Friends Like These

What an absolutely gorgeous day - the sun is shining through the window as I job hunt so it is hard to be down. Will be heading out in a bit to buy some food to cook up a storm tonight - can't wait.

Right on with my blog.  Last night one of my well meaning friends managed to rile me.  It was post conversation where my mind started to whirl with what had actually been said - I'm one of the people who needs time to fester and reflect.

The upshot was that my friend who does not really know what I do in terms of marketing and has not known me for that long was happy to give me advice on work and where I live.  One gem was that I should move to a cheaper area - you know one where you can rent a one bed flat for £600 each month! This was coming from someone who has owned his own place for 26 years and never faced the perils that come from renting in London.  I live in South West London, not in the most glam place in the world but not the dregs either. He is going to look over the weekend to find suitable areas for me!  I guess being self reliant and renting for over 10 years has qualified me for nothing.

The next piece of wisdom was on the job hunt front. OK I have not had paid work since the end of Nov but I have done some volunteering.  Admittedly December/early Jan was a slow month.  But I have chased jobs etc.  The main thing is that I have 10 years experience and I can't really go for a junior role with a substantial salary cut.  I don't spend money frivolously  but do need to earn above a certain level in order to meet my commitments.  I am a B2B marketing specialist so not as many roles as consumer led ones from what I see and so on.

Anyway, my friend was very much like "oh you must go for anything now even taking a £10k pay cut.  The job you are after does not exist."  I know the market has dropped since its peak but it certainly has picked up in the past year or two as firms are now starting to regroup and rehire those that they culled in 2009. Taking a next step that involves taking my career back at least seven years to me is not the right move even if it does mean that I am in a job.  I just need to keep on going and have the confidence and drive to get the job that I know is mine.

Is There Any Such Thing As A Dream Job?

In the pub last night, was talking to one of my friends about whether there is anything such as a dream job. You know that thing that makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning, all bright eyed and bushy tailed.

There must be people out there who have found their calling and are so enthused by what they do but I have a feeling the true figure may be rather low. I've enjoyed aspects of all the jobs that I have done but in truth most of the things I have enjoyed about work have been connected with the people I work with as opposed to the job itself.

In my current job, I am enjoying the team that I am part of but it has to be said that I am kind of doing lots of things that I've done in the past so is it riveting enough that I just want to leap out of bed in the morning to get to work - not quite but at least I am enjoying it. One of the cool things about having a 6 month contract is that I can start exploring and trying to get my dream job and make it happen.

Then I got to thinking about one of the best marketing campaigns ever - Queensland Tourism's best job in the world. So simple but pure genius. The job only lasts a year but the knock on benefits from such a simple idea are immeasurable. The idea of being stuck on a beautiful island does sound kind of appealing come to think of it maybe I'll apply next year although I'm not too keen on water so that could hinder my chances of success.