How the dream job’ turned into a good enough’ career

Five years on from the pandemic, our attitudes toward work have shifted and people are less keen to be defined by what they do. Katie Rosseinsky looks at shifting views on ambition

-  Katie Rosseinsky

“T want a job that’s just... a job.” Whenever I chat with friends and peers about their careers, whenever that inevitable question of How’s work?” crops up in the conversation, a refrain that emerges over and over. Whereas once we might have shared our aspirations, talked about potential promotions or side projects, or even discussed how the long hours we were putting in would absolutely, definitely pay off in the end, now the prevailing mood feels flatter, more jaded. It’s best summed up with a collective shrug.

Many of them, once idealistic about what their careers could offer them, would now struggle to give an answer if asked about their “dream job”. “Why are we expected to put all our hopes and dreams on our work?” asks Rachel*, 26, who works in marketing. She says that she has stopped thinking about her career in terms of an end goal to be reached, or a ladder to ascend, and is more concerned with how her next step would impact her life overall.

Similarly, Jake*, 34, tells me that, after more than a decade in communications, he’s now seeking a role that will allow him more free time and a bit more breathing space, even if it might seem like a step down from the outside. “The ambition just isn’t there for me anymore,” he says. “I want a decent salary, decent hours, and to feel like I’ve got my life back.”