I just can't find a job that fits

  • Thread starter Thread starter kedera
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
K

kedera

Guest
I am having a personal crisis concerning work. I have never loved to do anything as far as jobs go. Right now, I can hardly stand to go to work, I cry about it and just want to call in sick and never go back. I have 2 degrees and I still feel like work is so forced and I just don’t enjoy it at all. I have tried so hard to like it. I am miserable. I hate feeling this way. Nothing feels like a good fit. If I could just do what I wanted to, what I actually do love, it would be to be at home with my family, helping my family and friends, and taking care of the things that I care most about. That is just not realistic though…This is absolutely killing me, I want to be happy, and feel like my job is just running my life, and I have to sacrifice what I love the most because of it. I know this just sounds completely whinny but I can’t help it. Has anyone else every experienced this sort of thing? If so what can you do to fix it? How do you “get happy” when you just do not enjoy your work?
 
So; why exactly can’t you do the job you love?

If you have two degrees you will have more flexibility in changing your job.

The first thing to remember is that money is not the most important part of a Job. Most people could support a family on the minimum wage working only forty or fifty hours a week.

You should look for a job first that is rewarding and enjoyable; and if you can’t find any of those; you might want to consider putting those scrips to use by employing yourself.
 
Same situation in one of our previous recessions.

Two degrees, etc etc etc.

Took a couple of jobs in commission sales. Had to learn new skills.

Made out ok. Had a lot of fun. To this day, when I visit a trade show, I cannot resist just going into a booth at random, listening to the spiel and THEN START SELLING TO PASSERS-BY. It is great fun. Make eye contact with the booth across the aisle and then gradually work with the other booth people to crowd the aisle and casually “direct” passersby into “our” booth and the other booth.

If you do that, BRING HERSHEYS MINIATURE CHOCOLATE BARS. Not the kisses or anything else. Attendees will FLOCK to your booth. Great fun.

Setting up my own sales company resulted in all kinds of neat stuff. Got free trips [clients or prospective clients ASKED ME: would you like a free trip to Paris France? No joke. It was great! But there is no way of knowing ahead of time. But consider commission sales.]

More recently, the plan was, worst case: take a job at a new car dealer selling used cars.

One of my friends did exactly that. Two degrees, etc, etc, etc. Recession hit. Lost his house. Took the used car sales job. Straight commission. Broke every sales record. Ended up selling Rolls Royces. Made a bundle. Goes on and on about how much fun it is.
 
I’m in the same position as you, OP. It’s just hard sometimes. I’ve always wanted to work for the forest preserve district, so I went back to school to get a master’s degree. I don’t have the degree yet, but I can’t even get an entry level job there so that when I DO get the degree, I can get a decent wage. I’m worried that once I have the degree I will be overqualified for an entry position, but under-experienced for any other position there. 🤷 Not to mention it is a much more competetive field than I thought…

In the meantime I work customer service. It’s a good company, but I don’t love the work. I’m not sure if I’ll ever find a job I really like. I brew my own beer, so I kind of have this pipe-dream of owning a brewery…but realistically who knows.

I’m not sure the best way to deal with this kind of thing except to take it day by day. I try to be good to the people in my life, and enjoy the time I have off (evenings and weekends). Really, I don’t know what else I can hope for. I think a lot of people are in the same boat…they just do what they have to in order to live I guess.
 
Not sure if this will be helpful or not, but I can related to your experience.

I very much want to stay home and take care of my family. However, my husband is uneasy about the reduction in income and he wants me to work, so I work. And yes, there are many days when I would like to call in sick or just quit.

I have been in the same career for 17 years. I used to be very competitive at work and wanted to advance in my career. I have been at a point for the last few years where I really don’t care if I advance or not. I am comfortable with what I do and it isn’t stressful.

I have time to do things I enjoy outside of work and I take a lot of short weekend vacations instead of using up all of my vacation time in one big trip. I have learned not to compare myself to my peers because most of them seem to want different things out of life than I do.

The thing that has helped me the most is that I tell myself that I am where God wants me to be. I have accepted the fact that I will likely continue working full time until I can retire.
 
God has a plan.

What YOU consider a good fit, may not be part of God’s plan for you.

Try new things. Be open [as long as it is legal, moral and nonfattening]
 
I am an RN in the ER and on a Med-Surg Unit. There are just so few jobs for anyone right now, that switching to anything might take a while. Even then I dont know what kind of work would make me happy. Like I said I have not liked a job yet and it makes me wonder if I will ever like any job. I really don’t like the hospital setting at all. I am to the point where I could deviate from my two degrees and do something else if it were something I really liked.
 
Any job is better than no job. I have never felt so useless and bored in my entire life. So quit your complaining. And higher degrees don’t really help you right now; if anything they can make things worse since you are less willing to take jobs that you could have got without them and them or those jobs won’t hire you anyways because they know you are going to quit once you find a job at your level of education.

I sympathize with you and I am guilty of this kind of complaining myself at times but for the same reason people hate it when I say things such as what you complain of, I don’t like it either.

