Would you rather win the lottery or have the perfect job?

[lifejoy]

I think too many people are assuming that "dream job" still means you would have a boss.

[I'm a red panda]

I think too many people are assuming that "dream job" still means you would have a boss.

Well, in my perfect job, my boss is perfect.  But in my perfect job I also don't have ultimate responsibility of sign off, so I would need a boss.

[Jeddy]

I don't believe in the idea of a perfect job . . . hence my vote.

1.  You're relying on someone else to give you money in any job.  That makes it imperfect for me.  Being able to decide what and when I do whenever I want to do it is very important.

2. I'm limiting my concept of 'perfect job' to reality.  Your example of a perfect job isn't realistic.

3.  I'm assuming that my tastes have changed over time, and will continue to change . . . so what was once a dream job may not be in ten or fifteen years.  Then I'm stuck slogging it out.

4.  I don't need much money to live.  If I were to win a huge lottery amount, I can donate a lot of it to causes I believe in.  I believe that a well run organization with a good injection of cash can do more in many fields than a single person with a good job.  So, I would be able to better effect the world positively.

5.  When you need to work for money, even things you love get tedious.  I used to love programming.  After ten years of mandatory eight hours a day programming stuff . . . meh.  I'm a generalist.  I get interested by different things, spend a lot of energy learning about them and getting better at them, then get to a point where I want to do something else.  Hence why I don't believe that a single dream job exists.

6.  You are assuming that a magical job is the key to happiness.  Sometimes working hard on a problem and solving it is awesome, and does make me happy.  Sometimes hanging out with my son does the same.  Sometimes spending time with family does this (sometimes it does the polar opposite).  Work for pay is not the only path to happiness, and I'm sad for you that you believe this to be the case.

My 2 cents.

This was my reasoning as well - I can't think of a 'perfect job' that is within the realm of reality that I would take over an instant shot of freedom to do whatever I wanted - if the question posed had zero rules, I'd have a job that paid me $10,000 per day to do whatever I want on that day, at that moment, for as long (or as short) as I want on that day with no rules as to what I do day in and day out. That's not realistic and that job doesn't exist.

So my choice of the lottery allows me to actually do that - I can take that X amount of money and put it towards things that interest me - whether that's a job, whether that's a career, whether that's volunteering, golfing, donating it, eating, traveling - whatever. I can change what I want to do at any time. I'm not tied to a boss (working for someone else), or making enough income (being my own boss), or being in the office for X amount of hours per day/week. Instead, I can golf this morning, head to the farmer's market and gather things to eat for lunch, then head out to volunteer my afternoon at a school. Tomorrow I can do that again, or I can do something entirely different. There is no realistic dream job out there that would allow me to do anything and everything that I want, when I want, and allow me to spend as much time with my family as possible - a realistic job, even a dream one, requires rules, time away from family, and stress.

For those of us who chose the lottery, that doesn't mean we don't/wouldn't still follow what this site believes in or are 'materialistic' - I'd wager it brings us closer to what this site emphasizes - the lottery gives the freedom do do what we want - work, volunteer, start a business, hike, bike, garden, cook - it allows the freedom to do any/all/none of those things and allows us to change what we're doing/interested in at any time. I don't see anyone saying 'lottery so I can spend hundreds of millions of dollars on giant mansions, six to eight Ferrari convertibles, lighting Cuban cigars with hundred dollar bills, buying every new electronic that comes to market, and parties with hookers and blow' so I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that those who chose lottery are straying from what this site is all about.

[Sam E]

I think too many people are assuming that "dream job" still means you would have a boss.

Well, in my perfect job, my boss is perfect.  But in my perfect job I also don't have ultimate responsibility of sign off, so I would need a boss.

I feel the same way. Honestly, my ideal job exists pretty low on the totem pole. Just high enough to actually reduce a bit of stress and pay a little more, but not so high that the stress:pay ratio breaks down. I would never want to run a whole department or a company or anything like that. My ideal way to stop having a boss is to retire, not to become a boss myself.

I was actually talking to my mom the other day and she was going on about college and how important it is and how you just have to keep moving up and up or you'll get stuck and be unhappy... I countered back by telling her that I'm already making a lot more money than I actually need and if moving up required a 4 year college degree, I would simply decline to make that move in the first place, especially if the job waiting for me at the end of those 4 years increases my work stress and responsibility beyond what I care to have in my life in the first place. The whole concept simply blew her mind, that I could possibly just be satisfied with what I'm doing and not want to advance and make more money no matter the personal cost.

