to relate with various types of people, from principals, teachers, to elderly centre managers!! I think this skill will be useful later on because as a psychologist, you also need to work with people from various disciplines (e.g., a Social Worker and family of the client). The pattern of "meeting-participants-then-enter-their-data" is also a practice before you "meet-client-then-write-a-report"
3. Always think of the big picture of your project!
It's easy to feel stuck in the thought "Ahhh.. I only write proposal" or "Ahhh... I only make videos for experiment" or "Ahhhh.. I only do data entry". From various meetings with my boss, my colleague, principals, and managers, I do think that research has a great value in the understanding of the society. We are facing real issues (e.g., what's the 'best' bilingualism policy? what's the 'best' for elderly?) and if we're not doing what we're doing now, there's a missing piece in this effort to understand the society.
4. Never stop learning
Last week, the topic of my circle is "Study". They said, "Study is an 'always-norm' ". We mustn't stop studying. In my first few months of working, when I did not have SPSS for statistics analysis, I tried to learn using R, a freeware for the same purpose. Now that I'm much busier, I didn't really have chance to learn R, but I still need to learn and continue learning. For example, how to interpret some advanced statistical analysis? I may not understand them fully now, but I do think this effort has helped me to understand the discussion between my colleague and my boss.
5. Think of other areas that you can pursue later on with this current job experience
I always think that perhaps if I don't end up as psychologist, I may choose to be a kindergarten teacher :D
Or...homeschool-'expert'. Hahahaha. This thought came to my mind because of my encounter with some kindergartens. I always joke with my colleague, "Well, after observing various types of kindergartens, don't you think your standard of what kind of kindergarten you want for your kids will be higher?"
Ya... Love your job!! :D
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