living my dream?

Question

I have been in the correctional industry since 2013.  I love the job, I hate the politics among staff.  I have had a couple dream job since I was little which were to be an astronaut, a pilot and an MP in the Army.  Due to circumstances out of my control I could not fulfil that dream.  So I tried the next best thing, police.  This did not come true because where I was trying to get into the police academy at was all about who you know and I didn't know the right people.  So that is how I ended up in corrections.  I just want to live my  dream, why is that so hard?

Anonymous · Answer

I think, sometimes dreams change.   Or not necessarily change, but evolve.  I totally get your unhappiness and disappointment, I've been dealing with it myself, but I've also learned that its very helpful to take a step back and so some major self reflecting to find WHY is that the dream?  What about it makes it so appealing, what are you looking to gain from it, how is it going to make you feel more satisfied than you do now?  Once you know the answers to those questions, you can find work that can give you the same fulfillment but in different ways.

For example, I want to be a social worker.  Desperately . However, due to government changes and budget constraints I was laid off from an amazing job and there's no hope of going back.  So I took a pivot.  I pivoted into HR - my role in HR still gives me the fulfilling pieces that social work gave me, but in a more stable and lucrative role.  Am I missing things I loved in social work?  Absolutely.  But I volunteer with a few organizations that help me fill that void.  I'm still eating what I need to eat to feel full, just over a few meals vs just one - if that makes sense.

I'm not saying 'find a new dream', what I am saying is take a solid personal inventory of why those are your dreams and see if you can find that fulfillment in another role or opportunity that will still give you what you're looking for.  That way, if the dreams don't come true, you won't spend a lifetime disappointed and underwhelmed.

Marla Maye · Answer

Jessica, when you refer to 'excitement' you seem to want to be high in the air moving at high speeds, and also be in a position of authority. Honestly, at a young age, be a flight attendant or carnie for 5 or 8 yrs. Young women aren't always taken seriously at a young age, sometimes the best you can do is wait it out or capitalize on what you CAN do in that time. Give your adrenal glands the workout they are looking for. Eventually you'll have your fill and decide the thrill is gone, but it may give you some fun memories and $ that you can bank toward your next steps. Learn to develop your 6th sense, observational skills, conflict resolution, situational awareness, reading strangers and situations, etc. and likely there will be many emergencies you have to deal with, if you deal with them successfully that's likely a promotion or at least  job security. Learn what your weaknesses are. If you have Asperger's, working with the public or in close team settings is not for you (many don't know they have it). If you have any kind of color blindness or vision issue, you won't be able to be a pilot. Get that checked out before pursuing that idea further. I had a cousin who was 8 or 10 yrs into his pilot goal when he found out he was colorblind and all his training was for naught. There are a number of different types of colorblindness so get checked for all of them. Also peripheral vision etc. Find out what doctors offices do pilot physicals in your area and see what it would cost to get one done.

At a young age and not tied down is the time to do such things. Save your salary while traveling. Not having rent to pay is an opportunity to save $. Getting a private pilot license costs around a half mil with all the flight hours needed to accumulate. Having pilot friends willing to loan you their plane or take you up to get required flight hours toward your license, will help you, because plane rental to get flight hours is around $250/hr. Find the airlines that run small private charter jets, float planes, etc. See if your local private airfields need security officers. I could tell you some small plane airlines and private airfields to inquire of but they might not be in your area. Look up civil air patrol in your area and see about volunteering.

Susan L H Smith · Answer

What is it that's drawn you to these dream jobs?  Are there any commonalities between the jobs that you could recognize and parley into something more obtainable?

I live in Houston near Johnson Space Center and have known many astronauts (they're kind of hard to miss!).  The ones I know are pilots, have degrees in STEM, (with advanced degrees), many have military experience, and are in excellent physical health.  Your article didn't make clear whether your qualifications for your dream jobs match with what's required.

Lady Pele · Answer

If you are unable to join a police department in your area, are there other areas hiring?  I took a quick look at Indeed.com and found a number of openings for entry level or recruit positions.  The state of Michigan seems to have a number of opportunities.

Anne Knox · Answer

Break your dream into smaller steps. You will feel like you are making progress. For example if your dream requires a college degree, some steps could be 1. Research which colleges have the best path to your career 2. Identify requirements of that college 3. Take any pre-required  classes, tests, etc 4.  Prepare Application. So instead of being overwhelmed by big task, you see you are making  smaller results along the way

Susan L H Smith · Answer

What kind of research have you done with regards to these jobs?  Let me offer this, the NASA link for astronaut requirements: https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/postsecondary/features/F_Astronaut_Requirements.html

You say you want adventure and excitement, yet have you considered that these jobs are incredibly stressful, physically, mentally and emotionally demanding.

Not all of us have what it takes for these jobs.  I  know I'm not cut out for them.  Yet I've 'served my country' just by being the best citizen I can, for example, through community and church activities (PTA, Scouting,etc).

How are your classes going?  Grades?

Is it time to switch tactics?

jessica tiger · Answer

The only commonality between any of them I can see is the excitement.   I had been on track to go to the air force academy on a scholarship I had gotten from the air force through a recommendation from my drill sergeant in Civil Air Patrol in 8th grade as long as I maintained my GPA but a teacher ruined that (see my comment for annonymous above for more detail) so I tried the US Army and was denied entry because of a mild skin condition.  AS for the education, I had been taking all the maths and sciences I could get at the local college and online universities I was accepted to only none had good STEM programs.  Finding one has been a struggle so I have had to settle with what's available.  My high school and junior college advisers had the mind set that all women should do are typical women jobs such as nursing, accounting or business and if you didn't have the right last name your applications made it to the special round filing cabinet that was occasionally heated to a nice high temperature for safe keeping.

BETH HEDERMAN · Answer

What are your dreams now?  I would take some time to right out all of your goals....if there are more than one are there any commonalities?   Once you have a sense of what you'd like to go, write out the steps you need to do to accomplish your goals.  Once you have the steps, you can start to plan money and time against it.

Just don't be afraid to make a change- trust your gut and plan to make it reality!

I left  my job in October to figure out my dreams.  Before I left work I figured out some things I definitely wanted to do (i.e. get certified to teach yoga) and also figured out the financials.  I'm still trying to figure out what's next but I don't regret making the leap.

I hope this helps!

Anonymous · Answer

I really feel your comment about hating the politics among staff.  That is something I have struggled with my entire life whether I have been working a 'for now' job or 'dream job.'

jessica tiger · Answer

Honestly, those are still my dreams but I have accepted an invitation to take a comparative analysis test with port of entry.  I would give anything and jump on the opportunity if I were invited to work as an astronaut, pilot or mp.

living my dream?

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