[forummm]

I think too many people are assuming that "dream job" still means you would have a boss.

If it's a job that pays you money, there's always a boss of some kind. Someone has to be writing those checks. Even if you own your own business, you work for your clients. Even if you are president, you work for every citizen.

[lifejoy]

I think too many people are assuming that "dream job" still means you would have a boss.

If it's a job that pays you money, there's always a boss of some kind. Someone has to be writing those checks. Even if you own your own business, you work for your clients. Even if you are president, you work for every citizen.

Touché!

[Rural]

Lottery, definitely. Assuming a significant win, not a $10 scratch-off, of course.


Any significant lottery win would get us to FI, which gives us both the freedom to do what we want, up to and including seeking out/ making the perfect job for ourselves or (in my case) making a few adjustments to make the job I have perfect.


Finding a perfect job means I have to do just that one thing, and no matter how much I might love it, that's not freedom. I'd rather be free to choose the perfect job, and besides, the lottery win would be freedom for both me and my husband, whereas my having a perfect job affects him only peripherally.


One more thing: I'm of an age I can see clearly what some of you may not see for a few more years - I am not guaranteed the ability to work for an indefinite period of time. A disability, or even a serious injury or extended illness that I eventually recover from, puts a bit of a kink into that perfect job.


I don't think this is a choice between being rich or making a difference. This is a choice between freedom or the lack of freedom. I'm very surprised that anyone on a site like this would choose not to be free.

[davisgang90]

I'm conflicted because my dream job is spending my lottery winnings...

[rightdecisions]

I feel like this question really boils down to whether you'd rather be rich or be happy, and you're all choosing rich?

This is easy.....I would rather be rich.....b/c i know what comes automatically after that....happy

[redbird]

I wouldn't want to win the lottery, honestly. Lottery winners' names are public record. I feel like that would raise your chances of people trying to steal your identity, because you are now known by the public for having money.

To me, the perfect job *is* financial independence. I don't think I would ever truly be happy at any job. I'm not saying that even after I early retire I'll never do side jobs. I probably will. However, it would be more as a hobby that has the benefit of some money on the side. Meaning I can stop doing it at any time if I get bored or stressed out over it, and not be forced to continue for reasons of putting food on the table.

[Pooperman]

Lottery. The perfect job doesn't allow me to put a lot of money towards the causes I care about. At least not as much money as winning the lottery would. The lottery also means instant freedom, which is pretty nice.

[Caoineag]

My first instinct is to choose lottery because like most people here I am limiting a perfect job to reality in my mind (Freedom versus lack of freedom was my immediate translation). That is a little unfair because I am not doing the same to the lottery. I don't play the lottery. Even if someone gave me free money to gamble with, I still wouldn't play the lottery. I also wouldn't want my name to be public record. Setting that criteria that way, I would have to choose perfect job and just have to hope it paid enough to speed up my FIRE path while making the journey more pleasant.

Course I am also one of those people who needs my bases covered before I am even willing to dream. Once I have earned my financial independence, I am willing to consider dream work but not before. Too pragmatic and I like having enough money for food and paying the bills.

[SemiFruggal]

Can we talk about freedom for a minute?  We willingly give up freedom all the time.  I would never want to be free of obligations to my friends and family, most of which (wife, kid, all friends) I entered into willingly.

Likewise, if I thought I could do a good job as center fielder of the Boston Red Sox, I would gladly give up my freedom in exchange for obligations to teammates and fans.  If I thought I could increase the effectiveness of Doctors Without Borders I would give up a large portion of my freedom.  Your dreams of course will and should vary.

In my own life, I've felt the pull of lack of freedom from some of my jobs with no regrets.  As a sports coach, as a teacher, I have gladly taken on obligations to teams and to students, and I have no regrets.  I've often said that as a math teacher my dream job would involve quitting my current job, then getting a new job teaching math - to fewer students who were more motivated, where I had more freedom from administrators and regulations.  I yearn for more freedom in my profession, but wouldn't want complete freedom from obligations to my students, society, etc.

