Questioning my carear

[Sublimewind]

Hi all,Drab day, I have lots to do, no motivation to do it... I currently work R&D for a LARGE research company (sister to the largest chemical company in the world, I think)I get to work in a clean room, with some crazy PECVD equipment, I finally got a desk and my own computer (not in the CR) ect.... I'm just not happy... I really don't think I'm cut out for it... I've worked all sorts of tech jobs, from a fuel cell development program, to a chip fab for IBM... I just struggle with interest.... I find when I'm on the net (another problem, I'm hopelessly addicted to the interwebs) I'm on here, or car sites, or anything that's not related.... There is sooooo much I could learn, I just choose not to... I'm marginal at math and my world is a lot of math. I have an Associates Degree in Electronic Technology (ITT Tech) and haven't used it since I left school... I need something automotive, was once an installer, but I was also 18-19 then and could fit under a dash for an hour at a time... I donno, maybe I need to do that again, but, it doesn't pay the bills... I'm so frustrated with all of this... I just need a change of venue or something, It seems like I haven't been happy for a long time, not depressed, just not really happy... All the stuff I'm doing on the car is fleeting happiness for me, it's nice at the time, then I look at my credit card bill... Advice? Thanks...

[kevera]

Dude,you're to young to be going through a mid-life crisis,j/k It's real hard finding a career/job that you love.It's better to make less money and do what you love,then make lots of money and be miserable.

[Kamikaze]

Glad I'm not the only one.

[VforVIBE]

Quote, originally posted by Kamikaze »Glad I'm not the only one.It's hard trying to decide what you want to do "for the rest of your life". I think it's time you sit down and really think what do you want, and after you've decided find a away to make it work. What's the point if you're not happy-right? We've all have been there at one point or another, some of us sooner hten others, but you'll get through it. Heck I switched my major 3 different times in college.And if you do end up going back to school, make sure it's for a degree you can take to a lot of different places. There is nothing wrong with switching it up every once in a while, that's what make life interesting.

[kunkstyle]

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »I need something automotive, was once an installer, but I was also 18-19 then and could fit under a dash for an hour at a time... I donno, maybe I need to do that again, but, it doesn't pay the bills...Working in that field for someone else won't pay the bills. However being the owner does. What about opening your own install shop?

[VforVIBE]

Quote, originally posted by kunkstyle »What about opening your own install shop?You'll have to have the money to back it.

[ZubenElGenubi]

Dude, when you start a thread with the title: Questioning my carrear, you might want to think about improving your spelling before working on a new résumé. It also occurred to me that you might be questioning your "car rear". That would make sense if you're talking about the '09 Vibe. That new back end has me scratching my head, too.

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by ZubenElGenubi »Dude, when you start a thread with the title: Questioning my carrear, you might want to think about improving your spelling before working on a new résumé. It also occurred to me that you might be questioning your "car rear". That would make sense if you're talking about the '09 Vibe. That new back end has me scratching my head, too. Yeah, I bombed that one didn't I.... If it wasn't for spell check, i wouldn't HAVE a jerb.. You can't seem to edit a title, even if it gives you the box in edit to make changes, it stays... i'm dumb...

[ragingfish]

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »Yeah, I bombed that one didn't I.... If it wasn't for spell check, i wouldn't HAVE a jerb.. You can't seem to edit a title, even if it gives you the box in edit to make changes, it stays... i'm dumb... Sadly, that's not just you, most of my friends would be unemployed too. It's not a personal problem...i think it is a societal problem...

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »Sadly, that's not just you, most of my friends would be unemployed too. It's not a personal problem...i think it is a societal problem...Math and English, they are awful for me..... The documented ADD/adult ADD doesn't help much either..

[Kamikaze]

I'm doing the same thing... hating my job, but doing it to make ends meet, I've applied at quite a few different jobs... things that are so person friendly (I hate talking to people all day, and put a fake smile on my face) I really don't know what I want to do, I just know it's not what I'm doing now...All I can do is apply for other jobs and hope that I get something that I like. If I get a different job and don't like it... then all I can do is try to find something else..

[NibCrom]

Do some praying.

[asburydan]

Don't know if you like to read, but I can suggest a great book. It is called Halftime, going from success to significance. It addresses the issue and says everyone reaches a "halftime" in their work lives. This is not a chronological halftime, but emotional/spiritual halftime.

