Fed up!!!

LegacyUser

Hi everyone,
I am fed up with my life!!!

I am 22 and graduated from college in September. I have been working in my job since November- Quality Control in an enormous company. I have plenty of friends and have been going out with my boyfriend for a year, but I am so fed up with everything.

Every Sunday night I get a horrible feeling of dread as I know I have work in the morning.
My job is really busy, constant phone calls etc, I hardly get a minute to myself. The company is good and there is always people changing roles/getting promoted etc. However I can't see myself ever climbing too far up the ladder. The person that trained me didn't do it very well and I messed up a few things. I am getting on OK now but I really can't see myself progressing much. I don't even know if I want to because the job is boring. On top of it all I only earn €24k. I have zero to look forward to in this job.

My friends are good, big effort to see them now that we have all gone our separate ways now that we are all working. My boyfriend is great. But I am so fed up. The boyfriend would like to visit Australia at some stage, his brother is going in September. They are equally fed up. I would love to pack it all in and go- I went on a J1 before and loved it- but Australia is so far away and I would miss home.

Should I just pack it all in and go?

Beruthiel

clover777 wrote: »

Should I just pack it all in and go?

What have you got to loose?

SunnyP

Last year I felt the very same I used to drive to work on a Monday morning at a snails pace just to prolong me getting there. I worked and lived away from home and friends, I hated my job there was great money in it and I had loads of time to myself but I was bored.

One day I ended up sitting in my Managers office regarding a different issue and off the cuff he said "how are you" and I went actually Im not great I quit handing in my notice and getting out of that job was the best thing I ever done. It took my one or two more go's to find a job I liked but now I have it Im closer to home and happier much happier

Your only 22 your whole life is ahead of you - Go for it girl, the only person in the world that can make you happy is you!!!!

Relevant

Everyone gets the fear on a sunday evening before work. This isn't uncommon at all. On the subject of your job/prospects/wages it is important to remember that everyone starts somewhere. I graduated last year too and everyone i know is in your boat.

The transition from a cushy colelge life with zero responsibilities isn't easy so feeling like upping sticks and travelling the world is perfectly natural. Give it a lash if you want... you are only young once but remember a year travelling doesn't make you any more experienced for a job so things won't be the any different when you come back, you'll just have had a great time for a year. Although don't forget that jobs may be harder to come by in a year from now so security of employment isn't necessarily a bad thing either.

Quazzie

Go for it. Before you get ties down. You might never get the chance again.

is_that_so

Was made redundant from a company many years and used it as an excuse to go see the world. The best thing I ever did! Go for it, otherwise you'll start building up regrets.

One of my favourite quotes, from Julius Caesar.

There is a tide in the affairs of men,
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.

Spud83

Go for it. You are young, in a job you don't seem to like, with nothing really keeping you here (especially if your boyfriend wants to go too). I know it seems like a long way away but your only a phonecall away from your family and 48 hours travel away.

Talk to your BF and see how serious he wants to go, set a date that gives you time to save etc (early next year), that way you will have something to look forward to which makes facing work each week easier, while giving yourself time to get money etc together.

Check out the Travel forum on here and also the petition for an Australian New Zealand forum. You will get any answers you wish about Australia in either forum. In the petition for Oz forum there is a load of people in Oz at the moment they even had a first Australian Boards beers.

unreggd

Yup, go for it OP

Ireland's only gonna get worse

What degree do you have?

You're sorted now, as you'll always have that to fall back on

But yeah, defo get out and go travellin

MJOR

Go for it!
You don't love your job and can head off with the man you love.... It's win win!

LegacyUser

I have a degree in Biology. I think it would be great for me to go away again. The hardest thing would be leaving my family and friends behind and I would probably have to rehome a couple of my pets which would break my heart. But I have no rent or mortgage to pay. Only thing I have is a €1500 car loan which I can pay back now if I want.

I am getting a 9k loan for a new car but I havent signed the papers yet and there is a 2 week change-your-mind thing on it anyway.

Seraphina

clover777 wrote: »

On top of it all I only earn €24k.

whatever about the rest of the post, this just SCREAMS ungrateful bitch to me. what the hell did you expect to be earning straight out of university?

just to warn you, if you do actually go to australia, you will be earning a fraction of this. there are people in this world (and not just in third world countries, even in england and france) who would kill to be on this kind of money.

just take some time to sit back and appreciate that you have a good enough job that you can even consider packing it all in for australia, let alone actually afford to do it and party most of the time while you're there!!!

