By “realistically,” it would mean that you already have all or nearly all of the required skills or certifications for the dream job.
I can’t be offered a job as an airline pilot, for instance - I don’t have the many years and thousands of flying hours necessary. But I *could *quickly move into a job as a media columnist or movie scriptwriter.
Novelist (ghostwriter, most likely).
If that’s all it takes for the job to qualify as realistic, how about:
- Mars mission passenger
- Female booty inspector
- Self-driving Formula 1 racecar passenger
- Kraft Macaroni & Cheese maker
Cast member of a good comedy TV show.
Associate Professor
Artist
Writer
Math teacher
Character actor
Judge, law professor, partner/litigator in a medium-ish sized law firm, legal commentator, talk show host, actor, director (stage), stage lighting designer, law professor, non-technical aspects of game design (mostly storyline development).
I already had my dream job, and if it wasn’t for a greedy selfish incompetent managing director I’d still have that job.
I want a creative job where I sit in my little corner of the office and get given tasks to do that are within my skills and talents, but with new techniques and improvements to learn as I go, and then when it’s done I submit it for approval, it comes back for adjustments, then I fix them and submit it for final. Then they give me a new task that has a different focus, and it cycles through like that each time.
In my case it would be a computer graphics job of some kind, be it 3d modelling, animation, or VFX compositing.
Medical writer.
Mathematician, lecturer in philosophy (especially in logic or the philosophy of science or medical ethics), lecturer in mathematics, computer programmer. Research scientist under the arctic ice cap. Teacher/lecturer for low-level courses in religious studies, sociology, western philosophy, C programming. I had a pretty interesting undergrad experience, I guess.
To a lesser extent, historian (or writer of popular histories) of video games, extinct media formats, retail chains, comic strips, 3D in pop culture, the home computer industry. Proofreader/continuity editor. Comic book writer. Copy writer for business (particularly in the areas of in-house advertising, employee guides, and press releases). OTC/HBA/cosmetics buyer/source liaison and retail planner for chain stores (had a couple of offers over the years to be a pharmacy buyer for one certain chain, but didn’t want to move to Arkansas). House dancer for dance clubs (also had a couple of offers here, but the jobs interfered with my classes).
Fully funded retirement. I’m eminently qualified.
If Sergey Brin (whom I met in 1997 when I heard him give a talk in the CS seminary on his idea for a new kind of search engine) were to call me and offer a job in his mathematical research center, I would jump at it. Of course, I would want $1000000 a year, but that is pocket change for Sergey.
How about the one I have (home health nurse) at a higher pay rate and with a more competent support staff?
Failing that, private duty nursing to some very rich, very ill fellow with no family, who develops a harmless crush on me in his dying days and leaves me all his money as a gesture of gratitude. Than I can go back to home health nursing and not worry about the bills.
Incident, Change or Problem Coordinator for a good-sized IT shop. Not the management-level position, but the job of making sure all the groups are communicating and aware of what’s going on in each step in the process, so everybody knows what’s going to break, when, and why.
chef/brewmaster at a successful brew-pub
Something related to the Cleveland Indians’ Web site and/or social media. I do Web stuff, I live Indians. It would be amazing to be a part of their organization!
Music arranger.
Possibly composer.
Possibly alto clarinetist, though I don’t know if I’m good enough, and if so, there isn’t much call for alto clarinetists.
Database administrator, though I’d really prefer something more challenging. Network security administrator. My programming skills are rusty, but that’s one of those riding a bike skills for me. I’d back up to speed in very short order.
Ideally? Come to me with the idea for the next Angry Birds or Candy Crush. Bring in GuanoLad for artwork and someone for level design and we’ll go alpha testing in 6 months and open beta in a year.
Travel writer. Vaccine educator. Presidential historian. Head chocolate taster.
Personal Assistant, or Exec. Admin. to someone really, really important.