I have had enough. Life is too short for this. For around 40
hours each week I am stuck in a job which I am not enjoying. I have followed
the easy route, drifting from university into my first job even though I didn’t
enjoy doing that job during my work placement. I thought things might change if
I get further qualifications. The PhD made me so unbelievably unhappy that I
knew I had to do something else. After the PhD I took the risk and applied for
jobs for which I had no experience for. And after only a couple of months I was
surprised to have found the seemingly perfect job. A job in which I can still
apply my scientific knowledge gained during my PhD but also gain some project
management skills. Turns out it is not the perfect job. I am so bored. Every
day drags and I lack any kind of motivation. I really enjoy working hard and
getting stuck into things but this job does not allow me to do this. I am
really frustrated. I am nearly 30 years old, have a ton of qualifications but feel
like I am back to where I was when finishing college.
I love reading the amazing stories of people on social media
who have turned their hobby into their job.
I have spent hours online reading motivational blog posts and following
people on twitter who tell me that I can do anything I set my mind to. Running
has giving me a huge amount of confidence. I used to be a very unsporty kid and
finishing my first marathon in a decent time made me truly believe that there
is anything in live I can do if I am willing to put in the time and effort. If
I am willing to put in the time and effort. It’s time to stop moaning about my job
and putting in the time and effort! Stop envying people who seem to have the
perfect job since leaving university! Stop reading the motivational blog posts
and actually doing something about it!
The thing is I don’t really know where to start. I don’t
know what I would like to do. My lovely husband says I should apply for similar
jobs at different companies but I am unsure that this will change the
situation. People say you should think about what you enjoyed doing as a kid or
what you are enjoying in your free time. I am very passionate about running as
it has hugely increased my quality of life however I am unsure how I can turn
that into a job. I have been thinking about doing a personal trainer
qualification and know that I would love the training but think I need a more
mentally challenging job. I have come to realise that my values are very
important at finding a job that makes me happy. I know that I need to do a job
which has a purpose that I am passionate about.
I used to think that as long as you have a happy and
satisfactory private life you don’t need an especially fulfilling job. A job
pays the bills and you can do at the weekends and evenings what you really
enjoy. That the fulfilling jobs are reserved for the very talented and lucky
few. However I can’t deny that my job is making me unhappy even though I have a
wonderful private life. And running has made me unable to accept this. Running
has given me the confidence and determination that I can change this. This will
however take a lot of hard work. Just like marathon training. I wish someone
had written a training plan on how to find your perfect job.
Do you think the perfect job exists? Or do you work to pay
the bills and enjoy your life at the weekends?
I think there is no such thing as The Perfect Job. Perfect would be not having to work for money :)
ReplyDeleteThree months on, I'm wondering whether you've made a decision. My first job after 2 PG qualifications was as a teacher. I struggled so much as a Newly Qualified Teacher and nearly quite several times, but I pushed on. I convinced myself that it was the right career, but the wrong job. I moved somewhere else and had several happy years, but after moving to another post, I realised that I hated working 70 hour weeks and having no time for my family or interests.
ReplyDeleteIn the end I quit. I took a 33% pay cut, which was really tough. (Not in the sense of struggling to make ends meet, but it hit my self-esteem hard). Now I do a job that has some similarities with teaching, without quite the same pay, but with normal hours. There are says when I get frustrated, but essentially, I enjoy my job.
I fantastise about working in health or fitness, but as someone who is pushing 40, I can't face returning to education and having no money for several years before starting at the bottom of the career ladder again, so I'll make the best of what I have :-)