Quazzie

Seraphina wrote: »

whatever about the rest of the post, this just SCREAMS ungrateful bitch to me. what the hell did you expect to be earning straight out of university?

just to warn you, if you do actually go to australia, you will be earning a fraction of this. there are people in this world (and not just in third world countries, even in england and france) who would kill to be on this kind of money.

just take some time to sit back and appreciate that you have a good enough job that you can even consider packing it all in for australia, let alone actually afford to do it and party most of the time while you're there!!!

Thats a bit harsh. I think the point she was trying to get across that after years studying hard in college its hard to come out and be on less than any common labourer on any building site in the country.

LegacyUser

Seraphina wrote: »

whatever about the rest of the post, this just SCREAMS ungrateful bitch to me. what the hell did you expect to be earning straight out of university?

Well considering I know builders who never went to college on 30k, people from my year in college in the civil service are on 31k and a friend from the year below me is on 35k.

And as for calling me a bitch, maybe you should look at what you post before calling other people names.

dudara

Take a big deep breath here everyone before continuing.

dudara

pvt.joker

Seraphina wrote: »

SCREAMS ungrateful bitch to me.

Why do you feel the need to personally abuse the poster?


You should get banned for that in my opinion.

Having a bad day? :rolleyes: cop on

Wagon

Seraphina wrote: »

whatever about the rest of the post, this just SCREAMS ungrateful bitch to me. what the hell did you expect to be earning straight out of university?

Ah here, cop on! :mad: She's looking for help not a bollocking.

OP save a bit, pack it in and head off for the year. Travelling will help you clear your head, I'm going to do the same. And going with your other half would be pretty cool as well.

Enright

ok, enought of the insults

a few positive suggestions:

hold off on the 9k loan, if ou have to resell the new car you will not get your money back

look at jobs etc available in aus, are your skills etc required?

make enquires and keep positive

theMAC

pvt.joker wrote: »

Why do you feel the need to personally abuse the poster?


You should get banned for that in my opinion.

Totally Agree.... Qualifies as personal abuse IMO

Quazzie

theMAC wrote: »

Totally Agree.... Qualifies as personal abuse IMO

+1

Seraphina

lol. no i'm not having a bad day, i'm having a great one in fact.

OP just because people in other years/in your class/people you deem (unrightfully so) less intelligent than you because they didn't go to university are making more money, doesn't mean you have the right too as well.

the builder has skills that are in high demand, skills that probably took him years of earning **** money to learn. civil servant? well if you're in it for the money, go for it, but trust me, their job is probably ten times more dull and boring than yours.

fact is, you're in this boring and not very well paid job of your own accord, so quit complaining. go get a better one if its such a problem. if you can't, well obviously you lack the skills that your classmates have obviously learned. maybe you're not selling yourself very well?

so the bitch part was a bit harsh, its just a phrase that came to mind. i still stand by the ungrateful comment though. quit being so defensive and don't bother telling me to take a look at what i post, i was where you are 18 months ago, and i know exactly what you're on about. but i did something about it, i moved abroad, started a postgrad course, i CHANGED things, i didn't sit moaning in my cushy job about how i was in a rut.

you have a decent job with decent money. stick it til you're there a year (for the experience at least) and start making travel plans. decide where you want to go and what you want to do etc. don't just rush off on the next plane.

Beruthiel

Ok
I have just infracted everyone who thought it was a good idea to do a spot of back seat modding.
Keep it on topic or I'll start handing out bans instead.
b

Wagon

Seraphina wrote: »

you have a decent job with decent money. stick it til you're there a year (for the experience at least) and start making travel plans. decide where you want to go and what you want to do etc. don't just rush off on the next plane.

But she's unhappy. And wants to travel. What's the point in sticking around being miserable for a year for "experience"?

Claire121

Well considering I know builders who never went to college on 30k, people from my year in college in the civil service are on 31k and a friend from the year below me is on 35k.

