Animal Biology Cupcakes By: Clever Cupcakes – Used by Creative Commons LicenseComing out of high school, I had no idea what career path I wanted to choose. Artist or teacher? Veterinarian or animator? “How about *insert random job here*?” I knew I wanted to be successful and, above all, enjoy my life, but I had no idea how to go about it.
I decided to train for a career in animal medicine. Then I started working. Man I was excited! I got to put my skills into use, and good use at that. I worked my butt off. And yet, each night I came home and felt wrong. I thought it would pass, but a year and a half later, I still feel wrong. Uneasy. Each time I think about going to work I feel physically sick. I hate that feeling. And it’s nothing my workplace has done per se. Yes, it is high stress, and the doctors demand a lot. But I had expected that. I just am coming to realize that I am not cut from the proper fabric to deal with these things. And that makes me sick, too. To know that time was “wasted” at school. That money was “wasted” on tuition. Time and money that I will never get back.
I just feel so lost and stuck. I am afraid of giving up my current job because, heck, it pays the bills. But I can’t continue living in this state of constant worry and aggravation. I would love to stay in the medical field, but not work with animals. But how can I afford school when we can barely stay afloat now? And I will have to work through school, no two ways about it, but what the heck would I do?
A few words of wisdom, a little snippet of advice, anything, really, would help right about now. -Dances With Cats
Homies? Who’s been in this position and has some advice?
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Comments on I hate my career choice. Now what?!
First of all, do not think of all this as a waste of time/money. Finding out what you do not want to do with the rest of your life is almost as important as finding out what you want to do.
Of course, now you have to find out what you DO want to do. I suggest doing internships or such in possible job fields to find out whether they are what you want to do. That might be complicated, considering the fact that you will still need to earn money to live on. But it may spare you more years on training that in the end you may find did you no good at all. Or talk to people who work in the fields you are interested in. Maybe they can take you to work on one of your free days, so you can see what they are doing and whether it is what you thought it would be?
Do not be afraid to take the plunge. Otherwise you may find yourself stuck with a job you hate for the rest of your life. Everything is better than that.
THANK YOU! This is exactly how I feel. Except I can’t find work in my current field. I’m 27, have a masters, and still have no idea if that’s what I want my career to be. I’m currently talking to my therapist about it, and looking forward to reading other’s suggestions here.
I want to say that everyone has given such awesome advice on here, and I think that you could take away with you that you are definitely not the only one going through a “what am I doing with my life” crisis. I personally, totally understand the issues you face, I’m in my mid thirties and I have no idea what I should be doing with my life as yet. Granted a lot of bad things have happened that have shifted my focus dramatically, and perhaps they are the reason it’s gone on so long. Two weeks before the end of high school my dad died suddenly and I wasn’t given extensions, so my final grades took a dive. I wasn’t offered the course I wanted and my plan was ultimately to go work with my dad anyway so I was really lost right from the start. I got my third preference and hated it so dropped out after a year. Went and worked 40 hours a week at a fabric store but left after 9 months due to hating the older women there who used to tease me. Went back to college and did fashion, then realised it would take me no where (I did enjoy the course though, but a lot of people *family* are not supportive of arts based programs that are not ‘sensible’). So then I went and got career testing/counseling done and started the degree that it suggested in communications. Loved the web design part, hated all the theory (did I really need to know who created the internet?). Dropped out after the first year to go do Costume at the performing arts academy after someone saw the stuff I created in my spare time and threw a place my way (same place Hugh Jackman and Heath Ledger went so a kind of a big deal) Got very very ill after a few months and had to drop out (they work you to the bone there). By this stage I was very depressed and lost. I did a couple of other jobs, bank teller, stocktaker and then landed a job as a law clerk for the government. That job I stuck at for 4 years, the pay was good and I liked the other support staff. I worked in criminal prosecutions though and some lawyers were violent and abusive and I ended up having to leave because it turned out I had repressed memories of childhood abuse and a case I worked on, well, ‘un-repressed the memories’. So here I was in my mid to late twenties, hearing voices, terrified of the dark and men and not fully understanding why. I was admitted to a mental health ward and underwent 18 bouts of ECT. I lost 4 years of my memory including meeting and marrying my husband. Slowly I recovered and with massive doses of medication, I went back to work in retail