When I was younger, I always looked at whatever my dad did for work (generally speaking, government proposals, although all I knew at the time was that it involved suits, long hours, and acronyms) and swore that I would never have a job like that. I don’t mean that as any offense to my father – he’s a talented and intelligent guy who has worked hard to provide for our family. But his jobs seemed so dry and corporate, and I vowed I would never go that route with my life.
Fast forward a decade or two, and not only have I become dry and corporate, but I have literally gone into the exact same field. And each day I wake up and I’m like, seriously?! There are a million boring, cubicle-bound careers and I still drifted into the very one I swore to avoid. Drifted is truly the word here, too. It started with a temp job doing data-entry, shifted into part-time work in government contracts, slid into writing one specific type of proposals, and then crash-landed into being a proposal person full-time. I have let this happen over the past three and a half years and now I am 25 and my life is over.
Okay, maybe that’s a little dramatic.
But I am at a loss for a plan. I have a lot of half-ideas, but either they’re not practical, they require a lucky break, or they are only on my list because they seem like ‘easy’ answers to the question of what to do with my life.
Ideas That Are On The List:
Writer/columnist
Psychologist or therapist
Copywriter, then eventually a creative director
Emergency room doctor or surgeon
Professional bike racer
Lawyer (specifically a prosecutor)
Officer in the Army or Marines
Food critic (oh, Tom Sietsema, I want to be you)
FBI agent
The plan I am currently using involves going to work each day and hoping that when I wake up tomorrow, I will inherently know to go somewhere else because my life has magically changed overnight and now includes some exciting job in one of the above areas. Unsurprisingly, this plan has not been successful, although that has not stopped me from trying it for several years.
I am nothing if not persistent.
But now I am soliciting advice from the peanut gallery here. I’m guessing most of you have jobs, some of which are probably fulfilling and possibly similar to something on my list. I have a degree in marketing, five years of professional experience, several years of writing experience, and a lot of knowledge about proposals and government contracts. What should I do now?
Thank you.
Hello,
I am the medical student who left you a message about a year or two ago when you suddenly stopped taking your SSRIs. If you are interested in medicine, you will need to fulfill the pre-med requirements. Since you went to TJ, you probably have a pretty good idea of whether or not you enjoy bio, chem, physics, etc. I am now a fourth year medical student. Feel free to email me with questions.
Best wishes,
C
“Well, the world needs ditch-diggers too…”
Goddamn, no one should ever strive be a lawyer. Christ and Allah almighty.
I’ve “dated” a few female lawyers…even office-closing one sparky little dish in her elite firm’s digs on K Street. (You hear that shit, Tackleberry?! Represent! *Contador finger-bang*)…and let me tell ya, they’re a humorless lot who had every ounce of creativity, passion and lifeforce extracted from their pitch black souls during law school.
Do you really want to pursue a profession where your sole purpose is to shit in someone’s life-cereal on a daily basis? Come on…
Stick to more creative endeavors as all we’ll ever be is what we leave behind. If that’s a trail of tears garnered through regularly locking horns by manipulating/massaging the meaning of words, phrases and their context (I’m talking to the lawyerin’ kind out there), well then I pity you.
Sorry Poo Blossom, I don’t have any good advice for you, but if you receive any helpful tips I’m hoping you could pass them along. I am 27 and my life is over, so it appears that you and I are rowing the same depressing boat here. I believe it is called the USS Mind-Numbingly Boring and Completely Unfulfilling Career. Bleck. See you on Saturday.
At 34 & single mom to one son, I am a FT orthodontic assistant…my job is not glamorous or exciting (well, making people with jacked-up teeth proud of their new, healthy smiles is kinda exciting sometimes). I am not passionate about my field, but I have realized after half-assing many other endeavors (more fun/challenging/creative), that my job is simply a means to an end and I am okay with that…better than okay, in fact.
I make enough coin to live comfortably and my schedule frees up my eveenings and weekends to have adventures on my bike or with my son…
I have found something that doesn’t require me to sit at a desk or take work home…it’s hardly my calling, but it let’s all the other areas of my life evolve the way I want.
No, I am not suggesting you become an ortho assistant…
Just saying-
it’s not what I went to school for or dreamed of becoming (god help me), but I learned something new when I stepped outside of my box & decided the practicalities were more important than being defined by “what I do for a living.”
it’s not as bad as it sounds 😉
I had two thoughts, both of which are not mine. The first is to JUST DO (something I’m not good at myself, because apparently I like brain crack. see here: http://lifehacker.com/5423552/the-key-to-success-do-stuff) The second, is do what you are good at (via here: http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2007/12/18/bad-career-advice-do-what-you-love/) I’ve contemplated taking the Strong Interest Inventory and MBTI tests myself, although I feel like I’ve got a pretty good grasp on what it is they will tell me and this is just a way to feel like I’m doing something while doing nothing. I feel you, I’m in a similar place myself.