Am I am under-acheiver at 30?

LegacyUser

I dunno, guess I just feel the need to vent.

Did you ever feel that you haven't achieved anything? Am late 20’s, I have a crap job and am not in the job I would like to be in. Even at that, I am not sure what my ideal job is.

I was unemployed for several months. During this time I was either told I was over-qualified, under-qualified or little experience……so when I was offered this job I am currently in, I jumped at the chance. I started off opening post, that kind of thing……about 8 months later I was asked to move to another area of the company, more technical and more mind challenging. I basically cleaned up the whole system that they were using and did quite a good job. I did this stressful job on the same minimum wage. Now I’ve been told that I have to move back to the admin section. I kind of knew that it was coming, so I did start looking for jobs. But not one single person/employment agency got back to me, again.

I am on a minimum wage. I see people my age earning 5-10k more than me, if not more. I feel like an under-achiever. Like I am hitting 30 now and I should have my own career established. Am not even sure what I want anymore. Am embarrassed of myself. Ive been in my current company for 1.5 years. It was only meant to be for 6 months so that I could get some money together. But despite trying, I cant seem to get anywhere.

Am so lost at the moment I don’t know what to do.

PeakOutput

im 21 and spent a few years after school doing courses in subjects i was interested in until i realised there was no jobs in it..........now im again waiting for the cao offers to come out and start four years in a "proper" course so that i can get a job that pays decently whereas some of my friends have graduated and been headhunted and TURNED DOWN the job offers while the rest will graduate next year.

ill be 26 leaving college and will be in the same boat you are in now being told i dont have the experience blah blah so i know where you are coming from

however I also have 2 years experience in 2 different customer service roles for two world leader companies in their relevant areas and have picked up alot more about those particular business's than i reckon you would in the same time in college...........its just a pity most places dont think like then when hiring


/rant over your post kinda hit a nerve

G&T

The grass is not alway's greener on the other side,
I know people who have great job's and are not happy.

There is nothing wrong with working in a low paying job,
you are not your job it's just what you do.

Your still young so maybe contact a college or the open university and see what advise they would offer.

It's never too late,my brother was an engineer and hated it,
he will soon be finishing his degree in business studies and
is 34.

Good luck.

azezil

What kind of work are you looking for, maybe there in lies the problem?
Perhaps you just need to re-write your CV, have a look at the work forum, there's tips on CV writing and interviewing techniques over there which may help.

PeakOutput

G&T wrote:

it's never too late,my brother was an engineer and hated it,
he will soon be finishing his degree in business studies and
is 34.

whatever about the op but this is what i like to hear i want to have a degree in one area and two masters in two seperate area's but thats going to take ages and i feel like id be way to old to start a career at that stage but this gives me hope

sillymoo2007

I know how you feel have just turned 30 and am earning probably alot less than friends, but I am in a job that I love doing. Adult education centre's offer free career advice and can help you with all aspects of job hunting eg. rewriting your cv and doing career tests to see what other options are available to you. Then when you choose a career option they will help you to source courses on that subject and help you apply for the course and relevent grants for adult education. Hope this link is of help

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/education/adult-and-life-long-education/adult-education

_Kaiser_

Wouldn't worry too much OP. I'm 32 and only now (last 2/3 years) getting sorted in the job I always wanted, and the money to back it up.

That said, most of my friends have houses, wives/long-term girlfriends, and kids in some cases - all ahead of me yet but it doesn't really bother me.
I'll buy a house on my terms (ie: somewhere I WANT to live and that doesn't have me commuting 4 hours or just living to pay the mortgage), as for the wife/long-term girlfriend - well I'm not living like a monk either, and kids - meh, I don't think it'd really bother me if I never have any to be honest.

Plenty of time to get sorted yet. I love the job, have a fairly good social life and am pretty happy as it is, regardless what "conventional thought" might think.

Carrigart Exile

If you define your life by the job you have then maybe you have underachieved, who knows. If you define your life by other virtues you may find you are a superstar

Miss Fluff

What interests you OP? What are your hobbies? What are good at? Are you outgoing? Do you prefer working alone? What gets the juices flowing? Regardless of qualifications or experience or lack therof, if someone said to you that you could do any job in the morning what would it be?

The Corinthian

Goals and focus. That's really all there is to it.

When I was 25 I was not in a dissimilar boat to yourself, additionally I was in debt and had dropped out of college a few years previously in my final year. One day I took a long hard look at where I was and realized it was nowhere and essentially staying there. So I set a number of targets (finish my degree, eliminate my debts, enter and establish a career path), identified the milestones necessary, informed myself on how to achieve them and set about doing so.

After that it's simply a matter of not losing momentum, no matter what. It's inevitable that the route you'll take may involve detours or course corrections, but ultimately as long as you doggedly pursue those targets and do so with a plan in mind you will achieve them.

Now go do that and stop complaining.

