Friday Fun: Dream Job for a Day

From the Wall Street Journal | October 8, 2010

By Michelle Gerdes

If you could disappear from work, family and your juggle routine and do any job for just one day–no matter how extravagant, expensive or logistically impossible it might seem–what would it be?

That’s the question I started fantasizing about after reading Mattathias Schwartz’s recent WSJ article about his experience as a matador for a day.

Pastry chef was the first job that came to mind, as I love baking and decorating sweets. Then, of course, there was bikini model, but only if I could do it lying on a sunny beach the whole day with a pina colada and look great at the same time (remember, practicality has nothing to do with it). Sensible Michelle kicked in for a second and suggested ultrasound technician because the schedule seemed family-friendly, but being practical was against the rules. Mixed-media artist! Fashion photographer! Sommelier!

Then I began to wonder what these choices may be saying about me and my career path. I do like my job as a WSJ editor, but do these dreams mean I should switch gears and be doing something more creative? Or am I just craving a little bit of time, away from life’s demands, to be artistic?

After some soul searching, I expect it’s the latter. With all that I juggle each day, creative hobbies are the first things to go. On top of that, with a family to support and other responsibilities, switching careers right now just isn’t possible.

Maybe when I retire I’ll have the time to start up a wedding-cake business or to sell crafts onetsy. For the time being, getting to work in one of the world’s best and most-exciting newsrooms and read the newspaper a day ahead of everyone else works for me!

Readers, if you could do any job for a day, what would it be? Is it very different from the job you do now? If so, what do you think that says about you and your career path?