When I was in high school, I knew exactly what I wanted to be. A doctor of physical therapy ... It was a short-lived dream. I learned quickly that I hate science. More than one biology course at a time had me pulling out my hair, and the only things I accomplished in Chemistry 102 were two lab assignments and barely passing a few tests – and breaking two crucibles and a bunsen burner.

Sound advice still sticks in my mind. “Do what you love to do first and the money will follow,” someone once told me. I wish I could credit the wise man on the mountain who said this but unfortunately, names don’t stick as well as good advice, just like nobody knows the name of who told them never to stick a finger in an electrical outlet.

Everyone has their dream job, one they envision from the early days of grade school all the way to their pursuit of higher education – should that be the path they choose, of course. Unfortunately, as with everything in life, even dream jobs come with a trade-off, usually one that pits dreams against lifestyle choice and reality. The perfect dream job is fun, manageable, one that jolts you out of bed in the morning, even on those cold, dark January mornings ... and subsequently, it tends to be low-paying. Very low paying, and that’s if your dream job is actually a real job. When’s the last time you heard of video game tester gone big time?

If the pay isn’t enough to kill one’s search for a dream job, the likelihood of actually finding such a job is. The online professional networking site LinkedIn conducted a depressing survey last November that asked more than 8,000 professionals if they had landed their dream job. According to the survey, only 30 percent believed they had found their true calling, the one that makes them happy. Only 30 percent.