Working 9 to 5...

Srime · 2021-02-26T23:59:24+00:00

Never had any real career aspirations as a kid, not until 2-3 years ago at most. For a short while I figured I'd go along with my mom's wishes and make bank as an engineer and that was going along smoothly until I took my first engineering class in college and realized there was no way in hell I was going to be able to do that shit.

I've had tons of positions in short-term, dead end jobs since then and have come to the realization that most work sucks lol. I've walked out of a handful of jobs in the past ~~(like just yesterday)~~, stopped showing up, or just slowly lost any motivation to do good work b/c the jobs were literally pointless and unengaging or b/c management was awful.

Lol I know I sound like a bum, but I truly can't stand wasting 8-12 hours a day standing in one spot doing nothing important. I've proven to myself time and time again that money isn't enough motivation for me to stay in a miserable position. I'd been in a bad funk all week and couldn't figure out why. I felt terrible at work for the first couple hours so I decided to leave and my mood improved tenfold out of nowhere. I had just been sleep deprived from 12 hour shifts doing pointless, menial tasks and tired of dealing with attitudes from managers.

I absolutely love busting my ass for something challenging and/or meaningful though and am finally hopping into a field I can see a future in in a little less than 3 months from now, wildland firefighting. Until then, its another few weeks of another boring warehouse job.

A fulfilling job is a necessity for me at this point; I need to get my shit together.

Lesbianvodkaaunt · 2021-02-27T02:28:19+00:00

I have lots of goals but they don’t really translate into a career. I’m graduating college in the spring and don’t have any idea what to do after. I’ve worked in food/retail since I was a teenager and would honestly just manage a store or restaurant but i feel like people see working these jobs after college as a “failure to launch”, since college is supposed to be a gateway to “real” (corporate) jobs. I really just went to continue my education and because my family said I should. I know I will make more money if I can find anything to do in the corporate world but I find office jobs slow, and I do better when I’m busy. I decided to major in art for college since I don’t feel like the major of your bachelors degree matters much anyway and everyone keeps asking how I’m going to get into “the industry”, but I don’t really want to. If i have to work on other people’s projects or make art for corporate purposes I will actually lose my mind.

weirdlyhaunted · 2021-02-27T05:03:51+00:00

I've changed careers two or three times already, so no, I did not know from a young age that I'd be doing what I'm doing now. I'm an attorney. I enjoy the work but I have no passion for it. That said, it's fulfilling enough to balance the parts of it that are emotionally draining and it pays well enough to fund the things in my life I actually am passionate about. It's definitely not for everyone, though, and I made the conscious decision to pursue a lower-stress (and lower-paying) practice area and market, which is also not a decision that would work for everyone. But I wanted a work-life balance, and I got it. Suits me.

begonia_skies · 2021-02-27T12:01:57+00:00

When I was younger I think I really idolized women that were career-driven and didn't have to bother with getting married or having kids. For my job I had to sign a waiver that basically says that I understand the job entails long hours and I may miss family events, etc. and I was all for it, that was what I wanted to do and my career aspirations mattered more than my personal life. However, as I venture into my mid-30s, I feel a sense of loss in my personal life and I find myself really envying co-workers that have families and hobbies and for them work is just a job. I think I will always be ambitious, I just don't think I can get away from that as it just my personality, but I've definitely started to take my foot off the gas and try and focus on things outside of work, and maybe get a girlfriend, lol.

pass_words · 2021-02-28T03:37:25+00:00

I didn’t know, but the signs were all there. I loved money and savings from a young age. I’m also a highly analytical person and love researching so it all fits in with what I do as a position trader. I like being my own boss for now. I think I’m fortunate to be passionate about what I do, but at the same time I don’t know if this is what I’ll be doing forever.

I’ll always be managing money in some way shape or form, but I’d eventually like to do it passively.