in fabric stores but was deeply unhappy, periods of self harm, being suicidal and crying on my way to and from work. I thought perhaps it was because I was bored and got a management job in a large fabric store. Cue even more misery, I was doing 60 hours a week and only getting paid for 37, never having breaks, being abused and sworn at by nasty customers and my health started to fail, I got swine flu, an inflamed bursa in my hip and I started to become the kind of person I didn’t like (angry, snappy and bad tempered). One day my hubby and I sat on the bed and had a talk and I told him I didn’t think I could do the job anymore. I was so afraid he’d leave me as he’s been through a lot while he’s been with me and so many people tell me I just need to stick to something. Straight away he said “Thank goodness you said it!”. He had seen what an unhappy work environment and long hours were doing to me and wanted it to stop but was frightened of making me feel like I’d failed again. We discussed what would happen if I couldn’t find another job and were prepared for the worst. So I quit the next day and 3 months later we declared bankruptcy. It was one of the hardest and easiest things I’ve ever had to do. We realised that money wasn’t everything and it’s the journey and not the destination you should be worried about. Soon after filing for bankruptcy I was diagnosed with a heart problem which is still causing me issues. BUT! I’m off of antidepressants for the 2nd time in 8 years and I am on a very tiny disability pension (under $150 a fortnight). We have absolutely no money and some weeks we have to make the decision, food or bills? But we are happy. I don’t dread waking up the next day and I am totally unconcerned now when people comment about my lack of family/job/career. I plan on doing some soul searching and some training and getting a job I like but that won’t kill me. I firmly believe that the greatest pains in my life have been caused by stress and not by actual events. For me I had to just stop and breathe and work out what I actually wanted. I don’t see my past escapades as a failure, just a lesson in life, I know what I don’t want to do and that is very valuable. I’m still searching but I am taking my time. I found therapy to be one of the best things I’ve ever experienced, it helped me with my depression and PTSD and more importantly, I can apply it to my every day life. I realised that when I was in the thick of things I always made panicked decisions and jumped from one bad situation to another. Now I consider and reflect for a length of time before I fully evaluate something and I challenge every emotion I have. I’m more at peace and despite my ‘situation’ I am much happier for it.
I echo some of the voices in the dialog about a profession being seen as a necessity. You have the responsibility as an adult to ensure your financial independence.
Loving my job, I was raised to think, is actually a bonus – not the end goal of having an occupation. This I still believe.
I hated my undergrad training and several times was close to quitting the field I’m now in. But what keeps me here is the work opportunities, potential for self employment and travel opportunities down the line.
That security is what I treasure waaaaaaay more than ‘happiness’. In turn, i get to fulfill those whispered dreams when I get away from work – I basically payroll the things that *really* make me excited. This is what makes the sacrifice worth it
I know exactly how you feel. in my case I was told i hate to go to college and did and not knowing what to do i ended up with a B.A. in psychology/sociology; where i live its considered a “worthless” degree (too many people same degree ,not enough jobs & i didn’t get the right experience in the field) Its ok because I’ve discovered i really feel like its not the path for me, I’ve recently found a passion for arts, crafts, the whole process of creation but now I feel just as stuck on where to go from here. this is the advice i was given by my friends mom ” use what you have in a way that your not totally miserable until you find the path to do what your called to do.” Hope it helps
Well, I am reading and responding to this because I just googled,” I hate my health care career.” I have been working as a medical assistant for the past 11 years. I began my career in healthcare at the age of 20 thinking I could help people and also know it would bring in $$. Now back story, from the time I was 3 until 20 I was a dancer, singer and actress in musical theater. I went to a performing arts school and sang at Carnegie hall. I knew it was not realistic to think I would have this dream career forever, so I entered healthcare. Here I am now, 33, loathing my life. It is hard, I have found that thus is not for me. It has become a large and every growing community of MEAN GIRL groups, physicians and US OTHERS. I am one of the few who refuse to try and kiss my way into the “groups” that run everything. Here I am, again, unemployed. But, this time I am deciding to do contact work so that I can do something else. I have come to grips and finally, for the first time, said out loud I HATE working in healthcare! Until this pivotal, my way to make it everyday was, “this is job security because there are always sick people and they are getting sicker.” NO MORE!! You are not alone! Write down the things you like and your expectation on the way you want to live your life and choose. SANE OR INSANITY?
