Living The Dream at Work

A new study by BMO found that almost half of us are working at our dream jobs πŸ˜€ My immediate reaction was “Poppycock! Who did they ask? Celebrities and CEOs?” Β The poll was conducted with a sample of 1005 Canadians and is considered accurate +/-3.1%, 19 times out of 20.

47% of respondents say they have already found their dream jobs.Β And 70% feel they are valued at work. In terms of what determines job satisfaction it seems gender and income are noticeable factors. 51% of men say they’re employed in their dream jobs πŸ™‚ but only 43% of women can say the same πŸ™ For households with an annual income of $50,000 or more, 69% say they look forward to going to work each day :), but only 58% of those making below $50,000 said the same πŸ˜•

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Being a little skeptical of these numbers I decided to conduct my own survey and put the scientific method to the test! I asked a friend who works at a local engineering firm. She replied no, she’s not working the dream job. Then I asked myself the same question. The answer is of course YES πŸ˜€ I get paid to sit in front of a computer in an air conditioned building and design logos and backgrounds in Photoshop all day. How can anyone not like my job? :mrgreen: Β So let’s see… That means 50% of the respondents I surveyed said yes, they are working at their dream jobs. Wow, my own results matches that of BMO’s survey, especially if we factor in the margin of error. Hmm, so maybe it is true then 😯

Tip of the Day: To increase your job satisfaction be a man, and to make more than $50,000 in household income πŸ˜‰

The more I think about it the more all of this makes sense. For example, I’m a dude who makes more than $50,000. So naturally I’m living the dream at work πŸ™‚ Coincidence? Maybe.

But consider the following. The BMO study also breaks down the data into provinces. In BC, those who say they are working in their dream job is 44%.Β Well I just watched the evening newsΒ which had a story about BC Hydro, a crown corporation, and it claimed that 44% of workers who are employed by BC Hydro make six figure incomes!!! Coincidence? You decide πŸ˜‰

 

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Random Useless Fact:Β I was recently interviewed at Financial Freedom Ideas.

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Amanda @ My Life, I Guess
09/27/2013 5:09 am

I saw this article too and thought “no way!”… but then I thought about it a little more and I’d have to say I’d agree with the stats. Most guys I know that make more than $50k/year do seem to be happy with their jobs. It’s mostly my female friends that are looking for new opportunities or going back to school to upgrade.

It’s too soon for me to say if this new job of mine is my “dream job” or not, but it’s without a doubt a HUGE step-up from the last one, and it’s definitely getting me in the right direction (even if it does pay under $50k/year).

Jon Haver @ PayMyStudentLoans.com

WOW! I think I have not found my dream job yet. Even though, I earn $50k/year. Still looking for the dream job, and I think I am on the right track of getting it.

Mrs PoP @ planting our pennies
09/27/2013 8:02 am

Okay, so forgive me, but I totally had you in my head as a girl. My apologies!
I don’t know if either Mr PoP or I would describe our jobs as dream jobs, but they certainly work at helping us fulfill our goals for now, so we’re not complaining about them, either.

theoutliermodel
09/27/2013 12:38 pm

I’m pretty close to working my dream job. I’m not sure what exactly would make it even better… maybe more money? πŸ˜€

Investing Pursuits
09/27/2013 6:18 pm

Lots of people don’t like there jobs… I worked in a lot of places and less than 5 people seemed to like their job. I think people want to blame their jobs on why they are stressed. I think they are stress because they spend all their money without paying themselves first. I believe if people are less stressed they might like there job more and be able to do it better.

charles@gettingarichlife
charles@gettingarichlife
09/28/2013 5:33 pm

I remember my favorite job was at a bank when I was in college. That job however didn’t pay anything. In my job now it pays well but highly stressful.

Not Working
Not Working
09/28/2013 8:12 pm

Not totally satisfied of what i do, i want to go higher in the food chain πŸ˜› or it’s maybe because i do only 46k per year haha

Marissa@Thirtysixmonths
09/29/2013 12:58 pm

I can honestly say I am happy with what I’m doing plus I have 5 side hustles that work great for me. But then the idea of a “dream job” that I’ve got to figure out.

Yohan
Yohan
09/30/2013 11:01 am

Well here is an interesting thought. If you are male over 35 making over 100K a year, I think you are more likely to be fooling yourself into believing that you are working at your dream job. I mean over 35, you probably have a family and a mortgage and cant really afford to make any drastic changes in your life, you need that income. So you keep telling yourself that you have the perfect job!

I know from my personal situation it is true…i make good money and am pretty good at what i do but by no means am i working my dream job. But would i be willing to take a 50% pay cut to work at my dream job….not sure….

Karla Twomey
Karla Twomey
10/01/2013 2:23 pm

Interesting. I thought the same thing, Poppycock! But after you added your thoughts, I will have to agree with the stats as well.
Karla Twomey
latest blog post Kids & Money:Plus 5 Awesome resources
http://nomorecreditcards.com/teaching-kids-about-money-bonus-5-awesome-resources-for-you-and-your-kids/

MakintheBacon
MakintheBacon
10/01/2013 4:01 pm

Although I am not at my dream job, (like many, I have no idea what that is really), I do feel like I am valued at work. My bf makes more than 50k/year and he is a lot less satisfied than I am with his job. Then again, he’s been with in the same position and same company for about 7/8 years. So much for your tip…. hahahaha

Simon Elstad
10/03/2013 10:47 pm

Well, its possible that almost half of the population have found their dream job, with all the growing awareness that work takes a huge chunk of our lives, maybe folks have taken that to heart and gone for jobs they enjoy.
For your poll, am yet to find mine!