The money vs. freedom argument hinges here: would you want to take it to the extreme, and buy freedom from literally everything?  I'm guessing not.  And I believe that the "perfect" job limits freedom in ways that increase fulfillment.  And the perfect job pays a salary that is far more than I really need anyway.

[forummm]

I feel like this question really boils down to whether you'd rather be rich or be happy, and you're all choosing rich?

This is easy.....I would rather be rich.....b/c i know what comes automatically after that....happy

Sol's point is that being rich does not necessarily equal being happy. You have to be the kind of person to be happy with what you have, whatever that is. Sol's point is that people are happy by doing things. You may not be the same though.

[forummm]

Can we talk about freedom for a minute?  We willingly give up freedom all the time.  I would never want to be free of obligations to my friends and family, most of which (wife, kid, all friends) I entered into willingly.

Likewise, if I thought I could do a good job as center fielder of the Boston Red Sox, I would gladly give up my freedom in exchange for obligations to teammates and fans.  If I thought I could increase the effectiveness of Doctors Without Borders I would give up a large portion of my freedom.  Your dreams of course will and should vary.

In my own life, I've felt the pull of lack of freedom from some of my jobs with no regrets.  As a sports coach, as a teacher, I have gladly taken on obligations to teams and to students, and I have no regrets.  I've often said that as a math teacher my dream job would involve quitting my current job, then getting a new job teaching math - to fewer students who were more motivated, where I had more freedom from administrators and regulations.  I yearn for more freedom in my profession, but wouldn't want complete freedom from obligations to my students, society, etc.

The money vs. freedom argument hinges here: would you want to take it to the extreme, and buy freedom from literally everything?  I'm guessing not.  And I believe that the "perfect" job limits freedom in ways that increase fulfillment.  And the perfect job pays a salary that is far more than I really need anyway.

I think the idea is the freedom to choose what you get indebted to. If being a center fielder is your thing, then you would choose to do that. A more practical example is being a tutor/mentor for low-income children. That probably doesn't pay anything, and you would probably feel an obligation to help them for a longer period of time. But having FI would let you have the freedom to make those commitments. With FI you are free to not be committed to your current job or a similar job just for the cash.

[smalllife]

The way I see it, the lottery allows me the chance for the perfect job without worrying about the paycheck attached.  By definition, my perfect job doesn't pay me much money (it's about sharing information and decreasing costs - for which a high salary is counter intuitive).   The ideal job would be great, but in my case it wouldn't provide a living, much less FI.  FI, aka lottery, gives me the chance to do that job AND to have food on my plate.  I also want to do multiple things, which is not "a" job.  Therefore, the lottery allows me both while the ideal job would only be a partial success.

[zephyr911]

I wasn't sure which subtopic was most appropriate for this post, but I chose Share Your Badassity because what the hell.

At my workplace, we have a staff meeting every month, facilitated by rotating staff member volunteers. One of the items on the agenda is always "Getting To Know You," where the facilitator poses a question and everyone in the room answers it. At our last meeting, the question was the thread subject: "Would you rather win the lottery or have the perfect job?"

I admit my first instinct was "win the lottery," because, after all, we're all striving for FI, and the lottery would accomplish that and would free me to fill my life as I pleased. But the more I thought about it, the more I disliked that answer. It seemed like cheating. Not only that, but on reflection, I realized that winning the lottery would actually not make me truly any happier than I am now. I mean, I'm going to be FI in a handful of years regardless. But the "perfect job" - one that was meaningful to me, enjoyable, populated by cool colleagues, part time, no commute - that actually *would* make me happier than I am now. So that was my answer.

I found this reassuring. I think it means the "not worshipping money" path is the right one for me.

Oh and yes, nearly everyone answered with the lottery. I was surprised that a couple of people (out of about 25) did not.


p.s. The time I facilitated the meeting, my "getting to know you" question was Cheese or Beer?. EVERY SINGLE PERSON answered "cheese." Personally, I thought the question was harder than that.