What did you do in college? I did an arts degree and started off last year on 18K.......24K feels like quite a lot to me now! Indeed the salaries are lower in other countries. The cost of living might also be lower, but you're most likely not going to get a great paid job there if you can't here. Then again that probably isn't the point? I want to work in South America myself, I know the pay is peanuts but it's more for the experience than anything else. I can't wait to get away!

Seraphina

Wagon wrote: »

But she's unhappy. And wants to travel. What's the point in sticking around being miserable for a year for "experience"?

because if she leaves her job after what... 8 months, complaining of the pay, she'll going to be even MORE unhappy when she comes back from floating around oz for a year with nothing more than bar work or something while she was there, and gets offered even less than she's on now because her employment history is non existant

Amazotheamazing

While I reckon the OP should go for a trip abroad, 24k and a car (and presumably over €1,500 in savings) is hardly the stuff of "oh woe is me" in your early 20's.

You might need a little perspective on how good you probably do have it.

katie08

I am an irish & aussie citizen & I dont blame you for wanting to leave Ireland, it has so many problems, even thou im living here at the moment i cant wait to leave at the end of this year... Yipeee

• for starters corrupt money behind backs government
• secondly the words customer service dont seem to apply to most shop workers,
• the weathers rain, rain & more rain,
• bills, food, healthcare system is a joke....
• Or maybe your depressed cause €24,000 will never get you a house here...

Wagon

Seraphina wrote: »

because if she leaves her job after what... 8 months, complaining of the pay, she'll going to be even MORE unhappy when she comes back from floating around oz for a year with nothing more than bar work or something while she was there, and gets offered even less than she's on now because her employment history is non existant

It's not non existant. 8 months is still something and I'm sure she's worked part time while in college. Besides, there's no harm in having expectations. You put the work in to get your degree and ultimately you do it so you can get a better job and more money. I think she's more sick of the mundane routine each and every day.

newestUser

I'm going to issue a word of support for Seraphina. I thought that the OP was wallowing in self-pity a bit. The OP has a job, and is living in an economy which, despite all the doom and gloom headlines, still offers plenty of opportunities to people. This is not a cause for misery. As someone who couldn't even get any job straight out of college because of the dot-com crash, who wasn't offered a job paying 24k until he was 25, I found the OPs complaints about earning 24k ridiculous. There's plenty of time to work on getting promotions, raises, etc. as the OP is only 22! And why come on to boards complaining about how you hate your job? Try find another one then. Isn't that the obvious thing to do?

I recommend going off to travel and see the world, because there's an endless number of breath-taking sites and experiences out there. However, I do not think that it's the solution to the OPs problem. The OP needs to figure out where they fit in the world, what work they like, what they don't, how important in the grand scheme of things their work is, etc. The best way to figure this out is by trial and error in a number of workplaces. Not by running away to the other side of the world on an extended holiday.

Adults don't complain about problems which have obvious solutions. Adults don't run away from their problems. Adults realise the 'Real World' is far from perfect, and that everyone must compromise to some degree.

<edit>I'll admit, the opinion expressed on this post is coloured a little by memories of my own inability to find work after college, and my dislike of the whole 'County Bondi' thing. Apologies if it comes across overly harsh.

Claire121

But what better time to travel than when you're 20-25? You have all your life to worry about climbing the career ladder and getting a mortgage, and if you're working while abroad you're still getting work experience and finding out about different workplaces, as well as seeing a new country, where you might well decide you want to stay forever. I don't understand why being an adult and living in the real world has to mean staying in Ireland and working in a dull job. Just because you were born here doesn't mean you have to stay here. Perhaps I have a different view because I wasn't born here and I've lived in several countries and there are loads of places I'd rather be than here. Even if the OP is suffering from grass is greener syndrome, living in another country might make her appreciate life here more? I definitely don't see the point in wasting your youth being miserable.

newestUser

Claire121 wrote: »

But what better time to travel than when you're 20-25? You have all your life to worry about climbing the career ladder and getting a mortgage, and if you're working while abroad you're still getting work experience and finding out about different workplaces, as well as seeing a new country, where you might well decide you want to stay forever. I don't understand why being an adult and living in the real world has to mean staying in Ireland and working in a dull job. Just because you were born here doesn't mean you have to stay here. Perhaps I have a different view because I wasn't born here and I've lived in several countries and there are loads of places I'd rather be than here. Even if the OP is suffering from grass is greener syndrome, living in another country might make her appreciate life here more? I definitely don't see the point in wasting your youth being miserable.

