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Will Your Dream Job Ever Become Your Reality?

NNPA NEWSWIRE — If one of your resolutions for the start of the new calendar year is the pursuit of that ever-elusive dream job, you’re not alone. A survey of 2,000 American adults taken by the virtual phone company, TollFreeForwarding, revealed that only about 24% of respondents will ever get to become what they wanted to be when they were younger. And just a tiny fraction of us — only 10% — can make that claim right now.

Published

4 years ago

January 13, 2020

Stacy M. Brown

Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of those that reported working in the job of their dreams as part of a survey of 2,000 American adults taken by the virtual phone company, TollFreeForwarding, also said that the job lived up to the expectations they placed on it during childhood. (Photo: iStockphoto / NNPA)

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

A common New Year’s tradition is the list of resolutions for the upcoming 365 days. For some the list will be improvement-based, like losing weight or obtaining a new certification. Others may focus on different objectives, like a family vacation or finally saving more for retirement. Whatever items your list contains, all resolutions lists share two things in common: Some of our goals are attainable, others not so much.

If one of your resolutions for the start of the new calendar year is the pursuit of that ever-elusive dream job, you’re not alone. A survey of 2,000 American adults taken by the virtual phone company, TollFreeForwarding, revealed that only about 24% of respondents will ever get to become what they wanted to be when they were younger. And just a tiny fraction of us — only 10% — can make that claim right now.

Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of those that reported working in the job of their dreams, also said that the job lived up to the expectations they placed on it during childhood.

Of the remaining 76 percent that have never experienced working in their dream job or profession, over a third (39 percent) say they regret not pursuing their aspirations further. When asked to identify the most significant factor in never achieving those childhood dreams, 34 percent said that they “don’t have the required skill set or knowledge.”

Other significant factors include “financial constraints,” (16 percent of respondents) and “I prioritized raising a family” (10 percent). Putting family first was significantly more prevalent among women, with 14 percent selecting it compared to just 3 percent of men.

The survey also discovered significant differences in the aspirations of men and women during childhood. Women were much more inclined to select caregiving and public service-related jobs – with teacher, doctor/nurse, and veterinarian making up the top three.

Science and engineering are among the most male-dominated industries, and video gaming has long been stereotyped as a male-oriented profession.

“These statistics say something about the differences between men and women, and how different upbringings influence what we want to do when we grow up,” researchers concluded.

The survey noted that public service jobs, teachers, doctors, and nurses were the most popular childhood dream jobs of respondents. Those were followed by actors, athletes, writers, and musicians. Scientists and lawyers also made the top 10.

While those initial dreams may have changed significantly by the time that we achieve our high school or college diploma, it’s common for Americans to wake up one morning, get dressed for work, and realize that our work leaves us unfulfilled.

“Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work, driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for, in order to get to a job that you need so you can pay for the clothes, car and the house that you leave empty all day in order to afford to live in it,” said Ellen Goodman.

For African Americans, who are often still either the first or among the very few in their family to achieve an advanced degree, the current job or career path can have nothing in common the career they envisioned when they walked across the stage to accept the diploma.

However, a few have adopted the long-held belief that doing work that we love — work that actually makes us happy — has benefits that far outweigh the financial rewards.

In the TollFreeForwarding survey, researchers noted the rise of digital technology and social media, which they said had formed a new type of celebrity. As children head for YouTube and video games such as Fortnite for entertainment, they search for idols that align with these interests, according to the researchers.

“My dream job was to work in social services with children and families,” said Karen Akpan, a content creator for TheMomTrotter.com, a website that shares budget travel tips, homeschooling life experiences, and parenting information.

“I graduated from college with my Bachelor’s degree and couldn’t find a job to pay me over $12 an hour,” Akpan stated.

“I then decided to go back for my Master’s Degree, hoping that it would help. Unfortunately, I still wasn’t making more than $12.50 an hour or so and, living in California, that was torture.”

Akpan decided to start writing about travel and how she and her family were able to travel on points and miles. She said that’s worked out well despite lots of student loan debt, the economy, and not getting paid the wages she believed she deserved.

“Little did I know that I was going to be able to turn my passion into profit. I absolutely love what I do know,” Akpan stated.

Robert Remak, who co-founded the men’s attire website, ArtoftheGent.com, said while in college, he dreamed of being a CEO of a Fortune 500 company. That dream became deferred when Remak said he realized that he didn’t want to become a part of an already established corporate culture filled with inequality.

“I wanted to create positive change in the overall corporate culture,” Remak stated. “My purpose for wanting to be a CEO was to prove to the world by example that, if you truly put your employees first, you will become more profitable in the long term. Not squeezing out as much production from each employee and measuring them against rigid key performance indicators,” he added.

“My dream job when I finished high school was going to med school. My dream job when I finished college was to be a nurse practitioner or physician assistant,” said author and public speaker, Lisa Swift-Young.

While neither of those dreams became a reality, Swift-Young said she did marry, and she now has two adult children.

“My daughter and I run a business together, and I published a book. So, although my dream of becoming a physician didn’t come true, I feel like in a lot of ways, I was able to give back,” Swift-Young stated.

“I think we’re fairly stable. We’ve both been employed consistently with ups and downs, but we are definitely in a position where we should be able to retire before the age of retirement. So, my dream job didn’t come true, but my dream life, I’m living it.”