To me, having the perfect job right now would be the ultimate stroke of luck. Better than winning the lottery.
After fumbling around for a decade-plus and squandering all the advantages of free college, no loans, and immediate employment with minimal breaks, I finally got my shit together in my early 30s and started building a real investment portfolio. I thought at first that I just wanted to get rich and quit working. Along the way, I realized how much I love working - IF the work is inspiring and meaningful to me.
I've realized - now at age 36 - that I will work for decades after I reach FI because there are things I care about that are worth working for, paycheck or no paycheck. So I'm not working, saving and investing to goof off, I'm working to be able to do work I love. If I were doing work I loved, the money wouldn't matter at this point. Just leaving my investments alone - not even adding anything - would make me a millionaire by age 50-55. So assuming that this perfect job involves taking home enough to live on (a threshold that keeps dropping the longer I hang around here and incorporate what I learn) - then I'd take it today.

I mean, if I won the lottery, all I'd do is pay off all our debt, invest the rest, and go looking for my perfect job anyway. I'd invent it if I had to, using the lottery funds. So picking the job in this case, for me, just means skipping a step to my desired end state. >.<

[rightdecisions]

I feel like this question really boils down to whether you'd rather be rich or be happy, and you're all choosing rich?

This is easy.....I would rather be rich.....b/c i know what comes automatically after that....happy

Sol's point is that being rich does not necessarily equal being happy. You have to be the kind of person to be happy with what you have, whatever that is. Sol's point is that people are happy by doing things. You may not be the same though.

For me...rich is happiness.    I am kind.  And I do things.

If I had more money...I could be kinder and do more things.

[EscapeVelocity2020]

Maybe it would help if people took a step back and also thought about who they would be more happy spending the rest of their life associating with - a person who has a perfect job, or a person that won the lottery. 

I suspect a lot of 'mega jackpot' winners lose their social circle pretty quickly (within a year), whereas I doubt that would happen with a really happy and successful employee / business owner.

[magnuminator]

Lottery! 

Living Seattle irritates me more with every passing day, while my wife still likes it.  With our lottery proceeds we could split our time equitably between "San Franwishco" and somewhere that wouldn't grate on me so.

I suppose that a completely imaginary dream job might involve just such an arrangement, there are bound to be other drawbacks.  While being in charge of clearing mines in Africa would be worthwhile and rewarding, almost any organized human project will devolve into a quagmire of meetings and memos at some point.  No thank you!

[smalllife]

Maybe it would help if people took a step back and also thought about who they would be more happy spending the rest of their life associating with - a person who has a perfect job, or a person that won the lottery. 

I suspect a lot of 'mega jackpot' winners lose their social circle pretty quickly (within a year), whereas I doubt that would happen with a really happy and successful employee / business owner.

To me that reads "when FI, the social circle will be lost pretty quickly", which I don't think is the case.  I'm thinking of lottery as "instant FI" - how is that any different that reaching it after x many years of work?

[dude]

For me, the "perfect job" would be like not working at all because the job is its own reward.  In other words, the perfect job is doing EXACTLY what makes you happy.  The lottery, on the other hand, has a very poor track record of making people happy. In fact, it seems most regret ever winning it, usually after they've gone stone broke trying to meet everyone else's demands for their money ("hey, it's not like you earned it, so spread the wealth!").  Also, in my vision of the perfect job, it would pay me enough to retire comfortably from the job at a fairly early age.

But I can see the skepticism re: envisioning the perfect job (though for me, Anthony Bourdain's comes pretty close!) because they really do seem as rare as unicorns.  But if you suspend disbelief and just assume that this "job" is truly fulfilling and "perfect," I think the choice becomes clearer.

And for god's sake, beer!  Of course beer!

[GuitarStv]

It's a bit silly to look at the track record of lottery winners as being indicative of what someone with their head screwed on straight would do with the money.  Lotto winners tend to have a poor track record with money because they're playing the lottery . . . which means that they're not very good with money or statistics to begin with.

[Rural]

It's a bit silly to look at the track record of lottery winners as being indicative of what someone with their head screwed on straight would do with the money.  Lotto winners tend to have a poor track record with money because they're playing the lottery . . . which means that they're not very good with money or statistics to begin with.

+1.


I stand to inherit more than we need for FI one horrible day. I've got to  have my head screwed on straight about sudden large lump sums I didn't earn, now, because god knows I won't be in any shape to get it screwed on right when that happens.

[Pooperman]

It's a bit silly to look at the track record of lottery winners as being indicative of what someone with their head screwed on straight would do with the money.  Lotto winners tend to have a poor track record with money because they're playing the lottery . . . which means that they're not very good with money or statistics to begin with.

+1.


