Create Your Dream Job - Part 2: Generate Ideas¶
In this part, you will use the insights about yourself to generate a plethora of ideas for possible things you could work on.
Introduction¶
The first part of this article series can be found here.
There you will find exercises to get to know yourself and your strengths better.
In this part, you will utilize this self-insight to generate a multitude of ideas for possible things you can work on.
It's important to be in a creative mode here. Remove distractions, close other programs on your computer. Ideally, print out the article and worksheets, and sit somewhere you don't usually work. Changing your environment can make it easier to think outside the box.
The more ideas you can generate, the better the possible alternatives you will eventually get to test out.
Mindmapping¶
Now comes the exciting part.
You will begin to connect what you have learned about yourself to discover new areas that may be interesting to consider further for a possible career (or leisure activities). Mindmapping is a useful tool for this. It allows you to be creative and think outside the box. It’s crucial to think that nothing is too silly. In this step, the most important thing is to generate many ideas without being critical of them at first. That will come later.
It can be helpful to remember that we all have an infinite number of parallel lives we could live, and be happy and fulfilled in. By generating many ideas here, you will have a better decision-making basis to consider, leading to better "possible" scenarios for your life.
Below is an example of a mind map.
An example mind map from the book "Designing Your Life".
Task¶
Below are the steps you can follow to create your own mind maps.
- Gather some blank sheets of paper and prepare yourself.
- Use the insights from previous activities.
- Start by looking at the activities that give you the most energy.
- Are there any common themes here? In the above example, the core idea is outdoor activities. Other alternatives could be: teaching something, creative arts, writing, or social gatherings.
- Choose one common theme. This becomes your first core idea. (Level 1)
Write Down Associations¶
The next step is to write down 5 words that you associate with the core idea. Here, it can be helpful to have a partner read the core idea aloud, and you must respond with the first 5 words that come to your mind. An example is: Core idea: Outdoor activity Associations: Camping, hiking, hunting, cross-country skiing, kayaking.
More Associations¶
Repeat step 2 for all core ideas, then for the words you associated with the core ideas (Level 2). Then you can repeat the process for the words at level 3.
Identify Connections¶
See if you can find any connections between the words at levels 3 and 4. Circle ideas that come to mind. For our example, some ideas from this mind map could be:
- Working part-time at a youth scout camp
- Starting your own pirate surf camp in Hawaii
- Applying for a job at a bicycle workshop in a mountain village
Generate Ideas¶
Try to come up with at least 3 ideas for things you can do based on the mind map. It may be helpful to set a time limit to force yourself to think quickly and put aside your inner critic.
Repeat¶
Next, you can go back to step 1 and do the same with a new core idea. First, choose a core idea based on the activities that engage you the most. Then, you can repeat this process with a core idea based on one or more of your signature strengths. You will eventually have created 3 different mind maps.
Now, you hopefully have a list of at least 9 ideas for things you can do. The useful thing here is that you have initiated a creative process that will most likely yield more related ideas over time. Do not expect that the best ideas will be those you come up with after just a short hour of focused thinking on this.
The next thing you need to do is to translate the loose ideas you have generated into something more tangible.
Life Plans¶
This step is really fun.
Now you will refine these ideas further into something you can test out. You will use what you have learned about which activities you enjoy most, your character strengths, and the ideas you generated to design life plans.
A life plan involves not just a job but also hobbies and other activities you can incorporate into your plan for enhanced quality of life and well-being.
Five years is a useful time perspective for a life plan. Two years is a bit too short-term to achieve significant changes, while in a seven-year perspective, the uncertainty about what will happen is too great. Values will likely also change. There seems to be a pattern in that many people live their lives in 2-4 year chunks with different focus areas and values.
It helps a lot to visualize the life plan as a graphical timeline. Useful things to include on the timeline are, of course, career development, but also possible other events you can foresee. These might include relationship/family-related events such as getting married, having children, or buying a house. It could also include leisure activities you foresee doing, such as running a marathon, taking dance lessons, learning to play the guitar, or trips you want to take.
In 2016, I basically started from scratch career-wise. After working for four years as a gym manager, publishing a book on fitness, and starting a healthy restaurant with my wife (which we had just declared bankrupt), the situation was not very bright. Initially, I thought I would have no problem applying for and getting a job in something telecom/data-related given my engineering education and several years of experience from the military.
I was thoroughly wrong.
After applying for over 30 positions, with two interviews and no job offers as a result, it was time to think anew. I instead needed to put in the upfront effort. I had to acquire valuable skills and create my dream job instead of just applying for what came up.
Below is an example of how one of my life plans looked in 2016.
It is incredible how much has come to fruition.
I spent 4-6 months taking courses, studying, and coding practical projects to demonstrate that I had valuable skills in Data Science. I used these to secure an internship as a Data Science consultant. During this time, I received support from NAV for 6 months, which I used to prove that I was a valuable employee, with much to contribute to the company. It went exactly as planned. But it required effort.
Task¶
Print out this sheet and create 3 life plans. Use images and drawings! (Or cheat by using the computer like me). Think about both the big and small aspects of life.
Where do you want to live? What can you make a living from? What lifestyle do you want?
Title¶
Create a catchy title that describes your life plan. 6 words is just right to include some adjectives and describe both the profession and its connection to the rest of life.
Questions¶
Write down the questions that arise related to this life plan. Are there essential resources that are lacking? Are there major factors you cannot control? Is the risk high? This will activate your brain to think actively about possible answers and solutions to challenges that arise in light of the questions.
The Way Forward¶
In the third and final part of this article series, which will be released in a week, we will look closely at evaluating the life plans and come up with some concrete steps you can take further towards creating your dream job.
Stay tuned!