Stacy M. Brown

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IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, activist Ramona Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.
The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Once upon a time, Black Americans were simply known as colored people, or Negroes. That is until Ramona Edelin came along. The activist, renowned for her pivotal roles in advancing civil rights, education reform, and community empowerment, died at her D.C. residence last month at the age of 78. Her death, finally confirmed this week by Barnaby Towns, a communications strategist who collaborated with Dr. Edelin, was attributed to cancer.

Born on September 4, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Edelin’s early years were marked by a commitment to education and social justice. According to her HistoryMakers biography, after graduating from Fisk University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1967, she pursued further studies at the University of East Anglia in England. She earned her master’s degree before completing her Ph.D. at Boston University in 1981.

Edelin’s contributions to academia and activism were manifold. She was pivotal in popularizing the term “African American” alongside Rev. Jesse L. Jackson in the late 1980s.

Jackson had announced the preference for “African American,” speaking for summit organizers that included Dr. Edelin. “Just as we were called Colored, but were not that, and then Negro, but not that, to be called Black is just as baseless,” he said, adding that “African American” “has cultural integrity” and “puts us in our proper historical context.”

Later, Edelin told Ebony magazine, “Calling ourselves African Americans is the first step in the cultural offensive,” while linking the name change to a “cultural renaissance” in which Black Americans reconnected with their history and heritage.

“Who are we if we don’t acknowledge our motherland?” she asked later. “When a child in a ghetto calls himself African American, immediately he’s international. You’ve taken him from the ghetto and put him on the globe.”

The HistoryMakers bio noted that Edelin’s academic pursuits led her to found and chair the Department of African American Studies at Northeastern University, where she established herself as a leading voice.

Transitioning from academia to advocacy, Edelin joined the National Urban Coalition in 1977, eventually ascending to president and CEO. During her tenure, she spearheaded initiatives such as the “Say Yes to a Youngster’s Future” program, which provided crucial support in math, science, and technology to youth and teachers of color in urban areas. Her biography noted that Edelin’s efforts extended nationwide through partnerships with organizations like the National Science Foundation and the United States Department of Education.

President Bill Clinton recognized Edelin’s expertise by appointing her to the Presidential Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities in 1998. She also co-founded and served as treasurer of the Black Leadership Forum, solidifying her standing as a respected leader in African American communities.

Beyond her professional achievements, Edelin dedicated herself to numerous boards and committees, including chairing the District of Columbia Educational Goals 2000 Panel and contributing to the Federal Advisory Committee for the Black Community Crusade for Children.

Throughout her life, Edelin received widespread recognition for her contributions. Ebony magazine honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans, and she received prestigious awards such as the Southern Christian Leadership Award for Progressive Leadership and the IBM Community Executive Program Award.

The post IN MEMORIAM: Ramona Edelin, Influential Activist and Education Advocate, Dies at 78 first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.
The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Published

3 weeks ago

April 3, 2024

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

Tennessee State University (TSU), the state’s only public historically Black college and university (HBCU), faces a tumultuous future as Gov. Bill Lee dissolved its board, a move supported by racist conservatives and MAGA Republicans in the Tennessee General Assembly, who follow the lead of the twice-impeached, four-times indicted, alleged sexual predator former President Donald Trump. Educators and others have denounced the move as an attack on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) and a grave setback for higher education.

Critics argue that TSU’s purported financial mismanagement is a manufactured crisis rooted in decades of underinvestment by the state government. They’ve noted that it continues a trend by conservatives and the racist MAGA movement to eliminate opportunities for Blacks in education, corporate America, and the public sector.

Gevin Reynolds, a former speechwriter for Vice President Kamala Harris, emphasizes in an op-ed that TSU’s financial difficulties are not the result of university leadership because a recent audit found no evidence of fraud or malfeasance.

Reynolds noted that the disbanding of TSU’s board is not an isolated incident but part of a broader assault on DE&I initiatives nationwide. Ten states, including Tennessee, have enacted laws banning DE&I policies on college campuses, while governors appointing MAGA loyalists to university trustee positions further undermine efforts to promote inclusivity and equality.

Moreover, recent legislative actions in Tennessee, such as repealing police reform measures enacted after the killing of Tyre Nichols, underscore a troubling trend of undermining local control and perpetuating racist agendas. The new law preventing local governments from restricting police officers’ authority disregards community efforts to address systemic issues of police violence and racial profiling.

The actions echo historical efforts to suppress Black progress, reminiscent of the violent backlash against gains made during the Reconstruction era. President Joe Biden warned during an appearance in New York last month that Trump desires to bring the nation back to the 18th and 19th centuries – in other words, to see, among other things, African Americans back in the chains of slavery, women subservient to men without any say over their bodies, and all voting rights restricted to white men.

The parallels are stark, with white supremacist ideologies used to justify attacks on Black institutions and disenfranchise marginalized communities, Reynolds argued.

In response to these challenges, advocates stress the urgency of collective action to defend democracy and combat systemic racism. Understanding that attacks on institutions like TSU are symptomatic of broader threats to democratic norms, they call for increased civic engagement and voting at all levels of government.

The actions of people dedicated to upholding the principles of inclusivity, equity, and justice for all will determine the outcome of the ongoing fight for democracy, Reynolds noted. “We are in a war for our democracy, one whose outcome will be determined by every line on every ballot at every precinct,” he stated.

The post Tennessee State University Board Disbanded by MAGA Loyalists as Assault on DE&I Continues first appeared on BlackPressUSA.

Stacy M. Brown

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Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy

May 24, 2023 – Walker West Music Academy gets an early start on expansion. Join us for a Wednesday episode of The …
The post Braxton Haulcy and the Expansion of Walker|West Music Academy first appeared on BlackPressUSA.