I stand to inherit more than we need for FI one horrible day. I've got to  have my head screwed on straight about sudden large lump sums I didn't earn, now, because god knows I won't be in any shape to get it screwed on right when that happens.

I'm also in your position. I should already be FI, but it won't be great when my parents die. I don't tend to cry much or whatever, but it'll bother me. Can't predict though since it's never happened.

On the other hand, multi-generational stealth wealth for the win.

[Cpa Cat]

Regarding lottery winners: There's a lottery in every state of the USA every single week.

Not everyone wins 200 million dollars. But plenty of people win 5, 10, 20, or even 50 million without causing a blip on the news reel.

While the imploded lives of lottery winners serve as an interesting cautionary tale... I have a feeling that statistically speaking, they represent the minority. The vast majority of lottery winners probably go on to live happy, fruitful lives.

[forummm]

Regarding lottery winners: There's a lottery in every state of the USA every single week.

Not everyone wins 200 million dollars. But plenty of people win 5, 10, 20, or even 50 million without causing a blip on the news reel.

While the imploded lives of lottery winners serve as an interesting cautionary tale... I have a feeling that statistically speaking, they represent the minority. The vast majority of lottery winners probably go on to live happy, fruitful lives.

Here's a study of smaller dollar winners. The larger the prize, the more likely they go bankrupt in 3-5 years. Not the same necessarily as being a mega winner. But I've seen a lot of profiles of mega winners that went bankrupt too.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1324845

[Cpa Cat]

Regarding lottery winners: There's a lottery in every state of the USA every single week.

Not everyone wins 200 million dollars. But plenty of people win 5, 10, 20, or even 50 million without causing a blip on the news reel.

While the imploded lives of lottery winners serve as an interesting cautionary tale... I have a feeling that statistically speaking, they represent the minority. The vast majority of lottery winners probably go on to live happy, fruitful lives.

Here's a study of smaller dollar winners. The larger the prize, the more likely they go bankrupt in 3-5 years. Not the same necessarily as being a mega winner. But I've seen a lot of profiles of mega winners that went bankrupt too.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1324845

"This paper examines whether giving large cash transfers to financially distressed people causes them to avoid bankruptcy. A comparison of Florida Lottery winners who randomly received $50,000 to $150,000 to small winners indicates that such transfers only postpone bankruptcy rather than prevent it, a result inconsistent with the negative shock model of bankruptcy. Furthermore, the large winners who subsequently filed for bankruptcy had similar net assets and unsecured debt as small winners. Thus, our findings suggest that skepticism regarding the long-term impact of cash transfers may be warranted."

The study specifically focuses on giving relatively small amounts of money to financially distressed people.

If I have to choose between being financially distressed + receiving $150k or having my dream job - I'm choosing dream job, hands down.

[dude]

It's a bit silly to look at the track record of lottery winners as being indicative of what someone with their head screwed on straight would do with the money.  Lotto winners tend to have a poor track record with money because they're playing the lottery . . . which means that they're not very good with money or statistics to begin with.

Perhaps, but I really do think the qualitative difference centers around HOW the money was gotten.  Family, friends, strangers are far more likely to hit you up for a piece of that money because it's money you didn't earn/didn't have yesterday, and there's a sense that you should spread it around.  I don't think that's the case with money one has worked hard to earn.  From what I've read of lottery winners, it's that aspect of winning that makes them so unhappy (many say they wish they'd never won).  Sure, they piss through it, but it seems the real unhappiness comes from the damage to their personal relationships as a result of their newfound wealth.

[MgoSam]

Lottery, I would prefer to have bought the ticket in a state that believes in privacy. Alas, mine does not....yet.

[Sam E]

It's a bit silly to look at the track record of lottery winners as being indicative of what someone with their head screwed on straight would do with the money.  Lotto winners tend to have a poor track record with money because they're playing the lottery . . . which means that they're not very good with money or statistics to begin with.

Perhaps, but I really do think the qualitative difference centers around HOW the money was gotten.  Family, friends, strangers are far more likely to hit you up for a piece of that money because it's money you didn't earn/didn't have yesterday, and there's a sense that you should spread it around.  I don't think that's the case with money one has worked hard to earn.  From what I've read of lottery winners, it's that aspect of winning that makes them so unhappy (many say they wish they'd never won).  Sure, they piss through it, but it seems the real unhappiness comes from the damage to their personal relationships as a result of their newfound wealth.