Absolutely agree with this.

Being an adult doesn't require you to live in Ireland and work in a job you hate.

I travelled for a year or so after I finished my undergrad, and it was a fantastic experience that really made me grow as a person. Indeed, I've just started working abroad in the past two weeks again! I'm all for travel, distant shores, and all that. I didn't mean to criticise or judge people who take gap years or whatever.

But I will criticise people who think that travelling is a silver bullet for whatever problems they face. And there's lots of these people. They need to get real and face up to working life, and engage with it, question it, explore it, not just reject it completely because it's different from college and they're having no fun anymore.

madser

Maybe you could do a course and upgrade your skills plus it would get you out of your rut, everyone gets fed up with their job from time to time hopefully things will start to look up for you.

Good Luck:)

radioactiveman

OP just a thought - You are still quite young. A lot of people don't finish college until they're older than you are now so it's no harm to go away for a while and see the world.
Also you could get a much better job (and maybe brilliant experience) in Oz and be much better off for it, you wouldn't necessarily have to do bar work (although you could to get established). You never know how much of a good experience travelling is until you actually go:)
(As for being ungrateful don't heed that ****e...:D

LegacyUser

Seraphina wrote: »

OP just because people in other years/in your class/people you deem (unrightfully so) less intelligent than you because they didn't go to university are making more money, doesn't mean you have the right too as well.

Where did I say that I am more intelligent than other people? Quote please.

s

Seraphina wrote: »

o the bitch part was a bit harsh, its just a phrase that came to mind. i still stand by the ungrateful comment though. quit being so defensive and don't bother telling me to take a look at what i post, i was where you are 18 months ago, and i know exactly what you're on about. but i did something about it, i moved abroad, started a postgrad course, i CHANGED things, i didn't sit moaning in my cushy job about how i was in a rut.

I am not defensive, I just don't go onto threads and launch tirades of abuse at people.

Seraphina wrote: »

because if she leaves her job after what... 8 months, complaining of the pay, she'll going to be even MORE unhappy when she comes back from floating around oz for a year with nothing more than bar work or something while she was there, and gets offered even less than she's on now because her employment history is non existant

I have 5 years employment history but that will become non-existant as soon as I leave the country? I'd be going in an aeroplane, not a time travel machine.

newestUser wrote: »

There's plenty of time to work on getting promotions, raises, etc. as the OP is only 22! And why come on to boards complaining about how you hate your job? Try find another one then. Isn't that the obvious thing to do?.

Well I would rather give up a job I don't like, to go travelling, than get a job I do like, work really hard and clim the ladder, and then have to give it all up a few years down the line because I want to have travelled before I am 30.
The 5 year plan is graduate> earn money> go travelling> settle down. I have already achieved the first two.

newestUser

clover777 wrote: »

Well I would rather give up a job I don't like, to go travelling, than get a job I do like, work really hard and clim the ladder, and then have to give it all up a few years down the line because I want to have travelled before I am 30.
The 5 year plan is graduate> earn money> go travelling> settle down. I have already achieved the first two.

How do you make God laugh?

Tell him your plans.

Sorry, that's a hoary old chestnut.

It all sounds very simple when you say that the plan is graduate> earn money> go travelling> settle down, but as I see it, you may have problems with the last part of that. You're clearly unhappy in your job, and for all we know, in your line of work full stop. You mightn't be remotely suited to the job you're doing. And I think that settling down, and being *happy* with where and what you've settled into is far more difficult than any of the things preceding it. Graduated college? You've already done that. Check. Earn money? You're doing that. Check. Although, that's not really difficult in Celtic Tiger Ireland, where work is easy to come by. Go travelling? You're going to do that. Buy some tickets, sort out some accomodation, and away you go!

And what after that? You make settling down sound like something trivial. You're trying to come across as though you're decisive, and know what you're at, and you have your life neatly planned as a series of steps with arrows neatly pointing from one to the other, when what strikes me is that the thing the last arrow is pointing to is exactly where you are now, and you're totally miserable in that situation.

