The dream job: why it could be as elusive as your soul mate

Name: The Dream Job.

Age: It's been around since hunter-gatherers started grumbling at the thought of get into the slash-and-burn farming game.

Appearance: Elusive, to say the least.

What is the dream job? It depends on your ambitions and interests, but surveys show that for most workers this would include flexible hours, new challenges every day, not being stuck behind a desk, an opportunity to travel abroad and the freedom to bring your pet to work.

So… lion tamer. Yes, although some people don't like to wear a uniform.

So what else? Overall, the most frequently used jobs to complete the search term "how to be a..." are pilot, writer, dancer, and YouTuber.

And How take to obtain one of these optimal situations? Overall, it's not.

Why not? Because the dream job doesn't really exist.

Who says? Survey respondents. According to a new study, 46% of working adults said they thought their dream job didn't exist.

Not even a majority then . No, but 71% admitted they weren't in their dream job right now, and 54% don't think they ever will be.

It's a little depressing. Additionally, 41% admitted that their ideal job was probably an unrealistic goal.

Who commissioned this deeply discouraging research? Accor, a French multinational hotel company.

Hospitality? Doesn't that make it an international provider of nightmarish jobs? Not necessarily. Some people like to work in the hospitality industry.

No, they don't. Sixty percent of respondents who worked in hospitality said they were satisfied.

Pretending to like it is part of the job. And one of the top 10 dream job requirements cited by respondents was “the opportunity to make people happy.” Isn't that the point of hospitality?

No, it's about making cocktails for people who are already drunk. Can I ask you what you do for a living?

I perform reconstructive surgery on men who want to reverse their vasectomies. And do you find it rewarding?

Yes, it creates a vas deferens. I see what you did there, unfortunately.

But my dream job is to write jokes for naughty Christmas crackers. I'm afraid we don't have anything like that available at the moment.

Do you want to keep my resume? No.

Say, "Be careful what you want. Unless it's another mojito, I can get it for you right now ."

Don't say, "I fell asleep again! Who knew flying a plane could be so boring?"