If I won the lottery I would gladly spread that wealth around. First to my family, then to close friends, leave enough for myself to invest and retire, then donate the rest to causes I believe in. I would also make that last part very public so everyone thinks I donated all my money to charity and strangers don't try to hurt me up for cash.

[GuitarStv]

It's a bit silly to look at the track record of lottery winners as being indicative of what someone with their head screwed on straight would do with the money.  Lotto winners tend to have a poor track record with money because they're playing the lottery . . . which means that they're not very good with money or statistics to begin with.

Perhaps, but I really do think the qualitative difference centers around HOW the money was gotten.  Family, friends, strangers are far more likely to hit you up for a piece of that money because it's money you didn't earn/didn't have yesterday, and there's a sense that you should spread it around.  I don't think that's the case with money one has worked hard to earn.  From what I've read of lottery winners, it's that aspect of winning that makes them so unhappy (many say they wish they'd never won).  Sure, they piss through it, but it seems the real unhappiness comes from the damage to their personal relationships as a result of their newfound wealth.

If I won the lottery I would gladly spread that wealth around. First to my family, then to close friends, leave enough for myself to invest and retire, then donate the rest to causes I believe in. I would also make that last part very public so everyone thinks I donated all my money to charity and strangers don't try to hurt me up for cash.

I need about 500-800k more to retire and live happily ever after.  Assuming what, 10-20 million for a lottery winning there should be more than enough to go around to every person I know and to give to a wide range of charities.  The fact that I wouldn't get a different car, different house, or any new possessions would probably help to keep my relationships with others on the same path.

[Pooperman]

It's a bit silly to look at the track record of lottery winners as being indicative of what someone with their head screwed on straight would do with the money.  Lotto winners tend to have a poor track record with money because they're playing the lottery . . . which means that they're not very good with money or statistics to begin with.

Perhaps, but I really do think the qualitative difference centers around HOW the money was gotten.  Family, friends, strangers are far more likely to hit you up for a piece of that money because it's money you didn't earn/didn't have yesterday, and there's a sense that you should spread it around.  I don't think that's the case with money one has worked hard to earn.  From what I've read of lottery winners, it's that aspect of winning that makes them so unhappy (many say they wish they'd never won).  Sure, they piss through it, but it seems the real unhappiness comes from the damage to their personal relationships as a result of their newfound wealth.

If I won the lottery I would gladly spread that wealth around. First to my family, then to close friends, leave enough for myself to invest and retire, then donate the rest to causes I believe in. I would also make that last part very public so everyone thinks I donated all my money to charity and strangers don't try to hurt me up for cash.

I need about 500-800k more to retire and live happily ever after.  Assuming what, 10-20 million for a lottery winning there should be more than enough to go around to every person I know and to give to a wide range of charities.  The fact that I wouldn't get a different car, different house, or any new possessions would probably help to keep my relationships with others on the same path.

Or to put this another way, GuitarStv + lottery = GuitarStv + lottery.

[sisto]

I don't think the perfect job really exists for me so I'd prefer to win the lottery, won't happen though because I don't play. But if I did win, I'd create myself the perfect job. I'd probably start some sort of a non profit to help people in some way.

[Daisy]

I thought we were all about FIRE on this forum. So I thought most would pick win the lottery because it takes you instantly to FI. It doesn't have to be a mega-million lottery win either. Some lottery winnings are in the $200k-500k range.

So the reasons for winning the lottery, for me at least, are exactly the same as for obtaining FIRE. It gives me the freedom to do what I want, when I want, for how long I want, and as varied as I want. Or to do nothing at all - if by nothing you can include reading, meditating on the beach, keeping myself healthy through good cooking and exercise - no perfect job will give me that.

I still think you're all missing the point.  Money doesn't buy happiness.  Happiness derives from the things that you do, not the things that you have, and a job is by definition about doing things.

I disagree. Happiness comes from contentment, not from things that you do. Someone mentioned on another thread that FIRE means one can focus on who they are, not what they do. I found that very enlightening.

Some of you have suggested that you would hate any job because you think "job" entails a rigid schedule and an annoying boss.  Why is that?  Just lack of imagination?  Owning your own company is a job without a boss or a schedule.  You can pay other people to do all of the parts of the job you don't like.  You collect the big paychecks at the end.

