I considered telling a long story about hard work and long hours and presentations and research and countless years of paying dues – but WHAT.EVER.

Have you ever known exactly what you wanted to do in your career and you think about it … down the road. In the future. Someday you do exactly what you want.

Well yesterday I walked into a conference room in front of the Executive Director of my company. I pulled out a 30 slide powerpoint presentation that I had meticulously worked on – creating a perfect balance of hard hitting facts and humor.

I called it “What we need, why we need it and why I should be the one to do it.”

No seriously. I did.

I know this was risky. But probably not as risky as the slide where I openly mocked the Executive Director. Which he called me on in the meeting (“Jenny. Are you mocking me?” “Yes.” “Just checking.”). Or as risky as the slide where I presented my qualifications in caps stating “I GOT THE TOOLS! I GOT THE SKILLZ!” Or as risky as the slide where I challenged the Executive Director to google me.

WHO DOES THAT? WHO TELLS DEMANDS THE TOP DOG AT A COMPANY TO GOOGLE THEM ON THE SPOT?

This girl right here.

I ended my presentation with “In conclusion, and in case I haven’t been perfectly clear, THIS is what I want to do as a career and for our company.”

Let’s just say, as soon as I was finished creating the presentation I knew there would be one of two outcomes:

And let’s also just say, I got instantly promoted.

I am actually going to be doing EXACTLY what I’m good at. Exactly what I WANT to do. For a living. Everyday.

Design and Digital Media Specialist. That’s me. ME! DESIGN. AND DIGITAL MEDIA. SPECIALIST. Like officially. Not just me saying that (cause, come on. I am. I just haven’t been AT WORK.)

I am ecstatic. I can’t believe it. I’m living the freakin dream. And it makes me want to give everyone that push that I definitely needed.

Which brings me to this ….

Ask yourself: are you doing what you want to do/what you’re good at/what you’re passionate about? Do you want to be doing something you’re good at/that you’re passionate about? Why aren’t you?

Ten Steps to PWNING Your Way into Your Dream Job.

1.) Make a list. Write down a big giant brainstorming list. Need some help? Start with “My dream job would allow me to …..” or “My dream job would consist of the following …” Equally as important? Make a list “Things I definitely DO NOT want my job to consist of…”

2.) Find a mentor. Or many mentors. Over the past few months I’ve looked to, talked to, asked advice from the people who I personally and professionally admire. Not only has their advice been extremely helpful, but they’re the ones who have encouraged me – pushed me – to take the next step. (Matti S, Jean, Matty B, Ben … I can’t thank you enough.)

3.) Figure out if you’re at the right company to make your dream job happen. If not, find companies you like that offer the kind of job you want. Do you need to go back to school? Find schools that offer the programs you’re interested in. Don’t wait until tomorrow. Do it today. You could be just as unsatisfied tomorrow, or next week – but why waste time?

4.) If you’re at the right company, wrong job – schedule a meeting with your boss. Tell him/her your ideas. Tell him/her what you’d like to be doing. Ask what steps you can take yourself or together to make that happen.

5.) When you present your case – state EXACTLY what you want. If you’re passionate about the work you want to, it will show and if you’re company is a good fit, they’ll see it too and WANT to help you.

6.) Take risks. Get out of your comfort zone. You’re never going to advance if you don’t ever get up the courage to ASK for what you want.

7.) Know your audience. I know the Executive Director at my company very well. I know his humor. His humor is the same as mine. I know what I can get away with and what will catch his attention and get him to ask questions and have him be a part of my discussion. Going into designing my presentation, I KNEW the angle I wanted to take because I KNEW him. I also pushed it a little further than I normally do to get across THIS IS WHAT I WANT.

8.) Know your stuff. Sure I know I can joke around – but it’s because I have made absolutely certain that I am an expert and on top of my game in my field -and I made sure to present that information just as well. Know your stuff backwards and forwards. Be able to recite it with your eyes closed, walking a tightrope. Know the answer to every possible question. Prove you not only WANT the job, but that you are CLEARLY the right – the ONLY – candidate. (For every idea I threw out there, I listed at least 5 examples of how I intended to carry it out. I listed every single qualification I had – tools, skills, knowledge, experience. I put it all out there. For discussion, to be picked apart.)

9.) Don’t worry about fitting a role – open or not. The thing about job titles? It’s just a string of words. There are a lot of things I like to do. I presented them all and guess what? THEY MADE UP A TITLE FOR ME.

10.) Don’t forget to have fun and smile. It could end up being the scariest, most awesome thing you’ve ever done for yourself or your career.

Now go get ‘em tiger.