What is your dream job? (how to switch jobs for a day)

My dream job is a job that I’ve had before, which is to interview people and learn about what they do for work. I think it’s an eye-opener to learn what people do. A person’s job is never as simple as you think. Spending a short time in their shoes gives you a better appreciation of other people’s work when you see it through their eyes. It’s like that behind-the-scenes moment of a movie.

First, I interviewed people about what they do. What is a typical day? What do they read? Who do they talk with? Surprisingly, most people think the interviewer will be bored from listening to them talk about a typical workday. But when you ask questions like, “What is this machine used for? Why do you enter information in this way? What do you do to protect yourself from injury?” They are excited about explaining how calculations are done, and how equipment works, etc. You open their eyes to a new perspective on what they thought was an ordinary task. Now they see their own job through the eyes of an outsider.

Second, I get to spend time at their job, whether it is an office or an atypical job site. It may seem boring, but not everyone gets to go to a construction site, the staff areas of a hotel, or a manufacturing plant, just to name a few places. You feel like you’re an actor trying to fit into a scene where you feel out of place. If you usually work in an office, like I do, you become hyper-aware of the hazards around you when you’re working out of an office. The worker you’re interviewing isn’t afraid of heights (falling), fearful of the dark (in a mine) or wary of moving machinery (in a warehouse). 

These places and situations are a chance to put on a different hat and be another person for a day. But when you watch a movie that features workers for the jobs that you interviewed, you find yourself saying, hey, that’s not how they actually do it! So fake! You’re not at the job site observing anymore. Now you want to walk into the movie set and change the incorrect ways of doing things, the unrealistic portrayals of jobs.

These interviews are certainly interesting experiences. Definitely one of the best jobs in the world is discovering what other people do. You are constantly learning, never bored, and increase your appreciation of what other people accomplish.

What’s your dream job?