My Dream Job

This post IS about my dream job, but I will start at the beginning, and tell you how I arrived at where I am today.

As a child I wanted to be a teacher, maybe a maths teacher (like my Mum) but I enjoyed Economics at school and wanted to either work for a bank or go to university to do Business Studies.

I never imagined/dreamed I would end up in a creative job (lots of my family are very talented artists, but I never was that good!).

A worked in the bank full time, then part time when my 2 daughters were born. I took a career break when my eldest daughter started primary school, and 6 months later we headed to Bristol in SW England for a year with my husband’s job.  While in England I did a Teaching Assistant qualification and I planned to maybe do this at some stage in the future.  I was not sure what the future would hold for me, but I knew it wasn’t banking.

We returned from Bristol a year later and within 6 weeks I gave birth to our son, and 3 years later I was blogging, creating my own jewellery for myself, and enjoying being a stay-at-home mum. Being able to be at home with my kids was/is a privilege and I wanted to start earning some money again but in a way that was more family-friendly than banking.

It transpired that my teaching assistant qualification would not be recognized by our local education authority and I want have to start my training again…..so with the support and encouragement of my husband I decided to give my jewellery go, Janmary Designs was born and it really has turned into a dream job!

• I am my own boss
• It is VERY family friendly – and if needed my son can attend the breakfast club and afterschool club at school on the odd occasion when I can’t do the drop-offs and pick-ups myself. There is no longer a panic if one of the kids is sick – my work can fit around it.
• I get to create / play with beads
• I’ve met some lovely customers, retailers, other small business owners
• I have got to travel to US on a trade mission promoting our local council
• My commute is across the hall to our dining room  my workroom
• There is a great job satisfaction in seeing a piece I have created being worn at a wedding, or to a garden party in Buckingham Palace!

Perhaps the only thing I would change would be to earn a wee bit more money doing it (!) but for me the advantages far exceed the monetary side of it.

As a child I never imagined I could be so fortunate to be able to be doing my dream job. It took me until my 40’s before this happened, and even 5 years ago I would not have imagined it would be a reality.

So……do you have a dream job?

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