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First of all, do not think of all this as a waste of time/money. Finding out what you do not want to do with the rest of your life is almost as important as finding out what you want to do.
Of course, now you have to find out what you DO want to do. I suggest doing internships or such in possible job fields to find out whether they are what you want to do. That might be complicated, considering the fact that you will still need to earn money to live on. But it may spare you more years on training that in the end you may find did you no good at all. Or talk to people who work in the fields you are interested in. Maybe they can take you to work on one of your free days, so you can see what they are doing and whether it is what you thought it would be?
Do not be afraid to take the plunge. Otherwise you may find yourself stuck with a job you hate for the rest of your life. Everything is better than that.
THANK YOU! This is exactly how I feel. Except I can’t find work in my current field. I’m 27, have a masters, and still have no idea if that’s what I want my career to be. I’m currently talking to my therapist about it, and looking forward to reading other’s suggestions here.
I want to say that everyone has given such awesome advice on here, and I think that you could take away with you that you are definitely not the only one going through a “what am I doing with my life” crisis. I personally, totally understand the issues you face, I’m in my mid thirties and I have no idea what I should be doing with my life as yet. Granted a lot of bad things have happened that have shifted my focus dramatically, and perhaps they are the reason it’s gone on so long. Two weeks before the end of high school my dad died suddenly and I wasn’t given extensions, so my final grades took a dive. I wasn’t offered the course I wanted and my plan was ultimately to go work with my dad anyway so I was really lost right from the start. I got my third preference and hated it so dropped out after a year. Went and worked 40 hours a week at a fabric store but left after 9 months due to hating the older women there who used to tease me. Went back to college and did fashion, then realised it would take me no where (I did enjoy the course though, but a lot of people *family* are not supportive of arts based programs that are not ‘sensible’). So then I went and got career testing/counseling done and started the degree that it suggested in communications. Loved the web design part, hated all the theory (did I really need to know who created the internet?). Dropped out after the first year to go do Costume at the performing arts academy after someone saw the stuff I created in my spare time and threw a place my way (same place Hugh Jackman and Heath Ledger went so a kind of a big deal) Got very very ill after a few months and had to drop out (they work you to the bone there). By this stage I was very depressed and lost. I did a couple of other jobs, bank teller, stocktaker and then landed a job as a law clerk for the government. That job I stuck at for 4 years, the pay was good and I liked the other support staff. I worked in criminal prosecutions though and some lawyers were violent and abusive and I ended up having to leave because it turned out I had repressed memories of childhood abuse and a case I worked on, well, ‘un-repressed the memories’. So here I was in my mid to late twenties, hearing voices, terrified of the dark and men and not fully understanding why. I was admitted to a mental health ward and underwent 18 bouts of ECT. I lost 4 years of my memory including meeting and marrying my husband. Slowly I recovered and with massive doses of medication, I went back to work in retail in fabric stores but was deeply unhappy, periods of self harm, being suicidal and crying on my way to and from work. I thought perhaps it was because I was bored and got a management job in a large fabric store. Cue even more misery, I was doing 60 hours a week and only getting paid for 37, never having breaks, being abused and sworn at by nasty customers and my health started to fail, I got swine flu, an inflamed bursa in my hip and I started to become the kind of person I didn’t like (angry, snappy and bad tempered). One day my hubby and I sat on the bed and had a talk and I told him I didn’t think I could do the job anymore. I was so afraid he’d leave me as he’s been through a lot while he’s been with me and so many people tell me I just need to stick to something. Straight away he said “Thank goodness you said it!”