In work, following bliss can be tasty idea
By Larry Ballard
Des Moines (Iowa) Register
What kid wishes to grow up and become a pusher of pencils? Well, Pizza Hut offers a spicy alternative.
There are only two jobs in the world: the one you have, and the one you always wanted.
Most of us, of course, feel trapped in the former. Some, such as Workbytes' old friend Renee, have landed the latter.
You remember Renee. She was raised in Decorah, Iowa, matriculated at Central College in Pella, Iowa, then bravely packed up for California to try freelance marketing. She remains a consultant for twice-monthly newspaper columnists who specialize in workplace issues.
"When I was 9, I wrote an eight-page story about a girl who ate pizza all the time," she said. "Now, about 40 percent of my work is health and nutrition articles. It just always made sense that I'd be doing this, and I wonder how many other adults are working in the field they grew up dreaming about?"
Renee insists — and career-development experts agree — that the key to landing a dream job is to focus on what sparked our interest as children, before we were educated, socialized, coached, labeled and sent to that three-day junior management training seminar in the Quad Cities.
So, how many people have found their dream jobs?
Not many, according to www.CareerBuilder.com, whose nationwide survey last month found nearly four of five U.S. workers have yet to land the job of their dreams.
"What defines a 'dream' job is surprisingly reminiscent of childhood wishes for many workers," said Richard Castellini, CareerBuilder's vice president of consumer marketing.
But when it came to the dream job, only a handful of police officers and firefighters (35 percent) said they have found it, followed by teachers at 32 percent, and real estate professionals, 28 percent. (Remember all those raucous games of "escrow" on the playground in elementary school?)
The survey results inspired Workbytes to identify our own dream job and then, as old people say, "go for it." We took Renee's advice and first examined those carefree days of childhood.
Unfortunately, there was nary a single want ad today that called for someone who can turn plastic bottles of rubbing alcohol into low-grade fireworks to spook the neighbor's terrier.
So, Workbytes borrowed a page from Renee's playbook and picked something fulfilling, enjoyable and satisfying that can also be delivered piping hot.
In other words, we're getting into pizza, thanks to our new friend Chris Fuller. He's a public relations guy for Pizza Hut who works at corporate headquarters in Dallas.
Here is his offer: a three-month appointment as vice president of pizza, a $25,000 salary, use of a company car and, perhaps most important, free pizza for a year.
All Workbytes has to do is send in a two-minute video that, in Fuller's words, "showcases your pizza passion."
Pizza Hut will pick three finalists, and the pizza-eating public will go online to select a winner in April.
Easy. Cheesy.
Workbytes fully expects to win, and to parlay the opportunity into a dream career.
Of course, if the pizza thing doesn't work out, readers can bet we'll be back here in two weeks.
This time with a bottle of rubbing alcohol.
