And that might be the best thing that ever happened to you.

We’ve all seen it: the *LinkedIn glow-up*.

✨ “So excited to announce I’ve landed my *dream job* at [insert company everyone secretly wants to work at]!” ✨

Everyone’s clapping on LinkedIn. Your aunt shared it on Facebook like you won a Grammy. Even your “haters” liked the post “on accident.”

You’ve made it. And yet...

Six weeks in and you’re Googling “Can I be allergic to Slack notifications?”

You’ve cried in the work bathroom twice (and it’s only Tuesday).

You’re not thriving. You’re surviving on caffeine and prayer.

Welcome to the dream job nobody warned you about.

It turns out, your “dream job” can actually feel like a holy hostage situation with free snacks.

Sometimes the job we thought would fulfill us just… doesn’t.

Because no matter how many zeros are on the paycheck or how cool the title sounds in a podcast interview, a job can’t do what only God was meant to do.

What the Bible says (and doesn’t say)

God never said, “I know the plans I have for you… to get you into Google and provide you with unlimited PTO.”

Nah. That’s Jeremiah 29:11:

“Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
That’s bigger than just your job.

Jesus didn’t die so you could finally land a role with stock options and a standing desk.

He came to give life—like actual life to the full (John 10:10) — not a life that depends on how your boss feels about your Q2 performance review.

Signs your dream job might be a trap

Let’s see…

You have Sunday Scaries so intense they start on Friday.
You pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” and mean DoorDash.
You wake up with emails already yelling at you.
You’re starting to relate to Old Testament prophets... because everything feels like suffering.

Look, Israel wandered for 40 years. Jonah ran from his assignment. Elijah literally told God, “Just kill me now.”

You're not crazy. You're just human, and maybe... misaligned.

But I prayed for this!

Oh sure, SURE. We’ve all prayed prayers like:

“Lord, open the door... unless it’s this one, in which case, shut it. But also open it again if You want. Or just give me a sign. Like a burning bush. Or a recruiter email. Or an offer letter. I’m flexible.”

Sometimes God does give us what we want, to show us what we really need.

Just ask the Israelites who begged for a king. God was like, “Fine. Y’all want Saul? You can have Saul.”

Next thing you know, chaos. Regret. Therapy.

Faith takeaway

If your dream job is draining the life out of you, hear this:

You didn’t miss God’s plan. You might be right in the middle of it.

Because sometimes God uses frustration to reveal redirection.

You’re not stuck, you’re being reshaped.

You’re not failing, you’re learning what actually matters.

And your dream? It’s not dead. It might just need a holy upgrade.

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” — Proverbs 3:6
Even if that path leads away from the job that looked perfect on paper.

Final word?

The dream isn’t always in the job.

The dream is in the calling.

And calling doesn’t change just because your desk does.

God’s still got you, even if your job sucks.