I’m 35 this year, been to uni and had a succession of jobs that’s I’ve always gone into with the best of intentions. Worked as a transport consultant for 4 years, ran a bike shop for 3 years and for the last 2 I’ve worked for a high street bank, 1 yr on the phones in a call centre and one in the branch. Yet again I’m having major thoughts that its not for me, my best job (honestly) was when I ran a bike shop when I was 20. But, there’s undoubtedly a career if I stay where I am, but most of the people are cynical in the extreme and its not a particularly pleasant place to be. Full of massively two faced/superficial career arseholes but I guess that can apply to a lot of large scale workplaces. My point is, when does this career neurotics stop? For pretty much as long as I can remember its always been a back drop, what I’m going to do next career wise. I cant be arsed, I just want to do a job that I’m happy in. Just haven’t been lucky enough to find a lasting one yet

Pretty much rhetorical I realise this

All of a sudden you’ll be 65, then it sort of ends. Then you die and it really ends. Carry on regardless or do something monumental so it isn’t all in vain

I’m starting to realise I’m edging slowly toward the former and wondering what I can do to make it otherwise

When you die

I’m not sure it ever does 🙁

I think it has stopped for me. Lots of unsatisfactory jobs, followed by some decisiveness, namely to do a degree that fitted me.

So, studied civil engineering while working in a bike shop (good job number 1).

Followed by 2 years as an engineer in hydro power (good job number 2).

Now a civil engineer for the Forestry Commission. Shaping up good to take me 20 years or so to retirement.

Took a bit of luck, commitment and rolling a few dice.

I’m in the same camp. Just keep trying stuff. Live a frugal life and you can have greater flexibility to try different things.

It ends when you realise that none of it matters, iit’s only purpose is to provide you with the funds to enjoy what little time you do have.

I fell into IT by accident, then developed a bit of ambition, then lost it when I realised that, much as I like my colleagues, no way on earth would I ever want to be their manager.
Then last summer, my wife developed breast cancer. That put it all into perspective. now I do my job to the best of my ability, but come 5pm, I’m on “me” time. And her visits to hospital for treatment take priority over everything else. We think she’s going to be ok now – into the final week of radiotherapy now – but it’s been the worst 8 months of my life.
What little ambition I did have left went out the window when the doctor said “it’s cancer”

My approach now is much more healthy – work is just a means to an end

neil853 – Member
Pretty much rhetorical I realise this

Yup, I think by putting it down its catalysed things, and I don’t think you really need anyone to tell you what path you really ought to be taking.
Head or heart, it’s pretty clear that being happy wins over a career with people you loath and despise.

Same here.

Just slowly turning into ZM.

😮

Be true to yourself and follow your heart and dreams. In other words, be honest with yourself. It may be that for you, the trappings of a career are just that.

What do you feel a ‘career’ provides: Job security? Income? Status? Learning? Personal development? Opportunities?

Perhaps define what these and any more you can think of and then assess. Priorities both personal and professional change as we move through life.

And continue to make the bold decisions as to how and where you want to spend your time and energy during the worky part of the day.

I’ve got the answer, join the Prison Service!

You can have my job.

or go freelance – so you could be posting on here late on a Friday instead of writing the bid you are supposed to be working on.

In my experience I’ve enjoyed jobs more when there are good colleagues, the problem is you can never really know until you’re in the job with them.

Crime? I hear that pays..
Even if you arent very good at it you still get to stay in a Large hotel.. but cant actually leave for a while.

In career terms, OP, you have a portfolio career. Being on the hunt for something is great – to my mind better to be searching than content with mediocrity.

My maternal grandfather was born around a hundred years ago and in his life occupied various jobs from jeweller to wartime bomber worker to sports reporter for a paper in Cardiff. He didn’t have a career, but instead described himself as a “sipper and taster of life”. My mother is much the same from being a computer programmer in the late 60s and 70s, a mother, an administrator in a hospital, running a chiropractic school to teaching adults going back to education. She’s been retired for a few years now and, while not working, has employed the same attitude along the way.

I have a similar mindset, although have been more cautious (was an M&A lawyer, now a commercial person part of a team building a mobile network). I’m content that I may become something else at some point, probably sooner rather than later.

Worry less about the destination, and enjoy the journey. And do what you love.

PS political organisations full of backstabbing **** aren’t worth the aggro.

These threads are good for a bit of self reflection. To Certain extent you can’t win with jobs.

I think that jobs that matter to you take up more of your life. Jobs that don’t matter take up less. neither scenario I’d ideal

I teach physics and have done for 20 years. I’m in a bit of a Bad mood as my bike and I are now in a place with some potentially nice biking to mix in with a family break. But I’m sure I’m coming down with a cold and sufficiently knackered from work that I might not actually manage a ride this week

The job has its pressures in interms of students results and although I enjoy the being on stage aspect it’s knackering. On the other hand despite 10 years in the same job I have never had a day when I doubted that what I did mattered. I really enjoy the company of my colleagues and my students

My previous job involved more crowd control and was starting to be really bad for me. So glad I moved to a college

Back to the OPs question. If I doesn’t feel right it probably isn’t. Most of us reach an age where responsibilities make it harder to change path. My suggestion is to try and be in a job that suites you by the time the music stops