[jimincalif]

Well.....This is a tough one. If you look at successful people, one characteristic that comes across is they love what they do. But how do you get there? Most of us cannot afford to try out multiple careers, starting over each time. Some observations - you learn more about yourself over time, you also change over time. When I started out 28 years ago, the though of selling scared me to death. Now I like selling more than other apects of my job.No matter how great a job anyone has, some parts suck at times. What is important is keeping your focus on what you are passionate about your job and minimizing your focus on the other stuff.A career change might be a good move for you, but think about your current job and what things about it you like most (what are you doing when time flies by?) Can you work to evolve your job toward that which you like most? As an employer myself, I like to know what my employees' like to do and what their strengths are. It is win-win if we can structure their job to take advantage of this. Talk with your supervisor manager about where you are and where you want to go if possible. Most employers like employees who think big. If no opportunities where you are, there might be other opportunities in your field that would excite you.The suggestion to read up on the subject is good. I don't know asburydan's suggested book Halftime myself, but it sounds like a good place to start.There are lots of opportunities, but it is easy to miss them when trying to look out from the same old rut.Good luck.

[tribalman]

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »Hi all,I'm marginal at math and my world is a lot of math. I have an Associates Degree in Electronic Technology (ITT Tech) and haven't used it since I left school... Advice? Thanks... yeah, i attend ITT tech but for the IT/CNS course. it really does seem like it's not as great as another school could be, but it's a first step. you like audio and obviously electronics a bit, why not try and find some more classes, course work, or books to instruct yourself a bit? might also find a little obscure field you want to join. like me, i like to work with computers, but what i really want to do is program. and not just any program, i am thinking and trying to plan for becomming a physics engine programmer.

[northvibe]

im in the same dang place...but i gotta try to ship some parts so ill post up in a little bit

[djb383]

Maybe this book will help? Dave Ramsey recommends it.........check your local library.http://www.48days.com/

[kunkstyle]

Quote, originally posted by VforVIBE »You'll have to have the money to back it. Or the bank's money, as long as it can be paid back. My mom has been self employed since I was a kid. She's been involved with 4 startups, and only one hasn't been bankrolled by a financial institute. Just a thought.

[Sublimewind]

Thanks for all the input and kind words, friends.. Today is a new, better day, yesterday is gone... Thankfully... I still question my career choice, but I do like what I'm doing... it's just it doesn't "feel" like it's making me happy.. I realized yesterday that I'm just one of MILLIONS that aren't happy in there jobs... silly me, I REALLY don't have anything to complain about.... I guess yesterday was just a weak day for me.. Quote, originally posted by jimincalif » As an employer myself, I like to know what my employees' like to do and what their strengths are. Need any more employees? Ohhhhh, the things I would do to be able to have a career in Cali... lol..

[kostby]

#1: Marry money.#2: Don't sign a pre-nup.

[kunkstyle]

Quote, originally posted by Sublimewind »I still question my career choice, but I do like what I'm doing... it's just it doesn't "feel" like it's making me happy.. I realized yesterday that I'm just one of MILLIONS that aren't happy in there jobs... silly me, I REALLY don't have anything to complain about....I originally went to college to enter a field that I really enjoyed on the side as a hobby. Relatively new field, extremely exiting to me. In my halfway point in taking my course, the industry crashed. I had one of two options. Stick with it, because I loved doing what I did, and hope the industry picked up, or drop out because getting work would be next to impossible. I did what I assume most 18 year olds with stars in their eyes and illusions of grandeur would (no offense to any 18 year olds on the board ). I figured because my heart was in it and I was pretty decent at it, I could beat the odds. I could get my diploma and still get hired in an industry where 10,000 people in the city lost thier jobs virtually overnight. Lo and behold I graduated and couldn't get work. A few of my friends found some piece work (paid by the job, and if you calculated the hours put into it, they were probably making $3 an hour...). Others entered semi-related fields (ie: taking computer engineering and working as a tech support phone guy), some went to other fields, and others went back to school to upgrade to get ahead of the curve and have a more specialized skill set to find work.6 months of pounding the pavement looking for work later, the student loans started rolling in, and it was time to look for something that paid the bills, weather I loved it or not. Fell back into the industry I was in prior to college, and stayed there for about 3 years before I couldn't hack it anymore, not to mention it was barely paying the bills. Still looked for jobs in my field of interest to no avail. Then one day stumbled upon a reprint of this article in the local paper. http://www.martynemko.com/arti...d1380Realized it was time do bit the bullet and do what the masses do daily. Find a better paying job that could give me the lifestyle I wanted outside of work. A big pitfall of mine was that I thought I had to love life every day when I was at work, instead of seeing it as the 9-5 it is. I'd rather find a job that I didn't mind (I don't love my job, by any sense of the word, but I also don't wake up dreading the fact that I have to go in.), and come home to the life that I love. To me there's no sense in going to a job you love, and hating life when you get back because you can't pay the bills, or have no life because you're working at what you love 80 hours a week.Any time I see friends and people that knew me from high school, they can't believe my career choice. It's a COMPLETE 180 from anything I or anyone else would have expected me doing.If you're job pays you enough to do the things you love, and gives you enough free time to do them, you're sitting better than a vast majority of clock-punchers out there.

[Sublimewind]

Yes, that is exactly what I realized yesterday.. lol... Thank you..