# Looking for a dream job **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 28, 2025, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223 "2025-06-28T07:40:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2025, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/21 "2025-06-28T21:14:34Z")
> [@longtry](#): > > How do they secure funding for their 1st creation, at least? Venture capital or Kickstarter, maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Limmin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f04885/32.png) [@Limmin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Limmin)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2025, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/22 "2025-06-28T21:34:57Z")
I was also going to suggest one of the trades, which are fairly high paying, such as plumber or electrician. Especially if you just employ yourself, you don’t have to worry about employees and higher overhead costs. Freelance creative (graphical) type work is common, as is Software development or even IT freelancing. Depending on what you can do and where you live, you might find your niche. The best part of this kind of work is being able to do it from your home. Here’s another: Indpendent auto mechanic, if you’ve got the tools, work space and experience. Seems like these tech trades could work very well for you, as they’re often high paying, services are always in demand, and you can set your own hours. And some you can do at home. Frankly, I’m suggesting this type of work to my 20-year old son, as going to university and working in a group (e.g. at a corporate office) just doesn’t match his style. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/23 "2025-06-29T00:38:31Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > If you work for yourself you’ll have significant independence and flexibility. > > However, entrepreneurs are some of the hardest working people I know. That is because those that are their own bosses, unlike other bosses, have no-one to exploit for profit except themselves. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/24 "2025-06-29T00:55:28Z")
I mean, different people are different. My brother was an independent contractor, mostly writing and lettering comic books, i think. And he quit and found a job with a boss, because, “i didn’t make myself work hard enough”. He wanted more income, but when he worked for himself it was always easy to say, “naw, i don’t want to do that”. ---
**Author:** ![longtry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/839c29/32.png) [@longtry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longtry)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/25 "2025-06-29T04:54:37Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > know a few inventors Is there a way for me to PM you, or you DM me? I’d love to ask some further questions. > [@needscoffee](#): > > It actually reads like a long AI prompt. I modified chatgpt prompt. It suggested quite a few options. But they all sound…idk, expected? I was hoping to be surprised by an out of the box answer, so I can explore new horizons. Like being a staff on cruise liner, for example. Not a great job at all by many stretches, but undoubtedly novel. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > I think episodic work, with a variety of problems to solve, is realistic. Yep, I think what I meant is this, though it might have come out differently. Your conclusion of probably getting bored if selling food at convention for long kinda proves the point. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > in your other thread, you mentioned that people who stayed successful for a long time in one place often did so by becoming the experts in some niche area Uh, I can’t recall which. Can you drop a link? > [@Limmin](#): > > Freelance creative (graphical) type work is common, as is Software development or even IT freelancing. Depending on what you can do and where you live, you might find your niche. That sounds enticing, but I’m hoping to cut down on computer use. While getting rid of it in a job is quite unrealistic, I still prefer real human interactions to typing on keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/26 "2025-06-29T05:10:48Z")
> [@longtry](#): > > Uh, I can’t recall which. Can you drop a link? Oh, sorry, i confused you with a totally different poster. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/27 "2025-06-29T05:11:20Z")
Maybe a Life Coach? People actually get certified in that. Idk whether you’d need to - the certification may just be a way to soak you for money. On the other hand, at least you’d be able to show you know what you’re doing. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/28 "2025-06-29T05:33:20Z")
Like others have said I think any trade would be good. Maybe drywall? People absolutely love a good drywall person and you can charge a good penny for your expertise. You’d command more money as your skill went up and you would definitely get faster at it (so charging more money for less time spent). And every drywall project is a new challenge. You do have to think creatively at times to get the right cuts made. Tile work is probably similar to drywall and also in need. I know that in the few reno projects I’ve had done around my house, the jack-of-all-trades contractors hired out both the tilework and the drywall finishing to independent drywall/tile guys. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/29 "2025-06-29T05:57:04Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > This made me laugh out loud, as a know a few inventors and a fair number of screenwriters, and almost to a person they complain about how their initial concept was badly implemented or how the words and characters they labored to put onto the page were utterly mangled in the ultimate product. Yeah, there is the old joke about the actress who was so dumb that she slept with the screenwriter. (Very old joke.) My impression is that unless you’re at the top of the field very few scripts ever get made. > [@longtry](#): > > Provide plenty of chances for advancement: promotion, education, high salary… > [@longtry](#): > > F. Provide plenty of chances for advancement: promotion, education, high salary… This requirement is contradictory to A. People get promoted because they are doing more than others in similar jobs. Unless you can leap over tall buildings with a single bound, it is unlikely to be you while working more of less half time. This doesn’t involve workers not cooperating, but good managers know who is producing more. There are plenty of jobs these days that might let you work half the time if you are twice as productive. Are you? I’ve been involved with promotion decisions, so I’m not just speculating here. BTW, if you are a manager you start going to lots of meetings so there goes your four hour a day working schedule. When I started working our center made money for AT&T by just existing, let alone doing anything productive. That kind of situation has been squeezed out. This was long before Zoom so I worked at an office for a full day, but I enjoyed it. Get to be very good at something and you’ll enjoy working also. But it doesn’t come easy. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/30 "2025-06-29T06:34:58Z")
Yeah, trades require skills..either you’re taught by an older craftsman or you go to trade school. You just can’t say, “oh, I’ll hang out a shingle as a drywall person” And actually be good at it to where some one will pay you. It’s pretty hard work. All manual trades are hard work. The less skilled you are the harder and more time consuming it is. Dream jobs don’t just fall out of the sky. Whatever you choose you need schooling, training or life experience. This requires lots of hard work on its own. Start there. (Ever heard “There’s no free lunches”?) ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/31 "2025-06-29T07:27:11Z")
