20 and Working

I have a little saying: "Any jackass can be a critic." But I figure there has to be some perk to writing in this blog, so I'm going to critique a story I read.


Today I had the misfortune of reading an article on BusinessWeek.com titled, "Can You Have the Job of Your Dreams?"


After reading a lot of empty drivel that seemed to suggest to readers that it is a good idea to consider a "dream job" that would put you in the top 1% income bracket, there is a short promo from a Vault.com executive about taking his site's self assessment tests (okay, I admit there's a tiny bit of value in that) and THEN, with only three paragraphs left in the story -- I'm desparately hoping for some nugget of usefulness at this point -- there is the really barfy sentence:

" ... If you're stuck, it may help to take a page from the book of those with dream jobs. They often share key traits: talent, passion, drive, and discipline. But they share another characteristic often overlooked: courage ... "

*HURL*


Forget courage for a second. I know that going out on your own takes bravery. But bravery is easy. Two shots of Maker's Mark makes me extremely brave. But discipline. That is not easy. Warren Buffet didn't become a billionaire by being a maverick investor. He became a billionaire by being an ace student in college and being one of the most discplined investors of our day. The man does his homework.


My point is, behind every fantasy-come-true is hours of backbreaking work. Britney Spears? I wonder how many days of the year she lived in a tour bus while she was trying to make her millions.


Let's take my personal dream job. I want to own either a bed and breakfast or a chain of boutique hotels. Hey, I've had guests over at my house, I can make a business of this! Uh... Courage is certainly an issue, but what I don't have is the discipline (right now). I don't have the wherewithal to undertake: bookeeping, cleaning, marketing, financing, reservations, cooking, hiring a staff, keeping track of taxes, dealing with problem guests, managing payroll, insurance, processing credit cards, zoning laws, etc. etc. etc.

Tattooed on my brain is a quote I found on BNB.com's inkeepers page. It goes something like, "It's great to be an innkeeper because you get to choose which 20 hours you work each day."


FINALLY in the last graf of this horrible, USA Today-esque fluff piece on BusinessWeek.com, there is a trifle of a good idea:

"... what's most important is having a sense of purpose in your job—even if it's filling your pocket so you can fill your soul after work ... "

Ahh, now we have something. If only this could have been the lead sentence of a story about finding purpose in the job you have now.


TAGS: entrepreneurship, dream job, BusinessWeek, Bed and Breakfast