I think that jobs that matter to you take up more of your life. Jobs that don’t matter take up less. neither scenario I’d ideal

sort of this,

i work in NHS mental health, its a shit frustrating job, but has its rewards, pays poor for a band 3, but we get by fine, mrs does the same somewhere else, the maternity policy is great, its allowed us to have kids and not be piss poor

i work 3x 14 hour shifts a week, I get 4 days off a week, I’m getting to see the kids grow up, rather than snatching an hour at the beginning end of 5 days a week

my work life balance seems great

If I could roll back the clock I’d be a Primary School teacher.
Too old now though.
Engineering isn’t a bad job though, we have a laugh & occasionally, just occasionally, we might make a customer happy. 🙂

i am not in a good position about jobs compared to you lot (as i have been unemployed for a long time/partly down to mental health reasons).

i have done my fair share of agency work in the past,along with full time work in factories e.t.c.

i can say with no doubt that the best jobs i have ever had are both unpaid.

one was working at my local bike shop when i was 16 (for a few weeks over the summer hols back in 1991). loved it.

but actually my second is atm.have just started doing voluntary work at my local sue ryder charity shop (just part time 8 hours a week). i help sort out all the clothes/items e.t.c that come in.also get to use this steam vacuum that you put over some of the clothes to get rid of creases e.t.c.

the reason i love this also,is that the people who work there are very kind,and the atmosphere is very chilled. it is a great place for me to try and get my feet back into something to do again. also i picked up a fab pac man alarm clock for £2.50 so it’s all win to me 😀

I’m with waderider. A profession can be tough and stressful but brings a lot of satisfaction. It can also take you away from an office environment. I’m a building surveyor, a partner in a small practice, so self employed. Right now I could show you 300 or more buildings which I have designed and arranged the construction of, or significantly altered, remodeled, extended or repurposed. I think it’s fair to say the results have, in almost all cases, had a positive impact on the building users lives. There is satisfaction in that and looking back I feel I have something to show for my working life.

After trying a few different career paths I can confirm that there are arseholes everywhere. You just need to learn how to navigate the deadly syphons in the river of shit that is work. I love my job, but detest a great number of my current colleagues.

Whilst you need to earn a living, it doesn’t stop. There will always be people who get on you tits a and narcissistic arse holes live in just about every organisation.

The trick is not to get sucked in. Do enough to support your lifestyle and work on your contempt and couldn’t give a ferck attitude. I used to be a greasy pole climber then I saw the light and now do 6 months on/6 months off IT contracting.

Either that or get yourself independently wealthy and then you can dish it out for a change….

To paraphrase Alan Watts – Nobody at school told us first to find what it is that we love doing. Worse still, they certainly didn’t tell us to do that before getting hitched/breeding.

It’s surprising in the extreme that we are born into a world of choice, but that choice can seem really limited once the family culture has been instilled, and then at school/college we are so often coached and trained by those who simply saw an alleyway and bolted into it. Surely the most fundamental question in life is: ‘what is it that you like doing’? How many work in offices when they would prefer to be outdoors? Worse still, they earn money so that they can spend 99% of their time indoors.

I’m of the opinion that it’s never too late to answer this question, but having an understanding family might be paramount. I was in my mid-forties when it all came crashing down on me that I had wasted 16 years or more working on computers instead of being outdoors. When I was 21 I was happier sweeping the streets than I was when I was 44 in a lean startup company, yet wound up looking from the outside in, hearing myself say ‘moving forward’ it made me gag.

The answer to your question is of course glaringly simple. It ends when you have had enough, and then do what it is that you would like to do. If this is unknown, then it your predicament might never end in this life, simply because you didn’t take time out to discover what it is that you like doing. That voyage of discovery is also a choice that we often deny ourselves. I learned late that this is fundamental stuff that was tragically missed/dismissed by our tutors and peers – peering into a bottleneck.

*forgot to wish you well, OP, as was struggling with words to say what I was trying to say!

Should’ve just ‘upped the Wattage’ in the first instance, so here:

[video]http://youtu.be/yNqvXiUNe2o[/video]

I lasted exactly 8 months in the graduate corporate rat race. Going to meetings, having managers, wearing suits, bollocks like that.

Then, one day, looked around the big open-plan office full of brown desks and tubby people with male-pattern baldness sitting at computers and not smiling, and thought “sod this” and left to start a bike shop.

When it ends is when you decide you don’t want to play the game any more.

The best advice was up there somewhere – live a frugal life. Easier said than done but it’s allowed me to recently take quite a big pay cut to improve my lifestyle.

Malvern Rider has it right.

You need passion and purpose, do what you love and something you genuinely believe in, the money then becomes just an added bonus, however much it is.

We’re not given this message early in life as it typically isn’t good for business, we need rats in the race to keep the wheels of our consumerism based economy turning.

none of it matters, iit’s only purpose is to provide you with the funds to enjoy what little time you do have.

This, I attended a work retirement party this week the guy had worked in our factory for 35 years and he basically said the above as a leaving message.

but actually my second is atm.have just started doing voluntary work at my local sue ryder charity shop (just part time 8 hours a week). i help sort out all the clothes/items e.t.c that come in.also get to use this steam vacuum that you put over some of the clothes to get rid of creases e.t.c.
the reason i love this also,is that the people who work there are very kind,and the atmosphere is very chilled. it is a great place for me to try and get my feet back into something to do again. also i picked up a fab pac man alarm clock for £2.50 so it’s all win to me

I’m really happy to read this! Good for you – onwards and upwards! 🙂

Have to say, I’ve never understood why anyone would want a career. Aged 30, after a series of dead end jobs, I set up my own ickle thing and have been doing it for the last decade, happily enough.

It’s often said, but I’ll say it again; do what makes you happy. Not what makes you money or what makes other people hold doors open for you, whilst they tip their caps in deference.

Go run another bike shop.