Dream Jobs

What’s you dream job? Is it the job you currently hold?

My top dream job is mommy, which I have held for the past 15-and-a-half months. It’s the best. And I like being a newspaper columnist (sounds so cool, doesn’t it?). My main (paying) job is compliance analyst in a soon-to-be-three hospital health system. It’s a good job and has potential, but it’s not quite at “dream” status.

My dreamiest job would be architect. Or professional blogger, not unlike Whitney Matheson, whose day job is the Pop Candy blog on the USA Today website. And I could see myself writing children’s books, but, despite having a couple of great ideas, I haven’t seen myself sit down to write them.

–oOo–

Have you heard about the “dream job” that’s been posted on islandreefjob.com by Tourism Queensland in Australia? The job title is "island caretaker," based on Hamilton Island amid the Great Barrier Reef, and it’s a sweet deal.

The primary job duties for the six-month employment contract are exploring the islands of the Great Barrier Reef and reporting on your adventures to the world (via Tourism Queensland in Brisbane) through a photo diary, weekly blogs, media interviews, and video updates, and additional duties include feeding the fish (“There are over 1,500 species of fish living in the Great Barrier Reef. Don’t worry – you won’t need to feed them all.”), cleaning the pool (“The pool has an automatic filter, but if you happen to see a stray leaf floating on the surface it’s a great excuse to dive in and enjoy a few laps.”), and collecting the mail (“During your explorations, why not join the aerial postal service for a day? It’s a great opportunity to get a bird’s eye view of the reef and islands.”).

Benefits include a $105,000 salary, roundtrip airfare, travel insurance, lodging in a three-bedroom beach home, access to a computer, the Internet, cameras, and digital video, along with travel to a number of the other Great Barrier Reef islands.

Successful applicants will possess “excellent communication skills, good written and verbal English skills, an adventurous attitude, willingness to try new things, a passion for the outdoors, good swimming skills and enthusiasm for snorkeling and/or diving, [and] an ability to engage with others.” Oh yeah, and at least one year’s relevant experience is required.

The application process is pretty simple: submit a 60-second video to demonstrate your knowledge of the Great Barrier Reef islands and sell yourself to them, and then complete the online job application and upload your video. Piece of cake!

Application deadline is February 22nd, after which a short list of eleven candidates, ten of whom will be chosen by Tourism Queensland and one by islandreefjob.com visitors, will be invited to interview in person in Queensland in May. The island caretaker’s employment contract will begin July first.

–oOo–

Sounds like a reality show concept, doesn’t it? Actually it’s a tactic to get Australia’s tourism industry through the current global financial woes.

–oOo–

And on a completely different note…

After getting my hair cut one day last week, I walked out of the salon and noticed their sign. You know one of those big yellow signs with the arrow and lights on top that are usually placed in front to businesses in the worst possible spot, because they block your view of oncoming traffic when you’re trying to pull out of the parking lot? Anyway, their sigh usually has some cute play on words regarding hairstyling or pedicures or skin treatments. That day one side read, “What would you name your hair?”

Decisions, decisions…