Will I ever find a job or career that I like?

1. 61

   TN21posted 13 years ago

   I'm 27 and currently unemployed (for a month now), and at this point I don't think there's a field that I could go in a enjoy anymore.
   
   Been working since I was 17, and for the last 10 years I had dozens and dozens of jobs. Only one job lasted 2 years, and a couple lasted a year but the rest lasted maybe 6-10 month.
   One good thing about me is that I've never missed a day of work and hardly ever call out. I'm very reliable but however I'm my worst enemy when it comes to boredom and daily routine duties.
   
   All the jobs have been retail and customer-related field, which I always hated since I don't really have good people interact skills.
   
   I graduated from a state college where I studied English/Communications. I wrote for the student newspaper and I even landed an internship at the local paper. But that was 4 years ago and I pretty much never made it a career, so I stopped pursuing this field two years ago.
   
   Now I'm at a lost of which field to go. I can't even get a retail management position since I always quit or leave my retail jobs after a year. Plus, as I mentioned I'm not really a people person so I prefer to work independently.
   
   But I have no clue what I want to do, no idea where I should go, can't go back to school since I'm broke...I'm stuck in a rut if you will.
   
   I'm a hard worker and very reliable but like I said, I seem to get bored with the daily routine work and always find my way out of a job.

   replyreport
   1. 0

      Poppa Bluesposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Two things stand out here, first you worked in a field that you admit you hated.
      
      Second you stopped pursuing a field which I presume you enjoyed.
      
      These are the classic mistakes that most people make, (myself included). First and foremost is to pursue what you love! Chase your passion and never, never give up! Don't worry about the money. Do what you can as long as you enjoy it, even if it's for free! Of course you may have to do other things to make a living until you reach your occupational goals, but continue to focus on what brings you joy. Network in the field that you love. Talk to others in that field. Socialize with them if you can. Eventually it will pay off, you simply must be persistent.

      replyreport
      1. 0

         Scott.Lifeposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Amen to that

         replyreport
   2. 82

      Stevennix2001posted 13 years agoin reply to this

      Im right with you brother.  i have the exact same problem as you.  i was laid off too recently and now im having to work at some stupid job, that i could care less for that's essentially a monkey's job.  heck, every single meeting we have, just reiterates the same customer service stuff i heard when i used to work at randalls.
      
      like you, i also tend to want to work alone.  don't get me wrong, i used to love customer service because when i was working at mens suits, at jcpenney, that was the only job where i was truly happy.  sure, it didn't pay that much because it wasn't commision based, but i liked it.  because it gave me a chance to meet and talk to people more intimately on a one on one basis.  however, all that changed when i couldn't cut the mustard in sales there or at dillards.  i was always good at customer service, but i was never a great salesman.  sure, i lied to myself that i was, but i knew deep down that was false confidence.
      
      now, it's gotten to the point because of the economy being what it is, that i can't seem to find a better job at all.  i want to, but it just doesn't seem to be happening for me.
      
      my point is, your not alone on this man.  with the recession hitting us, i know exactly how you feel.  i just hope that the economy picks up and we both have better jobs by this time next year.

      replyreport
2. 58

   Wonder_Womanposted 13 years ago

   what us something you genuinely enjoy? I hate my job, with a passion, but hey it pays the bills. I cant wait to find a better job where i feel stable enough to finish school, thing is i have a ton of things i am interested in

   replyreport
3. 63

   Lisa HWposted 13 years ago

   This isn't an easy question for strangers to guess about on a forum, but I'll take a shot at a few things that struck me in reading your question.
   
   First, I don't think you can go by all those jobs kids get at 16/17 and have until they graduate.  Some people luck out and get a good job or a boring job where they meet a lot of friends at work.  Many don't, and those jobs, themselves, aren't a good measure.  You can't even always go by the jobs you get right after graduation, because (particularly these days when 4-year degrees are as common as they are) young people fresh out of school often have to take jobs that are far from their dream job or dream salary.  I really think that a lot of young people today take until they're in the area of 30 to really feel like they're "established" or at least on their way.  That's not everyone, but it's many.  Then, expecting themselves to be more established than they are, so they get depressed that they're not.  Without benefit of having seen how things once were for recent college grads and others in their twenties, they don't realize what a disadvantage today's young people can be.
   
