What makes the perfect Job

Now that most of the people I know have been or are actually employed, work has become one of the main topics (how sad is that?). None of us are 100% happy at work for different reasons.

Recently, too many of my close friends have given up their jobs to travel or improve their english, or have started searching for job opportunities in a different sector and/or country. I particularly also notice some changes in my company which I'm not sure I like and suddenly found myself wondering if this is really what I want to do and where I want to be.

I came up with this list that would make the perfect Job (according to moi):

• The Field - The first of all the matters is the company's field or sector. It should be at least something I'm interested in - something I'd like to read daily news and market movements about. I wouldn't bother to get to know the new trends in power tools for professionals. But I do like the commodities market - In the risk of sounding like a freak, my mind goes wild reading how aluminum is produced, what makes steel prices fluctuate and how does the weather or political issues affect food supply.

• The Tasks - Of course, its not only the field but the department and the corresponding tasks I would be carrying out. I'm quite flexible with the tasks, however - but this is mainly because its my first job. You cannot expect to be taking big decisions after nine months in the company. I guess its more important in this aspect to have a variety of tasks (different projects running at the same time) and to notice increasing responsibility and rising involvement in different stages of the project.

• The Boss - I bet I'm not the only one that dreams of a cute young and single boss sitting day after day just in front of me - That would be so encouraging! However, we can't chose our boss and many times the supervisors we get are assholes, mean and absolutely discouraging. During my first internship I had a boss that made sexist comments about my wardrobe, was steadily making marks on my private life and made me wear heels to pack and unpack hundreds of boxes (among other ridiculous stuff). Now, on the other hand, I really come along well with my manager - we have the same sense of humor, he doesn't consider any question a stupid question and doesn't consider me his competition.

• The City - Here's the tricky one - The City. Almost anything is acceptable as long as you can meet your best friends after work and slag off everything that bothers you with a couple of beers. I guess that's what I'm missing here.... a lot.

• The Company Environment - Ok, this is a pretty broad concept. Herewith I mean not only the fact of having none or hardly any competition among co-workers (I guess this rules out Investment Banks). When the company is young and international - specially when you are working abroad, this is a big plus. This means there would be people in a similar situation as yours and frequent after work get togethers in a pub nearby work. Besides this, the company should encourage its employees to expand their knowledge and improve in their tasks, as well as giving the opportunity to climb up the company ladder.

• The Salary - Let's be honest - money matters. We can't offer our time and effort for free (excluding internships). The salary we get, at least at the beginning of our professional career, will rule our lifestyle. If salaries are too low, you might not be able to afford living abroad or leave the nest. However, realistically, I would not expect a salary that would buy me a porsche after only one year work (this only happens to a few lucky birds, and I don't know anyone personally). It should pay the rent, the food and some travel - then I'm happy.

• The Work vs. Life Balance - I've always been told that as a beginner you have to be willing to park your life for 2 years in order to reach up high and only then start living. This is probably true for any highly competitive sector - from fashion to finance. Of course many of us dream of driving fancy cars or getting back every evening to a nice loft wherever we want to be, but how far should we push ourselves for corporate success?

• On the Go - Probably not everyone will agree with this point and, most likely, I won't agree with it myself in a couple of years. But at this stage, what I want to do is meet people, make contacts, travel by train, plane and car, visit ports, terminals and plants, understand how it works, participate in as much meetings as possible, go to dinners with clients,... - Basically, be somewhere else all the time, which, from my point of view, is the best way to learn.

I've evaluated each of these points and know what I have and what I'm missing - basically the city and a bit of the tasks. I'll do my best to change this - not everything depends on the employer but some on the employee himself.

Maybe I should be more decisive. Maybe I should be more competitive. Maybe I should just shout for it....