anyone else feel like this?

LegacyUser

hi all. lately life has been feeling incredibly empty...not all my life but a huge portion of it...this is work/career related. I've turned 30 graduated in a degree that I now despise ( business) and the thoughts of being stuck in a office 9-5 staring a computer screen is depressing the living daylights out of me. I'm a kind, caring person and now realise that I should have chosen a career that reflects these characteristics.

is there anyway that I can use this degree to get me into a role more suited to my personality?

I should have taken the chance and done something I actually would have enjoyed instead of taking the safe bet. I know that plenty of people would kill at the moment for a job but it's seriously getting me down. ie effecting relationships with those around me.

why do i dwell on this so much... i suppose i want to have done something meaningful instead of being a cog in the wheel to some corporate company.

I would volunteer but family commitments wont allow this at the moment.

does anyone else sit back and say ''is this it?'' and if so how do you deal with this?

thanks for taking the time to read this.

LegacyUser

Hi Op,



First of all I don't understand from your post if you are currently working in a 9-5 office job, or dreading the thoughts of working in a 9-5 office job?


The thing is with business is that its open to many job positions, if you are currently in a job that you dislike why not try to get a new one. Imo it's not all about the work you do but the atmosphere you are in and the people you work with also play a major part on how you feel about your job.

If it's the case that that you haven't got a job yet but are dreading the thoughts of it, well you won't know till you try it, don't assume that you will hate it.


I'm like yourself, spent many years studying business got my degree 1 year ago with the hope of getting a high position well paid job, preferably management.

I am currently working in a small office with about 20 people a lot older then me, doing office admin, it's not very busy either, very little to do and time drags most days - defiantly not my ideal job or what I had pictured i'd be doing.It got me down for a while and still does but I will continue to job hunt, in the mean time I just thinking "eh it's a job, I am lucky to have it as some people don't have work, it pays, and I have my weekends free"
you need to look on the bright side and try make the most of your current position, the more you dwell on it the worse you will feel.


In the mean time you could also take up a weekend course that would be more suited to you. I have a friend like yourself went and studied childcare disliked it and is now working full time and paying to do an evening and weekend course.


Best of luck

MissFlitworth

Have you any idea of the kind of job you would like? Wanting to do something meaningful is very general, is there an area you'd like to work in? My experience has been that many jobs just ask that you actually have a degree to apply (and sometimes that you achieved a certain result). Unless you're looking at getting into a profession (law, engineering, any profession that has minimum standards of specific qualifications you need) or a scientific/maths based role one degree sortof fits all, you're not restricted to just applying for 'business roles'. Once you meet the requirements to actually apply for a role then your previous work experience/how closely you fit to the role specifications is hugely important.

I have friends who graduated with business degrees who have worked for non profit organisations & charities (in HR, Marketing & Finance). It is still desk based work though, so many roles are.

If you want to do something that does need specific qualifications could you do a postgrad or an add on to your current degree?


(Oh - and meant to say, yes I totally did feel like that once. Then I landed in an area I love working in that isn't particularly related to my degree area )

tony81

is there anyway that I can use this degree to get me into a role more suited to my personality?

Yes and no.

First you need to identify the role you want, then figure out where the degree fits in.

You did business so you should appreciate this. What you need to do is a "gap analysis"

I'd advise you to first decide "where you want to be". This can be pretty aspirational stuff so put your creative cap on and have a good hard think about it.

Then figure out "where you are now". This doesn't mean focus on the negative. Focus on the positive: e.g. say you want to work in retail in a people-facing role. Wages in retail can be pretty crumby, but you can use your degree to progress faster in the industry (possibly a managerial role). Or your income from your current job will allow you to train in the evenings e.g. a level 5 course in childcare or something at the local college.

Then you need to find out what steps you need to take to make the "where you want to be" a reality. Figure out a reasonable timescale, set objectives and milestones..

If you don't plan these things out they won't come to reality. Google "5-year plan" or "personal gap analysis" for some inspiration.

LegacyUser

hi all thank you for the replies. The issue is that I have realized that the field or role that I would like to go into will take me another 4 years to do. It is a completely different work to what I am I now.Thank you for the advice on retail but I feel if I don't follow my true calling I will always be miserable.