LegacyUser

'Thanks for the advice.

I did an evening course last year in a subject that I thought I would find interesting, but half way though I realised that it wasnt for me.

I have no idea what I want to do. I cant answer any of those questions Miss Fluff. I dont even know what interests me anymore.

I lay awake at night wondering what is happening to me. Why I am stuck like this. I havent come accross anything that remotely interests me (have a degree, post-grad and 6 years work experience in different jobs and I havent found anything yet).

Corinthian, I wish I was that structured/organised about it, but how can you organise something that isnt there? I havent a clue what to do. Its not as simple as "go on out there and find what youre good at" for some people.

I envy people who know what they want to do and how to get it. If I knew what I wanted to do, maybe it would solve half the problem at least.

I keep reminding myself, that it could be worse, that I could be out of a job and have no money/be unable to pay bills, but this fooling myself is kinda wearing off now'

LegacyUser

'

Underachiever wrote:

'Thanks for the advice.

I did an evening course last year in a subject that I thought I would find interesting, but half way though I realised that it wasnt for me.

I have no idea what I want to do. I cant answer any of those questions Miss Fluff. I dont even know what interests me anymore.

I lay awake at night wondering what is happening to me. Why I am stuck like this. I havent come accross anything that remotely interests me (have a degree, post-grad and 6 years work experience in different jobs and I havent found anything yet).

Corinthian, I wish I was that structured/organised about it, but how can you organise something that isnt there? I havent a clue what to do. Its not as simple as "go on out there and find what youre good at" for some people.

I envy people who know what they want to do and how to get it. If I knew what I wanted to do, maybe it would solve half the problem at least.

I keep reminding myself, that it could be worse, that I could be out of a job and have no money/be unable to pay bills, but this fooling myself is kinda wearing off now'

Hey just to let you know I am in the exact same boat. I am in a career that i don't want. I know its been the wrong one for ages but am not sure what to do. I really want to work hard and make a career for myself but have no direction at all.

I was going to do a Post Grad in Sept but decided against it because i was unsure of why i was doing ( i.e. doing it just to be doing something ).

I am in a well enough paid role but with no real prospects. All my other mates seem to have landed in companies that have helped and defined their career paths. I have jumped to roles in companies that just seem to go nowhere with no input from the company.

To put this into context, I considered suicide some months ago, was standing on a table with a rope around my kneck, I am on medication now and see someone over it. But its all down to feeling totally and utterly stuck in my career which is really important to me and having no idea of what i should do about it. Just so tired of it all now, waking up never getting a minutes piece because i am so stressed over it all ...
So you not along and its good to hear someone else with this issue ...

oh and for the person commenting on defining your life by your career, thats the kind of person i am, everything else in my life is fine .... its all down to my career'

LegacyUser

'

Underachiever wrote:

'Thanks for the advice.

I did an evening course last year in a subject that I thought I would find interesting, but half way though I realised that it wasnt for me.

I have no idea what I want to do. I cant answer any of those questions Miss Fluff. I dont even know what interests me anymore.

I lay awake at night wondering what is happening to me. Why I am stuck like this. I havent come accross anything that remotely interests me (have a degree, post-grad and 6 years work experience in different jobs and I havent found anything yet).

Corinthian, I wish I was that structured/organised about it, but how can you organise something that isnt there? I havent a clue what to do. Its not as simple as "go on out there and find what youre good at" for some people.

I envy people who know what they want to do and how to get it. If I knew what I wanted to do, maybe it would solve half the problem at least.

I keep reminding myself, that it could be worse, that I could be out of a job and have no money/be unable to pay bills, but this fooling myself is kinda wearing off now'

Hey just to let you know I am in the exact same boat. I am in a career that i don't want. I know its been the wrong one for ages but am not sure what to do. I really want to work hard and make a career for myself but have no direction at all.
I was going to do a Post Grad in Sept but decided against it because i was unsure of why i was doing ( i.e. doing it just to be doing something ).
I am in a well enough paid role but with no real prospects. All my other mates seem to have landed in companies that have helped and defined their career paths. I have jumped to roles in companies that just seem to go nowhere with no input from the company.
To put this into context, I considered suicide some months ago, was standing on a table with a rope around my kneck, I am on medication now and see someone over it. But its all down to feeling totally and utterly stuck in my career which is really important to me and having no idea of what i should do about it. Just so tired of it all now, waking up never getting a minutes piece because i am so stressed over it all ...
So you not along and its good to hear someone else with this issue ...
oh and for the person commenting on defining your life by your career, thats the kind of person i am, everything else in my life is fine .... its all down to my career'

Luckyduck

I had to reply as it could be me talking to a certain degree. I am in my late 20's, have a degree and a post grad and have been working full time for 8 years. I was never really happy in my chosen area of work but felt I had to give it a go so I did and 2 years ago I just knew I was never going to be entirely happy so I started to research different careers which I though I might like. There is a great website daycourses. com which really helped me.
Anyway, I decided on a career and went to 3 different places to do work experience. I went to career guidance in case it wasn't for me. I have done loads of totally different night courses and have given loads of hobbies a go. So now I am going back to college in September for 4 years to do another degree..its going to be tough especially money wise but I need to give it a go for myself.
Maybe consider travelling as it seemed to make a couple I know realise that career is not everything and that there are loads of people out there on a lower wage that are happy.
Other posters have said it....just go for it and get out there. As Shakespeare said "There is nothing neither good nor bad but thinking makes it so".