It's either lack of imagination, or having been in the workforce long enough to know that a job does require a schedule and boss. Someone eventually is behind writing you that check to do the work you were hired to do and you need to fulfill those obligations. Even if you have your own business you are still beholden to your customers and/or the shareholders to provide value.

Think of an artist hired to do work. Is it a perfect job? Are they free to paint whatever they want? Sure...but not if they are trying to sell their work. At some point, they need to paint what customers want or they will not make any money.

Sometimes I think the people that post on these forums and say they will continue to work after FI tend to be the people just starting out in the workforce, and haven't been tired out by the grind of working full time for 20 years. Perfect job? Sounds way too idealistic.

In some cases, a job provides the context for the things that you do.  To extend the TV watching analogy above, a lottery winner can still watch TV all day but only a professionally employed TV watcher can watch tv all day and then get to decide which shows get cancelled or continued.  If what you really care about is television, owning a TV network (yes, that's a real job) provides you with the platform to make your dream more meaningful. 

Professionally employed TV watcher???? Like some other posters said, let's keep this perfect job description in the realm of reality.

That kind of thing applies to most fantasies that people have.  I'm still struggling to think of a dream/hobby that isn't improved by the right kind of job.

Meditation, self-directed art work, helping those in need, time for reflection and prayer...so many things to list that are not "job" related, yet could be focused more in one's life if FIREd or a (responsible) lottery winner.

[kite]

Perfect job.  I kind of have it, which is why I haven't pulled the FIRE thing yet.

[Cougar]

 I would choose lottery and cheese.

 Cheese because it makes so many things better. Try having grilled toast and beer over grilled cheese, it's no contest.

 I choose lottery because I don't believe there is the perfect job. if youre a guitar player there will be gigs you really don't want to do but have to, if youre a pilot; there's going to be some flight schedules you don't like.

 If you win the lottery, you can train for the perfect job if you have a passion for something and do it by your rules.

[Elderwood17]

I would pick lottery.  My perfect job is volunteer related essentially, so the lottery would give me freedom to pursue that all I wanted.   But since I don't play the lottery.......

[Cookie]

I would pick the lottery for sure. I would never have to work unless I wanted to, which is a dream job in itself.

Also, I think If I had loads of money, I would try out several different jobs just for fun. Some jobs that sound fun to me include: fashion designer, coffee shop owner, running a small farm that teaches others how to garden and has a close connection to soup kitchens.

All of these may be my dream job forever or just a few months. I think having the lottery would be fun so I can try them all out!

[iknowiyam]

Part-time job and cheese.  :D

[EndlessJourney]

I'd pick a "perfect job" as well.

Because the perfect job for me is to be doing what I want, when I want to, not having to answer to anyone *and* getting paid (lots of) money to do it.

Rather than just doing nothing and getting money for it  - which is what a lottery is.

The way I look at it, so many people are looking for purpose in life. Retirees often go back to work even if they don't have to, because of boredom and lack of direction. If someone were to find you that purpose, that "perfect job" that you would love to do even if you weren't getting paid for it... well, that would be the Holy Grail for a lot of folks, wouldn't it?

[alleykat]

I would pick the lotto for sure. Instant FI and the ability to be free of "having" to work.  I don't really care about the money in and of itself, just the freedom it represents.

However, as someone else has said, I would choose happiness and love above all else.  To me, that would be all the rich I need.

[Pigeon]

Lottery and cheese.

I work at a job I like a great deal most of the time.  It's the best job I've ever had.  I'm not going to retire early by the standards of this board.  It's already too late for that and I'll have kids in college for the next six years.  I also want to have a relatively spendypants retirement.

At this point, I'm getting kind of tired of working.  It would be lovely to not have to leave the house if I didn't feel like it and to devote time that I don't have now to various other interests.  I live in a place that has long, cold winters and it would be blissful to not have to deal with driving and going out if I didn't want to.  While in theory the perfect job would involve telecommuting, with the kind of work I do, there aren't jobs like that.

Not having ever purchased a lottery ticket in my entire life, I'm not worried much about having the choice.