   To me, retail management (or even thinking about it) is not for a whole lot of people.  It can be great for someone who gets promoted from cashier and on up, but there's a "flavor" to retail work that a lot of people wouldn't want.
   
   Your words, "stuck in a rut", suggest you could be going through some kind of "depression" (clinical or "just" the low mood that comes with not having the life and direction you'd like).  You may want to have a session or two with someone who could ask the right questions to help you figure out if you have depression or just the need for a little inspiration/direction-finding.
   
   A lot of people get let down when they find out their degree didn't get them the work they wanted.  A lot of people expect too much "emotional-reward-wise" from any work.  Work that isn't boring can be draining, and draining work leads to burn-out.  Some people find work they love and that keeps them "vitalized" for life, but many don't.  That's why people need to find rewards in other area of life.  It's why people need to work among people where there's a generally positive work environment and where they can have a few "work friends" (at least someone to enjoy lunch-time conversation with, or a few laughs).
   
   What a lot of people end up doing is taking some entry-level job in an office environment, in a company or department involved in the area in which the person is interested; and where there is the potential to move up (even just a couple of "steps").  They may stay there a few years until they have enough experience to find a higher payer job in that field somewhere else.   As far as dealing with the less-than-excellent income that usually comes with this kind of plan, there's always supplementing the income with something like an online business, writing, etc.  Saving money is important, and learning how to do at least a little investing is, as well.  (These "extra-curricular" activities can lead often lead somewhere, and they can also add more "reward" to life just because.)  This may seem irrelevant, but if you don't exercise much find some good fitness DVD's and start.  That can make you feel better in another way.  Something else is that some companies help with tuition for more or different training.  Also, not wanting to deal with customers doesn't necessarily mean you're not a "people person".
   
   Hope some of these thoughts have been at least a little useful.  (I'm surrounded in my life by people in the "just-starting-out" phase of life.)  Work is only a small part of a lot of people's lives, and many don't "absolutely love" their work.  There is, though, work that's reasonably pleasant in a company that's good; and people can discover they like what they're doing.  Finding reasonably pleasant work in a reasonable decent company is usually start, and from there people can figure out what their next steps will be.

   replyreport
4. 61

   Black Lillyposted 13 years ago

   I used to get bored with all jobs in about 2-3 months. When you get bored, it gets so difficult to get up every morning and go to that bloody work...
   
   But quitting is not an option, because you need to pay your bills.
   
   If you get THAT bored that you don't care about your bills anymore, this is already a simple lack of responsibility.
   
   And if you are brave enough - challenge your boredom and change your job type completely.

   replyreport
5. 59

   frustratedKMposted 13 years ago

   i have come up with a step by step process to find out about yourself.30 years of introspection in 12 steps
   
   Learn your personality type, your talents,interests,and whether you need to further your education after you determine your ideal job
   
   Drop me a line if you are interested, i will be glad to help you zero in on what you were meant to do

   replyreport
6. 68

   TINA Vposted 13 years ago

   Boredom can lead to depression.  Perhaps, you might want first to consider a Paradigm Shift within you.  You might want to consider doing the following things:
   1. Pray and ask for guidance
   2. Do your own "Self-evaluation"
      - Strength vs Weaknesses
      - Likes vs Dislikes
      - Needs vs Wants
   3. Based on the result of your self-evaluation, set your target goals and make a timetable as to when you want to reach it
   4. Commit yourself to accomplish something one day at a time
   5. If say that you are not a people person but you are an English/ Communication graduate, you might want to consider a career shift such as writing a book or be an Encoder in a company.
   6. Help yourself because you still need to decide things on your own.
   Goodluck!

   replyreport
7. 0

   collegecareerlifeposted 13 years ago

   Have you considered technical writing?  It's a job that doesn't require you to be "on" all day like a job in retail or customer service, and you can put your English degree to use. Although some technical writing jobs require a background in science or engineering, many technical writers have degrees in English.
   