. He had seen what an unhappy work environment and long hours were doing to me and wanted it to stop but was frightened of making me feel like I’d failed again. We discussed what would happen if I couldn’t find another job and were prepared for the worst. So I quit the next day and 3 months later we declared bankruptcy. It was one of the hardest and easiest things I’ve ever had to do. We realised that money wasn’t everything and it’s the journey and not the destination you should be worried about. Soon after filing for bankruptcy I was diagnosed with a heart problem which is still causing me issues. BUT! I’m off of antidepressants for the 2nd time in 8 years and I am on a very tiny disability pension (under $150 a fortnight). We have absolutely no money and some weeks we have to make the decision, food or bills? But we are happy. I don’t dread waking up the next day and I am totally unconcerned now when people comment about my lack of family/job/career. I plan on doing some soul searching and some training and getting a job I like but that won’t kill me. I firmly believe that the greatest pains in my life have been caused by stress and not by actual events. For me I had to just stop and breathe and work out what I actually wanted. I don’t see my past escapades as a failure, just a lesson in life, I know what I don’t want to do and that is very valuable. I’m still searching but I am taking my time. I found therapy to be one of the best things I’ve ever experienced, it helped me with my depression and PTSD and more importantly, I can apply it to my every day life. I realised that when I was in the thick of things I always made panicked decisions and jumped from one bad situation to another. Now I consider and reflect for a length of time before I fully evaluate something and I challenge every emotion I have. I’m more at peace and despite my ‘situation’ I am much happier for it.
I echo some of the voices in the dialog about a profession being seen as a necessity. You have the responsibility as an adult to ensure your financial independence.
Loving my job, I was raised to think, is actually a bonus – not the end goal of having an occupation. This I still believe.
I hated my undergrad training and several times was close to quitting the field I’m now in. But what keeps me here is the work opportunities, potential for self employment and travel opportunities down the line.
That security is what I treasure waaaaaaay more than ‘happiness’. In turn, i get to fulfill those whispered dreams when I get away from work – I basically payroll the things that *really* make me excited. This is what makes the sacrifice worth it
I know exactly how you feel. in my case I was told i hate to go to college and did and not knowing what to do i ended up with a B.A. in psychology/sociology; where i live its considered a “worthless” degree (too many people same degree ,not enough jobs & i didn’t get the right experience in the field) Its ok because I’ve discovered i really feel like its not the path for me, I’ve recently found a passion for arts, crafts, the whole process of creation but now I feel just as stuck on where to go from here. this is the advice i was given by my friends mom ” use what you have in a way that your not totally miserable until you find the path to do what your called to do.” Hope it helps
Well, I am reading and responding to this because I just googled,” I hate my health care career.” I have been working as a medical assistant for the past 11 years. I began my career in healthcare at the age of 20 thinking I could help people and also know it would bring in $$. Now back story, from the time I was 3 until 20 I was a dancer, singer and actress in musical theater. I went to a performing arts school and sang at Carnegie hall. I knew it was not realistic to think I would have this dream career forever, so I entered healthcare. Here I am now, 33, loathing my life. It is hard, I have found that thus is not for me. It has become a large and every growing community of MEAN GIRL groups, physicians and US OTHERS. I am one of the few who refuse to try and kiss my way into the “groups” that run everything. Here I am, again, unemployed. But, this time I am deciding to do contact work so that I can do something else. I have come to grips and finally, for the first time, said out loud I HATE working in healthcare! Until this pivotal, my way to make it everyday was, “this is job security because there are always sick people and they are getting sicker.” NO MORE!! You are not alone! Write down the things you like and your expectation on the way you want to live your life and choose. SANE OR INSANITY?
just go on on and on
I’m lost now…
What did you do? This was two years ago… Tell me there is hope. What did you do?