Reality check: Your healthcare DREAM JOB might not actually exist.

I used to have a recurring dream as a child. And to this day, it still pops up on occasion. Except each time it does, there’s something slightly different about it.?

The central plot is the same, but those slight-yet-noticeable differences cause the dream to leave a distinct, unpleasant impression in my mind.

When it comes to your career, there’s a special type of sadness and discouragement you might feel in a situation like this. Here’s what I mean.

Have you ever landed what you thought was your “dream job,” only to realize 6 months (or less!) down the line, it actually wasn’t??

Or maybe — as is the case with my recurring dream — you find yourself technically in your dream position, but one where something else about the experience doesn't fit the bill. Perhaps the location, your colleagues or supervisors, or something else entirely.?

But at the end of the day, the overall impression of the experience isn't what you thought it would be.

Case in point.

It had been my dream to work at the CDC ever since I toured Emory University and the CDC on a 9th grade class field trip. (My younger self would be proud to know I checked both of those goals off the list.)

I worked at the CDC on 3 separate occasions. And on one of them, I thought I'd found my dream role.?

It was disappointing to admit to myself, that although the experience was excellent (I learned a lot and really enjoyed my coworkers), it didn’t feel as well-suited as I thought it would.

Since then, I’ve explored multiple roles, dipped my toe in freelancing and went full-force into business ownership, and then reentered the traditional employment + side gig arrangement. And I’ve come to accept that there’s probably no “dream job” for me.?

But that’s not a bad thing.

Rather than feeling called to any specific position or company, I feel more called to a specific purpose — my professional mission of fighting health misinformation online.?

Why you need a professional mission

The truth is, a dream job might be just that for you too: a dream. The way that dream manifests in reality might not be as… dream-like. We put too much “pressure” on any single job to be perfect.

Instead of focusing on the proverbial dream job, think about the overall impact you want to have. Developing a professional mission is a targeted way of verbalizing your desired impact and centering it in your journey.

Since developing my own professional mission, here are a few benefits I’ve noticed. Having a professional mission can:

• Give you a sense of purpose, value, and fulfillment in your professional choices
• Help you keep your eyes on the prize — staying focused on the end goal and big picture, regardless of how you feel about your specific role at any given time
• Add clarity to your professional brand, which helps others understand what you’re great at and what you’re passionate about?

Developing a professional mission is a targeted way of verbalizing your desired impact and centering it in your journey.

- Megan N. Freeland, PharmD

How to discover your professional mission

Figuring out your professional mission is pretty simple, although not necessarily easy or quick. It’ll take some reflection and self-examination on your part. And, it might also take some time for you to get clarity on your answers to some of the questions you'll ask yourself.

Here are a some examples of questions you can ask yourself in order to identify your professional mission:

• Of all your past roles, opportunities, and experiences, which ones have left you feeling most fulfilled and inspired? Are there aspects of those experiences that drained you and created negative feelings? What were those specific elements?
• Of your past roles, opportunities, and experiences, which ones have left you feeling most drained, exhausted, and misalisgned? Are there aspects of those experiences that energized you and created positive feelings? What were those specific elements?
• What legacy do you want to leave in your industry? Not in your job, in your industry! This answer needs to be "big picture.”

As you come up with answers to these questions and find points of intersection, the themes and commonalities you discover will point you in the right direction to discovering your professional mission.

Once you have, you’ll able to focus on pursuing opportunities that allow you to operate within that space.

Those opportunities could show up in a variety of different ways: through volunteering, full-time, part-time, or even freelance work. They could also show up as learning experiences, such as training, certifications, or more comprehensive programs.

If you evaluate all future opportunities through the lens of your professional mission, you’ll have a better understanding what opportunities do and don’t align, allowing you to make well-informed decisions about your professional trajectory and your lasting impact.

Oh and remember, just as dreams and interests evolve, your professional mission can evolve too.

Thank you for taking the time to read the It's Bigger Than Pharmacy newsletter.

Do you think developing a professional mission could be helpful to your career journey? Share why or why not in the comments!