I will not be entitled to free tuition fee's now even though I did not avail of them before. The Higher Education Institutes state that no matter how (privately or part-time) a degree was obtained , a person will liable for full fee's.

I simply can not afford to do this with other financial commitments I have. I wish I didn't think as deep as I do but I feel I need to do something that is meaningful to me. I am deeply depressed because of this and by no means am I exaggerating. I has completely consumed me for a year and a half now and is affecting my relationships with people close to me.

LegacyUser

hi thanks for the replies guys. the area that I would like to go into means i would have to start from scratch and do 4 years, on top of this I would be liable to pay the full tuition fee's even though I attended my course part-time and funded it myself. I did not realize that this would affect tuition fee's in the future,if I had have known this before commencing the course I would not have chosen it as I had hoped to go back full time if I was ever more financially stable.I only did the course as I couldn't afford to go back full time but always hoped I could in the future and do something I really had an interest in.

I have exhausted all options of postgrads. Not one of them interests me, they are all IT / business related.

With responsibilities I have , I simply can't fund the fee's to go back full time and am now faced with the misery of being stuck in an area that I hate for many years to come,.I have a calling to go into a completely different field and feel I will never be satisfied if I don't do this. Tony thank you for suggestion but its to a different field that I would like to change to. I know where I want to go but financially I can't fund it with full fee's.

missflithworth what did you qualify in and what did you end up in? maybe this will give me some inspiration.

Thank you for your advice adviceop. I understand that I'm lucky to have a job, thus makes me feel even more guilty as I know thousands don't, however I have become severely depressed over this to the point that I am destroying healthy relationships I once had over this. It's difficult for me not to dwell on it, It's all I have thought about everyday for a year and a half now. I am an extremely deep thinker and I can't let this go.

I dread the thought in 20/30 years time and looking back and thinking I should have done something more meaningful or did something that reflects my values.

thank you all for taking the time to reply.

LegacyUser

Tony thank you for suggestion but its to a different field that I would like to change to. I know where I want to go but financially I can't fund it with full fee's.

missflithworth what did you qualify in and what did you end up in? maybe this will give me some inspiration.

Thank you for your advice adviceop. I understand that I'm lucky to have a job, thus makes me feel even more guilty as I know thousands don't, however I have become severely depressed over this to the point that I am destroying healthy relationships I once had over this. It's difficult for me not to dwell on it, It's all I have thought about everyday for a year and a half now. I am an extremely deep thinker and I can't let this go.

I dread the thought in 20/30 years time and looking back and thinking I should have done something more meaningful or did something that reflects my values.

thank you all for taking the time to reply.

tony81

anontoday wrote: »

hi all thank you for the replies. The issue is that I have realized that the field or role that I would like to go into will take me another 4 years to do.

Well that's just something you'll have to think about. In 5 years time will you still be scratching about in your old job saying "oh, If I was 30 again I'd make that change, but now I'm 35..."

I'm in the process of changing from accounting to IT. It's not as big of a leap I suppose but I put it off for so long and now I finally got the opportunity.

anontoday wrote: »

Thank you for the advice on retail but I feel if I don't follow my true calling I will always be miserable.

It wasn't advice, it was just an example.

anontoday wrote: »

I will not be entitled to free tuition fee's now even though I did not avail of them before. The Higher Education Institutes state that no matter how (privately or part-time) a degree was obtained , a person will liable for full fee's.

Well that's life. You weren't the only one.

anontoday wrote: »

I am deeply depressed because of this and by no means am I exaggerating. I has completely consumed me for a year and a half now and is affecting my relationships with people close to me.

Sounds like a year of wasted effort being depressed rather than taking action.

I think you can get some meaningful advice, either in this forum or the work and jobs forum.

Why not state your current occupation, current salary, desired occupation and financial commitments that prevent you from achieving it?

greenday1

Hi, I know what you mean and I think if possible you should try to do the course and job that you're passionate about.

I'm in early thirties now, and spent 4 years in college getting a degree and feel the same way, I worked in the sector for about 7 years and am planning on starting a new course in Sept which I want to do and believe I will be happy in.

Best of luck with what you decide.