You better work B*tch
Subtitle: But what if working hard doesn’t mean chasing your dream job?
If you’d asked me at age 8 what I wanted to be when I grew up, I probably would’ve said “a fashion designer who lives on a ranch and wears sparkly jeans every day.” I definitely didn’t have a five-year career plan or a dream job Pinterest board.
When I was in high school and college, I was animal science all the way. I wanted to be a livestock geneticist. Honestly, I’m still super interested in it. But after two semesters as an animal science major, a job growing bacteria in the milk lab of a vet clinic, and a few high-level genetics and reproductive courses, I realized a few things:
One, there’s not exactly a booming job market for livestock, specifically equine, geneticists.
Two, I am smart, but I’m not that smart.
Three, it was going to be a long (and expensive) road to a PhD for a girl who has always hated school.
So, I quit. And I have zero regrets.
The Job Isn’t the Dream. But It Does Support It.
That’s when I got started on my experience in business management. I”ve done anything from property management, retail renegade, to managing a real estate operations team for a while. But once I had my son, I knew I didn’t want to work five days a week anymore. And truthfully, it’s hard to lead people well when you’re only there part-time. It didn’t feel right, and it didn’t feel like the example I wanted to set for them or for myself. So I stepped back, found a better rhythm, and made peace with this new version of “success.”
Now? I work 4 days a week in marketing for a real estate brokerage. I run their social media accounts, marketing strategy and campaigns, I streamline systems, and dip into operations here and there to keep things running efficiently. (Fun fact: I’m actually quite good at building processes and cleaning up corporate messes when I’m not the one causing them).
And I really like what I do. I’m good at it. I feel valuable.
But no, it’s not my “dream job.”
Because I don’t actually have a dream job.
My job gives me exactly what I need right now:
Flexibility
A steady paycheck
A sense of purpose and growth
Space to show up for my son, my marriage, and myself
It also helps fund the things that are part of the dream: family walks, pony rides, buying my husband a new smoker for Father’s Day, trips to the Tetons (our favorite place on earth), designing the occasional digital download, and daydreaming about building a fun, women-only community that doesn’t suck and isn’t so freaking serious all the time.
Dream Job Culture Never Really Fit Me
I’ve never been someone obsessed with titles or finding my “life purpose” through labor. I’m ambitious in my own way, but that ambition looks more like:
Making memories with Arnie before he’s old enough to say, “Mom, stop”
Owning multiple properties someday
Slowly turning Kate’s Edit into something that matters to the women reading it
If I could do anything in the world and money wasn’t a factor?
I’d stay home with my kid, go to Pilates, get facials, clean my house every day, do school drop-off in a Porsche, and spend my free time riding expensive horses and shopping for denim and designer bags. That’s the dream.
(Honestly, I also have this crazy dream to raise my own cattle and run a little mini ranch where I can sell boutique-style beef out of an on-site farm store. People could stop by and buy clean, ethically raised meat by the cut. Because I totally get that not everyone has the budget or the freezer space for a half or whole beef. But that shouldn’t mean they don’t have access to something good.)
ANYWAYS.
I’m Not Settling. I’m Just Clear.
There’s a big difference between giving up and choosing something that actually works for your life. What I have right now works. It’s sustainable, energizing enough, and helping me build something way bigger than a résumé: a life I love.
I’m not chasing a dream job. I’m living a dream life. Intentionally, and on my own terms.
And If You’re in the Same Boat?
If your job is just one part of the big picture...
If you’re building your dream life one small, honest choice at a time...
If you’ve stopped tying your worth to your career title…
You’re not doing it wrong. You might just be getting it really right.
xo, Kate