[clarkfan1979]

I don't play the lottery because I believe that my life would be ruined if I did win. My family are big lottery players and not very good with money. If anyone in the family did win the lottery there would be intense competition to try to get as much money from the winner as possible and come up with a creative reason on why they deserve so much money. The family would spend most of their time arguing over how much each person is due. After everything is settled some family members would not speak with one another anymore because they were screwed, even thought they might have gotten a check for 100,000. After the 100,000 is gone in 2-3 years they will most likely ask for more money. When the winner says no, they will no longer speak with the winner because the winner is considered greedy.

[GatewayTwo]

So, cheese, for one.

Then there is the harder question.  I rephrased it a little bit.  In MMM terms, what is being asked is:  If a Magical Genie of Good Luck and Awesomeness came out of a lamp and gave you a choice, which would you prefer: Being FIRE or SWAMI?

Because Lotto = Instant FIRE, and Dream Job = Instant SWAMI.

And between those two, I would have a hard time choosing.

P.S.  I think this genie would have a mustache of epic proportions.

[KittyCat]

I think one key to keeping something a passion is to keep it your choice to do it. At least for many people. Sam's computer anecdote is one example. My dad builds things but hates it when my mom asks him to build things. My job is another example where it was something I had (and still have) interest in, but now my mindset is altered by knowing how difficult it is to get anything done, and all the obstacles that stand in my way, and having to be distracted by all the overhead and then already being tired by the time I get to the part I enjoy. While it may not be realistic, people see money as a way to avoid a lot of the stuff they don't want to do and focus on what the do want to do. I also think it's important that we still do at least some of the stuff we don't want to do in order to keep us from getting to soft and lazy and disconnected from the reality of others.

Keeping my passion a choice rather than an obligation is certainly the key for me- many people have asked me why I don't take up computer maintenance/repair as a career, and that'd be why. I enjoy building and fixing computers and helping others with computer issues. I also enjoy utilizing Excel to solve problems or facilitate something. However, as soon as it becomes something I have to do rather than something I want to do, it becomes a chore for me. Adding to that, I don't actually have any one job that I really desire... I'd pick lottery winnings. Maybe I'll still work for kicks, or maybe I'll start engrossing myself in my hobbies more often and/or picking up more, but the important part is that the lottery winnings will allow me the choice.

[sol]

Keeping my passion a choice rather than an obligation is certainly the key

To my ears, this still sounds like an adolescent's fear of responsibility.  It's like saying "I would totally do this for fun but I won't commit to do it tomorrow because what if something more fun comes up?"

Adults have to make these kinds of decisions.  A perfect job shouldn't be a burden, it should be an opportunity to better yourself and your society by applying your talents.  It should be fun.  It may also entail some responsibility, but I don't understand why so many people here are afraid of that.

[KittyCat]

To my ears, this still sounds like an adolescent's fear of responsibility.  It's like saying "I would totally do this for fun but I won't commit to do it tomorrow because what if something more fun comes up?"

Adults have to make these kinds of decisions.  A perfect job shouldn't be a burden, it should be an opportunity to better yourself and your society by applying your talents.  It should be fun.  It may also entail some responsibility, but I don't understand why so many people here are afraid of that.

I hardly fear responsibility. Just as an example, if I fix a friend's computer, many times, I am pretty much on the hook for future help and assistance, but I will still go out of my way to do it. I don't mind it most of the time, but there comes a point where it becomes tedious and no longer enjoyable, whether due to frequency, duration, etc...  Furthermore, when I do anything repeatedly, it becomes a chore, even if it's playing games. What do I find fun that doesn't become a joyless occupation out of repetition? I don't know, and perhaps I may never. Since I don't have any such aspirations, I choose the arbitrary increase in wealth rather instead of the arbitrary job with an arbitrary income.

Also, that's a very stringent definition of a perfect job. What if I want the human race to suffer at my hands or just watch the world burn? The fun factor is still there, and I cannot argue well against the self-bettering (worsening in this case), but it hardly helps society. Perhaps to a less-extreme extent, what if my dream job serves only to better myself without any regard for society?

[AZDude]

The only realistic(sort of) way to get my dream job would be to win the lottery, since my dream job would be me self-employed, but only without the risks and financial worries of starting a business that will most likely never make much of a profit.

[YK-Phil]

Definitely the lottery, although I never bought a ticket in my life. Winning the lottery would allow me to do what I like, which may include seasonal gigs teaching ESL abroad or short stints as a scuba diving instructor.