I’m ambitious and crave security both emotional and financial, but I’m not career driven. I really hope I get what I want and get to be my future wife’s rock and support her through whatever she aspires to do. All I aspire to in life is to get married to my person, have a family and to generate a lot of wealth/build an empire with my wife and to leave our kids/grandkids with a really great legacy.

I think it depends on the person and that persons ambition in regards to whether a fulfilling job equates to a fulfilling life. Some people hate working, some people love working, some people make money to live, some people live to make money, then there’s a spectrum for it all too. So it just depends on the person. I’ve always found contentment in whatever it was that I was doing in the moment, whether it was bartending or serving or working a in an office I enjoyed all those jobs some were better than others for sure and some could really suck sometimes and other times they could be great, but if you really hate what you do I think that’ll eat away at you eventually and wouldn’t recommend anyone stick with something that makes them feel that way.

I don’t believe what I do for work defines me no.

PasLagardere · 2021-02-26T22:03:29+00:00

I never thought I’d be doing this. I had a job I really liked and left it for a job that was a big upgrade moneywise, COVID hit and we had to look for a new job.

So I started my new job mid-COVID. I had 1,5 week of training, which wasn’t enough at all. I’m struggeling and overworked. I make mistakes and have nobody to help me cause I am the only one who ‘knows’ my tasks. Last week I had surgery and Co-workers still contacted me for work.

A Co-worker is in a burn-out so I’m doing his job rather than mine. I don’t have enough time to so things properly.

But I like the money and the stability this offers me.

MyLongestJourney · 2021-02-27T13:09:25+00:00

I have a scientific degree but for financial reasons,I work in the industry ,and not where I would really wish to work,scientific/technological research.My job pays good,but there is always this emptiness inside.It comforts me somewhat that the work I do,helps other people.

SerpensInferna · 2021-02-28T01:16:14+00:00

In high school I developed a fear of working a 9 - 5, it seemed like a horrible way to spend your life, toiling at meaningless paper work, trapped in a cubicle. I worked retail throughout high school and loathed it, so I decided to try social work to find fulfillment. I was quickly disillusioned, and struggled to pay bills on a social worker's pay. From there I looked at a variety of supplemental part-time jobs and alternate career options until I became desperate to get out of social work and took an office job in a nursing home. I was able to get into HR through that position and picked up skills and certifications, and now I have a HR job that I really like in a great company.

It's a 9-5, but it turns out a good paycheck, guaranteed weekends, health benefits and a 401k do a great deal to relieve general life stress. I have plenty of time and money to pursue hobbies that make me happy, travel a little, and prepare for retirement. All in all, I am far happier and more fulfilled at this job than I ever was doing social work.

While I wouldn't say I'm passionate about it, I do enjoy it. I'm not having children, which is something that makes me a bit sad sometimes, so I'm choosing to focus on and find fulfillment in career and a life of small pleasures. My job doesn't define me, but it is important to me and I put a lot into it.

Destresse · 2021-02-28T07:45:13+00:00

It took me a very long time to know what I wanted to do in life. I've always known I was ambitious, but didn't like that about me, and had nowhere to put that ambition into, so I just kind of stayed afloat money-wise for a long time, dependent on government aids.

Then I quit college, entered trade (is that how you say it? When you go to school but also work as an apprentice) in tech jobs and I'm now an apprentice electrician. Though I'll get my degree in a few months, I want to aim a bit higher and become an engineer in energy. Which is kind of a big deal for me lol!

Career is important to me, I'm very strict with my criterias so it was hard to find a path that would check them all. Getting good income was one, I want to live comfortably and not depend on anyone or anything (like the government lol), but also feeling useful in the grand scheme of things, having varied and complex activities so I don't get bored, and not spending 7hours sitting on my butt in front of a screen. I haven't started yet so I don't know if that'll fit my expectations, but so far it's looking great!

To me, a fulfilling job definitely equates a fulfilling life. Or rather, the opposite: a job that isn't fulfilling equates a not fulfilling life. Because I think a fulfilling job is just a part of a fulfilling life, but a pretty big part!

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