Why can't I answer the question "What is your dream job?"?

What do you like doing every day?

Helping people?
Solving problems”
Engineering?
Working outside?

Ask yourself a series of questions like that to come closer to what your dream job is.

Consider working with a career counselor.

It can be hard to find your passion, especially after too many years suppressing it for the sake of earning a living. Many Americans are conditioned to think more about the paycheck than about what they do to get it, and some are actually programmed to do so to the extent of masochism. Many feel that profit makes you happier than happiness does.

I am fortunate in that my dream job is fairly close to my actual job (CNC Machinist) as I like a job that makes me think, lets me chill sometimes or run around and do manual labor sometimes, has lots of variety, and has me working alongside some decent people. I like computers and I like building things.

So let us start with what you like to do and we can go from there.

My dream job is one where the day goes by and u rarely have to look at the clock. a job that has rewards far greater then your paycheck and you can feel really good about telling people about. That guy who does Man vs food has an awesome job ! Go around the country be try different foods. That is awesome. Perhaps a movie critic

I can completely relate to your dilemma, I too am struggling to answer that question. After countless hours of contemplation, I made the difficult and some would say drastic decision to quit my job even though I have nothing lined up. Some say that in this economy I am acting foolishly, but I simply realized that I was unhappy in my job and with the amount of time and energy I was putting into it, happiness became more important than the money I was making. For years, my career evolved almost on auto pilot, not by conscious choice, but through a snowball effect, moving up because of skill, not desire. Now I am trying to figure out what to do next and people keep telling me that I can now follow my dream…the problem is that I don’t know what that is either. So here are some of the questions people have asked me to “help”…perhaps they will help you find your passion…What puts a smile on your face? What have you secretly dreamed of? If money was not an consideration, what would you do? What do you find easy? What sparks your creativity? What makes you unafraid of failure? What would you regret never trying?
Good Luck and Keep me posted!

Agree with @marinelife – start by asking yourself smaller questions to figure out. Even if you don’t have a clear picture, you can work by elimination to get you moving in the general direction of …

It’s too big and too important a question to give “one answer” to.

Forget about “job”, “salary”, “status”, “career” and all of those other “big” aspects of employment and start thinking about small things instead.

What do you like about your current job? It can be anything: colleagues (or lack of them), flexible hours (or exact and unvarying schedule), mental challenge (or simplicity), whatever. It’s your list, you make it.

Make an opposing list (but don’t spend even half as much time on it) about the things that you don’t like about your current job. It should also be a shorter list. The thing is, you’ll want your “likes” to guide you into your new job, not your dislikes. (The dislikes are only there to remind you of deal-breakers, if any, or things you may have to work around.)

Once you know the things that you like (and don’t overlook the power of aptitude tests that can be taken in any number of places), then you’ll be able to answer the question: “I don’t really know what my dream job is, but I know that I want to _____, _____, _____, _____ and ____.” That way other people can help to connect those dots and make suggestions that you may never have considered otherwise.