Again I don’t mean to sound harsh as I complain the same way you do for many things, but why don’t we both try to be a little more optomistic and try to make the best of things and hopefully we both find the job we want.

But to answer your question, and I need to take my own advice on this one. I guess the answer to being happy is knowing that you are doing what God wants you to do. The problem is knowing what that is. Maybe what you are doing now is what God wants you to do and you have the wrong attitude or maybe it is not. I don’t know. But I can tell you that especially now, lots of people are miserable for the same reasons as you and ever more are miserable because they are not as lucky as you to have any job. You just have to trust in God that God knows what is best for you and will take care of you.
 
I guess it was longer than 20 minutes so I could not change my post but I wanted to edit it to make my post nicer. You have every right to desire something better for yourself and it is understandable. However, my point was that now is not really a good time for most people and I think most people, including myself, are miserable in general now about the way things are.
 
On the other hand, you are in a position to help people.

And that is something important.

This may help: at home, start a diary or log of who you helped that day. You will need to maintain patient confidentiality, so use fictitious names or no names and disguise their medical condition. But you will be able to look back and see how you did.
 
kedera said:
I am an RN in the ER and on a Med-Surg Unit. There are just so few jobs for anyone right now, that switching to anything might take a while. Even then I dont know what kind of work would make me happy. Like I said I have not liked a job yet and it makes me wonder if I will ever like any job. I really don’t like the hospital setting at all. I am to the point where I could deviate from my two degrees and do something else if it were something I really liked.
Click to expand...
Dear Kedera,

Do not feel alone as many are in similar situations. It is these times that build character and make you strong. Our Lord has a plan for you and allow Him to work through you to help others. I had a back operation this summer and the nurses were so kind and compassionate. There were probably a couple that felt the same way you do right now but that didn’t stop them from helping me. Start praying the Rosary and ask our Blessed Mother to show you the way. She loves you and will bring you closer to Jesus. Remember that every person you help is the same as doing it for Christ. He is in everyone you help. Hold your ground and don’t give up. A regular prayer life will help as it has helped me – I say prayers while driving to work and it help my soul and mind to do what I have to do that day.

This is one of my favorite prayers and I offer it up for you tonight. Take care –

MEMORARE,
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother. To thee do I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen
 
Had similar but yet different. I loved my jobs but I never felt happy with whatever I was doing. I was so luck, getting one good job after the other but I felt empty. So one day it was above my neck and so
I cried before the blessed sacrament and our lady of Lourdes. Things changed,but I realised there was something missing. After some months almost a year, I realised that He was calling me to religious life. (I heard his voice before but I was not courageous enough to say YES although I couldn’t ignore the fact that, when those feelings come I felt happier than ever before)

So I will join the convent soon.

Pope BENEDICT XVI said in UK

“Ask the Lord what he has in mind for you, and ask him to give you the generosity to say YES”

So may be he’s calling you to another profession that you never even thought of. Ask him what he wants to do with you, which job you can do to Glorify him etc. He’s very kind!

D.
 
Perhaps your problem is that ‘you’ are doing the looking. Let me explain…

In 1997 I was out of work for 3 months. I had sent out 90+ resumes, and gone on approx. 30 interviews, and all except 1 or 2 of them went very well. But, I asked God to pick my job this time…no matter what He wanted. I told Him, “Lord, let the 1st person who offers me a job – be the one that YOU want for me.”

I was hired by a very small company, at less money than I was making before, with no perks or benefits whatsoever! …just a straight hourly wage.

But, this is how it turned out: I have been here for 13 years now, and it is the best job that I’ve ever had in my life! Each year, even from the beginning, my boss has sent me down to Florida 2x each year for a week to visit my mom (she pays for the airfare + rental car + my salary). When holidays come around and our office is shut down…she pays me anyway. I have NEVER had to ask for more money – she gives me raises and bonuses as she can afford to do so. A couple of years ago my boss was afraid that I would get into an accident riding my bicycle back and forth to work – with no medical insurance – so, instead of a yearly raise she bought me medical insurance (fully paid by the company – to the tune of approx. $400/month. And there are many other benefits that I’ve received over the years.

So, my friend, I suggest that you let God do the looking for you. You very well may be pleasantly surprised, as I was. 🙂

I’ll keep you in my prayers!
John
 
kedera said:
I am having a personal crisis concerning work. I have never loved to do anything as far as jobs go. Right now, I can hardly stand to go to work, I cry about it and just want to call in sick and never go back. I have 2 degrees and I still feel like work is so forced and I just don’t enjoy it at all. I have tried so hard to like it. I am miserable

. . .
How do you “get happy” when you just do not enjoy your work?
Click to expand...
you and 90% of the world
it is called adult life
as Paul says you work to eat

if you want to be happy in any situation, be happy, that is be blessed, seek blessing, practice the beatitudes, practice gratitude, practice the prayer of the presence of God. Do every single aspect of your job for the greater honor and glory of God.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top