   For more ideas about what jobs will best suit your personality, interests, and values, take several different career assessments. MyPlan.com is a great resource for career planning. I've found the free values assessment to be very accurate.

   replyreport
8. 0

   Scott.Lifeposted 13 years ago

   The first big issue I can see with the info you have provided is your job hopping. Right now with unemployment at an all time high, companies can afford to be extremely picky and will be. Your resume is going to present a picture of someone who lacks commitment and follow through, and is ultimately unreliable. While I know that you are searching for what makes you happy, and brings you fulfillment, employers are not going to be so sympathetic with someone that may get bored and leave in a few months.I see a repeated string of giving up and restlessness in your past. I hate to use the cliche but the others in this thread are right to an extent, there are some internal issues that need solved here, and you are trying to address them with outside remedies.
   
   You need to take some time to sit down with yourself and really find what it is you want, and want to do. Years after a degree and several jobs later is not a good time to realize this sucks and I'm not happy. Success is a long path, and you can't just give up when things start becoming difficult or boring you have to stick it through and work beyond the rough spots. If you don't like people why are you trying to get a job in retail period? Stop looking for a "job", and put some of that intelligence to work developing a career goal and plan. This aimless wandering and looking to others for the solution is not going to solve anything. You need to start finding some honesty with yourself about who you are and what you need to be happy, seems to me that so far you're just running around in circles lying to yourself. That's probably the source of your rut, the truth is starting to force its way to the surface. Just be honest with yourself, its never too late to go after what makes you happy, but you can't do it until you admit that there's an issue.

   replyreport
9. 68

   Ms Chievousposted 13 years ago

   First of all you are still young. yes 27 is young! You say you don't have good people skills but have you ever been put into a situation that forced you to use them?  You say you harldy ever call off and are bored with daily routines and retail.. Might I suggest a career working with teens.  I am talking about working with troubled teens in a residential setting.  It would be challenging and yes fun.  AND sometimes these places offer reimbursement for college courses.  maybe they will offer training on your People skills too!  When I was about your age I worked with troubled teens.. I learned a lifetime's worth of skills and felt positive about what I was doing.. Just something to consider!

   replyreport
10. 57

    Rosa Bergerposted 13 years ago

    I would suggest you see a career counselour. You can pretty much walk into any votech or college and ask for an assessment. You should be able to first talk to a career counselor. Then you can take some tests that assess your personality. Some of them, such as the Briggs something test, are really good. You need a career counselor, however, to intepret it.
    
    Once you know what your strenghts and weaknesses are, the counselor will help you to match those to potential careers.
    
    You might also want to look into online programs to update your skills and knowledge. Many brick-and-mortar schools offer online classes that have strict deadlines, but do not require attendence at a physical location.
    
    You are young and healthy, you have many options!

    replyreport
11. 68

    easyspeakposted 13 years ago

    You should go into sales. Why? because all of life is sales.  If you learn how to sell, you'll have a better chance of getting a job you enjoy.
    
    If you don't enjoy selling, well, it'll be harder for you to land that dream job.  Unfortunately, it's one of those things you have to do in life.
    
    I recommend most young guys like you to start out in sales, get some good sales training, and it'll carry you for the rest of your life, no matter what career you go into.
    
    Good luck find the color of your parachute!

    replyreport
12. 0

    Gmorninsunposted 13 years ago

    An excellent job-hunting book that is updated annually is "What Color is Your Parachute", by Richard N. Bolles. Because it is an annual book, it keeps up with the changing times. When I recently read it again, I was surprised to learn it is a Christian based book and spends considerable time on finding "Your Mission in Life".
    
    At the end of the book there is an extensive exercise ("The Flower Exercise") that is designed to give you a "picture of the job of your dreams". It helps to identify your personal favorite, transferable, skills in order of priority.
    
    He (Bolles) starts by having you write 7 stories about things you did just for fun or that gave you a sense of adventure or accomplishment. The stories can be from any period in your life and don't have to be something others know about. Bolles provides a form of certain things to address in each short (2-3 paragraph) story.
    
    The next step is analyzing each story for transferable skills - physical, mental, and interpersonal. Bolles provides charts for each of these areas of skills.
    
    The process is repeated for each story, giving you a picture of where skills and interests are repeated,
    
    Although this "Finding your Dream Job" is not always immediately practical, it is helpful to gain some insight and for future reference or a direction in which to go.
    
    I kind of gathered you enjoyed your internship (?) in English and Communications so this exercise may be pretty fun for you!
    
    Check it out.
    
    Best wishes.

    replyreport