The dream job does not exist.

I used to think that my life rotated around my job. In the end, 40 h/week, excluding eight h/day of sleep, is about 1/3 of your week—a substantial amount of time. So, choosing the right job affected most of my life.

But what is a fulfilling job?

I believe the perfect job does not exist.

Like it doesn’t exist the perfect country to live in or the perfect person to be with.

There’s no perfect one, but there’s the right job for you, and it is made of four layers.

The First Layer = VALUES

At the bottom, it should match your values. That’s the very core.

If the company’s mission doesn’t reflect your values, you can make a ton of money, but you will always feel like something is off inside you. Simon Sinek wrote a book titled “Start with Why”; you should start with why also when picking a job. Why do I want to work there? The answer to that is what will get you up in the morning with the willingness to go. Maybe not always with a smile, but if your mind wonders and asks you why. Well, you do have an answer.

The Second Layer = THE PEOPLE

Let’s be clear.

Your job is not your home, and your colleagues are not your brothers or sisters.

But doing something you like goes hand in hand with feeling Yourself at work. If you don’t already know the Team you’ll be working with, try to reach out to the people already there and get a call or a drink with them before joining. The goal is to get a sense of whether you will go along with them.

The Third Layer = LEARNING

How much will you learn?

The most significant investment is knowledge.

Have you ever heard of someone who regretted what they have learned?

No? Me neither.

If you learn, even on your own, that’s the real value of the job.

The Fourth Layer = THE CONDITIONS

The conditions are: The salary, the prospects, the connections you can make.

This is usually the first thing I used to look out for or tell my close circle when applying. But that’s the last layer. The conditions are the cherry on the cake.

They are, of course, important. We still need to pay the rent, eat and enjoy life, or? I mean, who doesn’t want to be rewarded for their job?

Exactly. Nobody.

Still, that is the last layer. The others come before. For example, you may change jobs for better conditions. Still, you are definitely gonna stay if you are with great colleagues or where the ultimate goal is something much bigger than revenue.

What do you think?