As a kid, my dream was to be a Palaeontologist or Archaeologist. Fuelled by the powerful impression that Jurassic Park left in my eight-year-old mind, I imagined myself being an adventurer; some sort of hybrid between Indiana Jones and Lara Croft exploring remote locations in search for hidden treasures, be it fossils or ancient relics. My mother, never one to risk "harming" her children by letting them get caught in unrealistic illusions, immediately pointed out that in my country there was no money for archeological expeditions, and that it was a very competitive field, and that she knew someone who was an archaeologist and then quit because he was miserable, and so on. Let's just say that in her intention of being realistic, my mother could sometimes be a bit of a wet blanket mum.
More recently, there are mainly two jobs that I would absolutely love to have. The first one is being a fashion model - imagining I had the looks and the height to be one, of course. The opportunity to wear pieces of clothing ranging from interesting and fashionable to authentic works of art, and to contribute to the creation of beautiful pictures and visuals; extensive international traveling and discovering a whole world of luxury and extravagance; abundant opportunities for exclusive networking and very generous pay checks, all while you maintain yourself in the best shape of your life. Who wouldn't be up for that?
Despite the initial dazzle, the intrinsic dual nature of life is also present in it. In other words, modelling, as any other activity, has both advantages and disadvantages, amazing perks as well as unpleasant moments and tedious requirements. Estonian model Helena Oun, author of the blog Healthy and Nourished recently wrote a very interesting post that explores some of these not-so-great aspects about modelling: having to pretend that you feel like a goddess during a photo shoot when you are actually incredibly uncomfortable; freezing in a bikini, or conversely, about to collapse from heat shock while wearing heavy clothing in hot weather; having to constantly wear painful heels or shoes that don't fit properly, which kills your feet. Also, being treated like a mannequin who can't feel neither physical or psychological pain by stylists and strict agency people - not to mention creepy, abusive and unscrupulous people. On top of that, all the traveling that it entails surely makes for a lot of adventures, but also for constant jet lag, fatigue and feelings of loneliness.
My second dream job, the one I would most like to pursue at this point of my life, is becoming a travel writer or travel host (I would say that La Carmina is the person that has my ultimate dream job, actually!). Being paid to travel the world and experience the best things it has to offer... could it get better than that? Well, besides the fact that job positions like that really hard to get, turns out that many of them are not as well-paid as one would expect. But... one still would get the experience of the travels, right? Of course! However, when interviewed, travel writers and travel hosts state that, contrary to popular belief, their life is not a constant holiday - actually, they have to work incredibly hard. After shooting or visiting the places to review, they spend every hour of spare time writing, going through notes or scripts, organising information, planning and revising itineraries, reviewing material, sending drafts... all that during the time when regular travellers would be, you know, actually relaxing and calmly immersing in the experience of being in a new place.
Ever wondered what pursuing a career in science is like? I mostly like it and find it very inspiring, but sometimes it can be really unnerving! Here are some of the biggest perks and disadvantages of working as a scientist*:
The Good:
Travelling for free or very cheap, sometimes to unexpected destinations.
Opportunity to live in some of the most interesting cities in the world, filling your life with exciting discoveries and adventure.
Stimulating intellectual environment: Being constantly challenged with new and interesting knowledge, as well as having to come up with strategies and hypothesis to solve problems, keeps things exciting and your brain in top shape!
Meeting interesting people with very diverse backgrounds from all over the world; opportunity to learn a lot about other cultures and mindsets, broaden your taste and knowledge and becoming more open-minded.
Flexible schedule and lack of a dress-code. As long as you get the work done in time and form, usually nobody really cares about your looks or work schedule.
And the not so good...
Low wages compared to the amount of work you actually do. Also, short contracts that make for job instability and an often nomadic lifestyle, having to relocate frequently in order to find a job position that suits you.
Endless frustration. You'll work long hours for unpredictable returns; sometimes things don't work no matter how much effort and time you put into them, and it all just feels like a HUGE waste of time.
Really awkward people with antisocial tendencies which makes for some really uncomfortable interactions. Also, some people just cannot shut up about science and there is no way to make them talk about other subjects.
Blurry or sometimes inexistent work-life delimitation. Also, depending on your boss, things like working during weekends and holidays can be either appreciated, encouraged or even expected!
In the end, I believe that there is no such thing as the "perfect" job. One of the lessons that I have learned throughout the years is that everything in life is a trade-off; every decision you make, no matter how ideal and beneficial for your life it seems, will unavoidably close the door to other possibilities. The key is making sure -in as much as you can- that the overall balance is positive for you, that the sacrifices are worth the end result.
In short, no job is all fun and games all the time; you just have to find the one that has the right balance for you. Also, I think it is very important to try and get first hand experience in the field you are interested in by volunteering and doing internships - that way you will get a taste of what the job is really like, and could make a more informed decision about it being right for you or not. The grass is always greener on the other side, but when you find yourself there, you might find that it feels very different than you expected!
This is a really interesting topic, so I would love to know about your personal experiences. What do you think would be your ideal job? Have you had the opportunity to experience it, and if you did, did it live up to your expectations?
Thanks for reading! And have a stellar week...
* I must note that my experience is on the field of basic research, as the work conditions of people working on applied science or closer to the industry might be quite different.
