Chasing your dream job? Do this and you won’t regret it.

We all have our dream job. You know the ideal one that we strive so hard to get.

I had one. I had always dreamed of working for a large corporate company making a name for myself in PR. I was on a mission with tunnel vision on a single goal.

It was not only till I took myself out of that mindset and tried something different that I suddenly realized my dream job wasn’t really the one I wanted.

Sometimes we are so wrapped up in our ‘dreams’ that we lose focus on the big picture and lose out on amazing opportunities. Rather than putting all your effort into finding the “perfect position” that ticks all the boxes, why don’t we try things and find our what we actually like and what are our strengths?

I went to work for a not-for-profit organization and realized a whole new world. I discovered that my “dream job” wasn’t about the type of organization or size of company. It was about the work, I discovered my passion for helping businesses achieve their goals. That experience taught me so much and opened my eyes to new skills, platforms and programs.

They say Millennials are the ones who struggle the most with detaching their passions to make smart career decisions. Millennials including myself have created ideas of what their ideal organisation should be like. Working for a big firm, a non-profit, competitive salary, green company whatever it may be – I know from personal experience that our expectations are high.

Putting an organization’s name on your resume or telling your family and friends about your amazing job is nice. But it’s more important to do great work, expand your skill set, learn and grow – to get that great reference letter we all need.

Students and Graduates especially need to open themselves to all opportunities to gain as much experience as possible and internships are a great way to do that. Internships, paid or not paid, help you learn the ropes so even if you find yourself filing or making coffee, as long as you‘re learning about the field take advantage of the opportunity and don’t take the experience lightly.

Whatever industry you think you might prefer or like the idea of  –  every experience is valuable. Internships are a unique environment where you can safely discover your strengths and weaknesses; personalities you work well with; the work environment you perform the best in and what you need to work on to be a better employee/team member.

It also helps you make connections.

In a world where leaving school with great grades and a fancy degree is not enough, we need to make those career connections online and personally sooner rather than later.

Give yourself a chance to implement skills you can’t learn in a classroom, but rather in a professional work setting. The last thing you want is to be is a  ‘soft skill’ novice in the business world.

And I’m not saying take the first thing you get or not to dream. We all want to work for an organisation that hold our values and passions. Just don’t go as far as to limit your potential. After all it’s the tough jobs that helps us decide what we want and don’t want – there’s no such thing as bad work experience.

Joanne Leca is an Intern with Accelus. She is naturally curious with an infectious amount of energy and enthusiasm. Having just graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce, Majoring in  Public Relations and International Business she is ready to launch her career.  She has a creative flair and a passion for people and businesses achieving their full potential. Jo, as she likes to be called is working with her team on launching Accelus Academy, an online career coaching platform. Register now for exclusive early bird access.