Anyone else getting _[Say Anything](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvuv2sn5fDQ)_ vibes? ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/32 "2025-06-29T07:33:54Z")
I agree that finding a job that meets those criteria, especially the first, isn’t likely to be very realistic unless you create something fully for yourself. It’s possible to get part time jobs such as supply teaching or nursing that might pay more than minimum wage, or perhaps be a very niche specialist in something where the pay is very high but demand is low or flexible. I know a veterinary radiologist who works as an independent contractor and sets her own hours, so her total workload in a week is less than 40 hours, but even then, she has to be available during regular business hours for her clients to use her services. Still gives her plenty of time to train for marathons and walk her dogs. In terms of education, she has an undergraduate degree (in a bioscience of some sort, not sure which offhand), a degree in veterinary medicine (DMV) and two Master’s degrees in radiology, so something like 12+ years of post-secondary university. I don’t know her debt load, but I know it was high as her family couldn’t support her. Requiring somewhat less education, engineering has plenty of options with all kinds of work conditions that may suit your needs. A previous job of mine was in the product support realm, where customers would report technical issues and we had to develop the engineering modification or repair - often in a short amount of time- to get them up and running again. The job required creativity and technical skills along with some project management and coordination skills to get all people involved in the fix in board and executing their tasks (often around other assigned tasks). The job was 40 hours a week, but no fixed start or stop time (clocking in) other than needing to be available between 9:30am-2:30pm as core hours. Overtime was a give and take situation; if a customer request had you working late one day, you could bank that time and leave early another day. Engineering degrees are typically 4 year programs. There’s a path to that kind of role through the trades (in that example, aircraft maintenance technician) but the salary and promotion opportunities become more limited. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/33 "2025-06-29T09:12:16Z")
Become a YouTuber, showcasing your favourite hobby. It should only take you five or so years to reach a large enough following to be financially supported, possibly faster if it’s a particularly unique niche and you’re suitably charismatic. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/34 "2025-06-29T09:32:08Z")
> [@longtry](#): > > Do you know careers that fit these criteria? Freelance software engineer. I mean, I am one, but I prefer the job security that comes from full-time (my country does not have that weird “at will” firing thing). Money is good, you choose when to work, and I, as a creative person\* find it a very creative environment. Sure the “creativity” tends to be “optimising algorithms” but it is really satisfying, you get real world results and validation. You are well respected (except by your in-laws who think that because you work “with computers” you can debug their Windows XP virus infestation). \* I am also a creative artist; mostly building crazy costumes from foam, t-shirt material and plastic irrigation piping. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/35 "2025-06-29T10:52:20Z")
This didn’t work out so well for Mikayla. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/36 "2025-06-29T11:39:22Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Tile work is probably similar to drywall and also in need. > > I know that in the few reno projects I’ve had done around my house, the jack-of-all-trades contractors hired out both the tilework and the drywall finishing to independent drywall/tile guys. Oh, the tile guys my general contractor hired were awesome! And that’s a lot less physically demanding than plumbing. And your work product is standing there proudly for everyone to see. Of course, these tile guys happened to be extremely good at their job. I have friends who had stuff renovated who have much less-nice results. But i think it’s not an incredibly hard skill to master, and a lot of doing it well is caring about doing a good job. That being said, there is a certain amount of math involved to make everything work. And some art. Flooring is another trade to consider. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/37 "2025-06-29T12:31:59Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > I’ve known a few white collar workers who decided to switch to working some kind of trade, and they’re generally much happier and more satisfied, although of course the reason they made a switch was because of frustration with ‘professional’ work. And despite hyperbolic claims, AI and robots aren’t going to be laying pipe, wiring up buildings, and cutting and finishing sheetrock any time soon. And many of the trades can’t be outsourced to an overseas outfit. I’m in a “professional” job, but if I had to do it all over I would seriously consider the trades. (When I bring up the idea to aimless 20-somethings, they always come up with excuse after excuse for why those jobs are not a good “fit” for them. I blame it on a sense of entitlement.) ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/38 "2025-06-29T15:00:30Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Anyone else getting _[Say Anything](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvuv2sn5fDQ)_ vibes? At least Lloyd Dobbler is being honest with himself and everyone else about not having some grand bullshit plan for his future; I love how uncomfortable it makes everyone else at the table. I’ll wager he’s not going to end up having an affair with his father’s best friend’s wife and then running off with their daughter after stalking her relentlessly, so he’s one up on Benjamin Braddock. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/39 "2025-06-29T15:33:25Z")
I’m an actuary, which is a professional job. And it suits me, as I am very good at math. But I’d also consider the trades if I were starting over. I think we’ve passed “peak actuary”, and there’s a real risk the job will be replaced by AI or outsourced to India, or other English-speaking places with lower wages. And making stuff is very satisfying. And when you go home at the end of the day, you are done, and just need to take a shower before ignoring it until tomorrow. (Well, not if you are in business for youself. Then you need to write bills and stuff – I used to hire a plumber who loved plumbing and hated papework. I called him once because I noticed we hadn’t paid him for some work he’d done 3 months prior. “that’s right, I haven’t billed you yet”, he replied. 😆 ) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2025, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223/40 "2025-06-29T16:48:46Z")
I get the idea this person does not want a “dream” job that requires much labor. As in a trade. It’s sweaty, or extreme cold and persons want you to be finished “now”. If its repair work you may have to wait for your pay, insurance claims can be slow in coming. I don’t see this as a way to go unless you have a real love for Home Depot and pleasing your customers. No one(me) is gonna be happy if they find the perfect flooring, spend $1000s and you come in and screw it up with your ineptitude. Seriously. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-dream-job/1020223.md?page=3)