Feeling lost and directionless

LegacyUser

Hello all.

Could really use some advice. I'm a 31 year old woman with a lot going for me. I'm well educated, have a loving partner and lots of friends. My family life isn't amazing but it's nothing to complain much about.
My problem is- I cannot figure out any real direction in my work life. I have had jobs but nothing resembling a career path. I've mostly worked in admin jobs and have never progressed into a real career. I went back and retrained in a field a couple of years ago because it was something I was really interested in but there is not a great career path from it and it has cost me a lot to train and I have found it very hard to break into it.
I moved with my partner to Scotland a year ago for his job and have worked in a few jobs since then but still nothing that has a real career opportunity.
Without sounding too full of myself, my friends and family all tell me I'm very intelligent but I have absolutely no confidence in my abilities. I want to find a job and a career where I can flourish but I seem to find a way to sabotage myself at every turn because I'm too scared I won't be able to handle responsibility or that I'll fail.

Sorry for the rambling rant. I guess what I am wondering is if anyone else has felt like this and what you did to figure things out. I see so many of my friends now going on to become very successful and it makes me feel like I'm behind and failing. Coming home at Christmas is bittersweet because I can't wait to see people but I'm embarrassed that I don't have any great life progress to report.


Thanks for reading.

rcarroll

all I can say is I understand, I'm in the same position, except minus the loving partner. It's hard to see everyone doing well, progressing and you feel like you're getting further and further behind and failing at life. If you really talk to people and really listen to how they feel about their careers, a lot will admit that they feel the same. Even the guy or girl that on the outside seems to be doing really well, will feel that he's not at the stage he should be/that he's not doing as well as X person. Most people will also tell you they don't like their job/boss/feel fulfilled. So, what can I say except, a job is a job, a means to get to an end. If you need the money to buy the things you want, pick a job that makes more money and go after it. If you want a job that fulfills you, look at workign with the public/healthcare/teaching. If you want creativity, look at the arts. Every career has it's drawbacks. I'm in teaching, fulfilling, but financially crap and no prospects/stability. Another friend is in management, stressful but financially good. And also, don't forget that your life is more than a career, and not everyone is motivated by their career - make your life outside your job as fulfilling as possible, get your happiness from there.