I think people need a narrative to follow in life. It doesn't have to lead them to make good decisions: it's more important that they have a storyline arc neatly linking up where they were and where they're going, and when challenged by strangers, they can explain and justify their lives in 4/5 simple steps, just as you have. Going to Australia is part of the narrative for a college educated young Irish person: I went to college, got a job, hated it, headed to Australia, had a brilliant time and really grew as a person. Then I came back to Ireland and settled down and lived happily ever after. It's a nice story, but there's no guarantee that the ending in reality will be happy.

If I were you, I would try to combine working with travelling. Get as many working experiences as you can, in as broad a range of workplaces and with as many different types of people as possible. You need this so you can be in a position to exercise good judgement, drawn from all your previous experiences, when it comes to making career decisions further down the line.

And for what it's worth, I wouldn't stick by X year plans. You never know what life is going to throw at you, and you never know when the perfect partner, the perfect job, or the important learning experience is going to cross your path.

lizzyvera

After a year's work experience you could easily get into post grad. You get paid for it and it's more interesting than most jobs, and with loads of other young people. That's what I hope to do anyway.
Australia isn't that great, most people just end up with loads of other Irish people in worse jobs than you have now that will do nothing to further your career. Also, with a global downturn, it might be harder to get a job when you come back.

Incidentally, my sister started her career in quality control and is now in ballistics in forensics at garda HQ.

Bottle_of_Smoke

Seraphina wrote: »

whatever about the rest of the post, this just SCREAMS ungrateful bitch to me. what the hell did you expect to be earning straight out of university?

just to warn you, if you do actually go to australia, you will be earning a fraction of this. there are people in this world (and not just in third world countries, even in england and france) who would kill to be on this kind of money.

WEll no. 24K is a bit crap after doing a degree. I work in a bank & there's guys starting on more than her with v.little relevent experience & no third level qualifications

OP do not buy a car. Cars tie people down! the 9K loan is only the beginning, there'll be repairs, nct, rising petrol prices. Limos everywhere for the win!

I think go travel, do something like interailing. Such a good atmosphere in european hostels. Or maybe work somewhere like Africa/Thailand/India. The degree will really help you here as its for some reason a requirement to teach kids english over there. They'll sort out all you accommodation etc I'd be doing it now if I didn't drop out of college.

thieveslikeus

OP, I say you should go for it. You've recently finished university, you've got nearly 1 years work experience there's no better time for you to go travelling for a bit. If you're worried about having a job to come back to why not ask your current employer for a career break. Most large companies offer this now and there's no obligation for you to go back but if you're stuck when you get home or if you decide that the job is not so bad after all then at least it will be there as an option.

Whilst its true that you can go travelling at any age or stage in life, the longer you're in full time employment the more difficult it becomes due to mortgages, car loans, credit cards and all the other things we accumulate to numb the pain of boring jobs.

You will have many years of the dreaded monday mornings - we all do even those of us fortunate enough to enjoy our jobs - why not take a break to find yourself, enjoy yourself, not worry about careers, get a bit of sunshine in your life.

Buzz Buzz

Seraphina wrote: »

whatever about the rest of the post, this just SCREAMS ungrateful bitch to me. what the hell did you expect to be earning straight out of university?

just to warn you, if you do actually go to australia, you will be earning a fraction of this. there are people in this world (and not just in third world countries, even in england and france) who would kill to be on this kind of money.

just take some time to sit back and appreciate that you have a good enough job that you can even consider packing it all in for australia, let alone actually afford to do it and party most of the time while you're there!!!

Wow, someone has a serious chip on their shoulder!! Chill out and cop on..!! €24k, if your in Dublin, would be at least a standard starting salary imo. To claim that you would be earning a fraction of that in Australia is an uneducated and ridiculous statement. I went to Australia at the start of 2006, having briefly worked in a job after college earning €27k.. my intention was just to take a couple of months out and find some direction, but I ended up taking a job in sales and was earning approximately €47k in 2006 and €55k in 2007.. I'm not a unique case, my mate walked into an IT job on €60k and I met others over there paricularly in IT and medical roles all sponsored by Australian companies and making a mint. I came back in March, unknowing to the state of the economy, but luckily ended up getting a good job. My intention is definitely to go back within the next two years. There is big money over there for people who are willing to work hard and relocate. I would suggest you go for it, great opportunities!! And the quality of life is fantastic.