747

ur head may be bursting with all the advice ppl are giving u so i wont go on.
im 32 and have just done my post grad and now looking for work,
a book that really helped me was 'what should I do with my life' by Po Bronson, its NOT a self help book, but true stories about ppl who are not losers but need direction. take my advice and buy... i know it'll give u something

Fysh

Is it just your work situation that's unsatisfactory for you or are you generally unhappy with your current situation?

I'd second The Corinthian's advice, but putting yourself in the position to follow it is the hard part ie deciding on something you want to do. It sounds like you're working in either a technical or administrative role of some sort. Are you in a field that you're broadly interested in but the specific role you're doing at the moment doesn't interest you, or are you completely uninterested in your field of work? Is there a possibility of getting a role at your current company which you would be more interested in?

Regarding the rest of your life aside from work, have you considered making some sort of drastic change? You may find that giving yourself a non-work-related target to work towards and then enjoy will help you - for example, going travelling for a while, taking some time off to work on a personal project or hobby, or whatever you want. You may find that doing something like that lets you get away from the daily grind and provide some perspective on what you really want from your life.

scitpo

I wouldnt worry about it. I feel the same and I am 24 and just a few months away from finishing a sciene phd. with a 45keuro job lineup after it. I feel a bit restless as relative to my friend who left college at 18 and has been seeling cars since I am far off the mark. He has a house bought a few years and far more money than me. But then you don't have to compare wiht people your age as its all relative.

Dudess

OP, do you feel like an under-achiever simply because you're comparing yourself to other people your age? If you took away that factor, would things really be that bad? I'm 29 too and I work freelance in radio and get the odd article published (really hard to get a job in the media - even a part-time one) and supplementing my income with admin work. I'm earning shag-all but I don't give a toss because my ambition was to work in the media - something I didn't realise until I was 23 so I went back to college for four years.
I love what I'm doing - so what if I'm not earning what's perceived as normal for my age? Anyway, nowadays people stay on a lot longer in college, go travelling, return to college as mature students because they're not happy with their first choice. Sure, there was a time when 29 meant marriage, mortgage, babies, career, blah blah (hell, there was even a time when 24 meant these things!) Those days are long gone (thankfully) and a huge number of 29-year-olds aren't massively different to their 22-year-old selves - only they're more mature and happier in themselves.
I could say "life's too short" for such worries, but life's also too long in a sense to be restricting yourself by a certain age. We're healthier and living longer than ever.
If you explore the various job websites (try to avoid recruitment companies though - there are some appalling scam artists out there), maybe arrange an appointment with a career guidance person or look up a website on how to produce a great cv. Maybe you need to lay out your cv in a way that does you more justice. I type cv's for friends and friends of friends and I'm always amazed by how they sell themselves short in the rough drafts they give me.

If you take positive steps now, you never know, you could be doing excellently career-wise in five years' time. And even then you'll only be 34/35. So relax and think positively. Things have a habit of working out.

LegacyUser

Just wanted to say I've an uncle who was a prison officer for years and eventually decided to study law in his mid to late 40's, while still working. He now has his own legal firm. It's never too late to get some education.

great unwashed

i'm an under-achiever too so you're not alone. you sound very depressed and i can understand if this is more than just a momentary feeling and is rather more angst in general.

if you don't feel like achieving then does that make you feel really bad? is it really bad?

The Corinthian

Underachiever wrote:

Corinthian, I wish I was that structured/organised about it, but how can you organise something that isnt there? I havent a clue what to do. Its not as simple as "go on out there and find what youre good at" for some people.

With all due respects you need a slap. You're wallowing in self pity and that's most of your problem, TBH.

Everyone has things they enjoy or are good at. What do you do in your spare time? What interests you to read? Are you more left or right brained? It's not rocket science to at least figure out a few areas that you could go into - even in your initial post you betrayed that you found when you temporarily moved into a more technical area you found it more "challenging".

If you're unsure of what you should do then leave a number of options open, what's important is what your goals are - social, financial, etc.

Nevyn

The Corinthian,
saying someone needs a slap is a turn of phrase but advocating violence or assault will get you banned from this forum.
I am sure you can think of another turn of phrase that will not get you warned or banned in the future.

dlofnep

Maybe go back to college? You've gotta make whatever you want in life for yourself.