Are you fantasising about the perfect career?

Think back to when you and I were kids. We used to tell our parents that we wanted to be someone. It's fun to dream about the different careers we might strive for one day, back when the kids we once were saw the world through rose-coloured glasses.

But as I entered adult life, I began to understand the commitment, knowledge, determination, and education required to achieve a dream. We begin to have role models. We can admire actors, idols or businessmen whose businesses are growing and proving success. We also learn that every job, every career has positive and negative aspects. There are things within these roles that will inspire us to get out of bed in the morning, and even bigger are things that will help us get through a project or challenge that's a little more difficult.

Ultimately, what many of us, including me, are looking for when it comes to our dream job or career is first and foremost for personal fulfillment. We want to feel satisfied with what we do, and we want our reasons to go to work in the morning to always outweigh the reasons we don't want to go to work...

Some careers still seem to have strong appeal. Many people fantasize about leaving their jobs to pursue careers that seem to offer deep meaning, like teaching or nonprofit work, or with clear autonomy, like entrepreneurship. While others are attracted to jobs with high status, salaries in excess of 7 figures, and respect from many people.

Still others want to work in broadcasting or publishing, for example, jobs that have a seductive appeal when it comes to being influential and inspiring.

The irony is that perhaps as many people want to get out of these roles as people have to fight to get in.

We go to school, and all we want is to go to college, then get a job, then get married and have children, retire and live the rest of our lives comfortably.

But why do people follow this recipe? Where does uniqueness lie, and for whom?

Regarding career, we are often haunted by the saying "study well to have a good job when you grow up", but think, why should we get a job instead of just going on adventures?

And that's why everyone is career-obsessed. Because in reality, in the end, everyone cares about money. Technically, we don't need money, but because of the way the world is connected, money is everything. And from there, in any industry, it will be very easy to find individuals who do not like the work they do, despite still completing the task from good to excellent.

Maybe you're among the college students who have changed majors. Or perhaps like me, you're lucky enough to pursue a career that's right for you (though sometimes it's unclear whether that's the only path that will last as long as possible). We are all, in pursuit of finding the perfect fit.

But then in the process of striving, I realised that no career is perfect. Instead, I started focusing on finding the "right" thing. Instead of thinking about the great achievements I could achieve, I started thinking about who I wanted to become.

For a long time, we have always had the dream of becoming the best (master) in our field.

To get into writing, I practice writing and reading every day. I am sensitive to every word I see, even if it's just a small message.

To get to the position of software engineer, no one has ever spent less than 12 hours a day just writing code.

But when we try too hard to be good at something, our blind spots get bigger and bigger. We stop looking at things from other perspectives. We cripple our ability to solve new problems if we encounter them for the first time. We stop growing and developing in ways that make us better professionals who can see things in the bigger picture.

In his book Range, David Epstein once argued for the benefits of having a broad career (and life). He discovered that the road to excellence is not paved with perfection. In fact, doing a variety of things gives our brains more reference points, improves our problem-solving abilities, and helps us make more connections. So why are we still searching for the perfect career that fulfills us? I guess the pursuit of perfection is simple. Having a clearly defined destination and steps to get there will make life a lot easier.

Perfection also kills our curiosity. Nurturing creativity requires doing new things (and making mistakes). Not only do we have to give up on finding the perfect career, but we also have to give up on being perfect in general. Venturing down the straight path requires staying in rooms we never thought we belonged in, seizing opportunities to test our patience through detours, and making a lot of mistakes.

What should always be at the forefront of building your career is finding the best opportunity that matches your underlying talents, motivations and interests.

Instead of necessarily pursuing a pre-determined 'passion', broaden your horizons and take a realistic view of your job search, which will both sustain your spirit and grow your career. Develop skills and can allow career-related passions to gradually develop or simply buy you things of value.

So, are you ready to give up perfection?