I Don't Know What To Do With My Life!
[ 18 July 2007 ]
I recently received an email from a very sweet girl, asking me for my advice on choosing a career, & working out what you want to do with your life. She said,
“I just ended my four-month contract with a company that paid well and had good prospects just because it really bored me to death and now I feel like I should’ve tried harder to make things work.”
Dear Brave Girl,
First of all, congratulations on doing what is best for you! Quitting a job which makes you feel like you’re decomposing is an INCREDIBLY liberating feeling.
Secondly, please, my darling, don’t feel bad about leaving your soul-sucking, spirit-crushing boredom festival. I mean, uh, job with good prospects! Do you know why you shouldn’t feel bad about leaving it? A boring job is not like a boring pair of jeans — with boring jeans, you can throw on a red sequinned bolero, tease your hair to the heavens & wear a pair of shoes so magnificent that your jeans will suddenly seem invisible. But a boring job is not as versatile. Those bastards have you chained to a desk, eight hours a day. It’s such a huge chunk of your life gone, & if your boss suddenly turns into a monster (among other possible worst case scenarios), it can really cast an ugly pallor on everything else.
Simply put, it is impossible to be happy when your job makes you want to throw yourself out the window.
Oh baby, I’ve been there! I know how bad it can get. Four & a half years was my limit. “No more!”, I said. After travelling for a few months with my boyfriend, I realised that the last thing I wanted to do was go back to an office, or work in a shop. The boring corporate brigade versus standing on my feet selling rubbish… hmmm, difficult toss-up!
So, how did I know what I wanted to do? Well, I didn’t really. For a couple of years prior, I had this idea that I wanted to start a magazine. I’d taken a publishing course, picked out a name, registered domains & everything. But the closer I looked at the industry, the less I liked it. For one, magazines are totally wasteful — I don’t think I could bear the guilt of killing so many trees. Secondly, you have to kiss advertiser butt — not my style. Thirdly, magazines are just a terrible concept! You can never find anything in a stack of magazines, the indexing is awful, & once August is over (for example), no one’s going to buy it. The expense in starting up a magazine (on any decent scale) is HUGE & it just started to look more & more unstable. I didn’t really know what to do.
My boyfriend recommended I read the website of this guy called Steve Pavlina. I think the first article I read by him was 10 Reasons You Should Never Get A Job. (Read it! Please!) I couldn’t believe what I read. It made me so angry, as I realised everything he said was true. Then I started to work through his other stuff — my second read was The Courage To Live Consciously. Then I listened to his podcasts while I exercised at the gym upstairs & surveyed the city below me. How To Make Money Without A Job, Kick-Start Your Own Business & Embracing Your Passion are all great bits of audio.
I started to make a list of possible things I could do to earn money. I have always known, instinctively, that writing is what I should be doing. I’ve been writing stories, poems, journals & anything else I could think of since a very young age. I think, though, that someone had convinced me that writers don’t make any money, so I had decided that I wasn’t going to do that. Pfffttttt! I should have listened to my mother, who always told me, “do what you love & the money will follow”. The idea of starting my magazine, NOW, online, on a smaller scale, occured to me. I started turning it over in my head, thinking about how I could do it. I wrote my first article, Fashion Help For Recovering Goths, & was instantly hooked! My boyfriend & I cobbled a site together… & here we are today.
I wouldn’t do anything else.
So — here are my tips.
Make lists of things you think you would enjoy doing. Show them to your friends & family, get their opinion. There might be something obvious that you forgot to put down. If they make rude comments or act negatively, please don’t listen! They’re just jealous that they’re not as brave as you are… (If that’s not working, try this.)
Focus on what you WANT! What would your dream career be like? (For example, I never thought that taking narcissistic photos of myself, one of my favourite ever things to do, would generate income… & yet!) If you have fears (“I’m not capable of making any money”; “I’m a failure”; “I have no skills”; “I’m a talentless hack”; “no one will ever take me seriously”; “I fear that branching out on my own will prove how lame I really am!”), use EFT to get rid of them.
Start now, if not sooner. If you don’t want to start without a nest-egg, start working towards building up that money. Get a couple of extra jobs if you can. Make that nest-egg your top priority.
Do your research. Check out other people doing something like what you want to do. How professional are they? What do they charge? Make a list of ways in which you are going to be better than them.
Know when to throw in the towel. Everyone has bad days, even in their dream career — for me, sometimes I can’t think of a single thing to write, can’t dress myself & feel like locking myself in a cupboard — but it’s not because I hate my job, it’s because I’m moody. Learn to differentiate between a bad day & actually disliking what you’re doing.
You will make mistakes. Make them quickly! In my experience, the more things you try, the closer you get to doing what you REALLY want.
Be brave. Have faith in yourself. Know that you can do it! ‘Cause you can, baby!
Now that you have read this, I would like you to do yourself a favour. This favour involves getting your hands on a whiteboard pen. Take this pen, go to the mirror or window you look at most often, & write upon it three quotes. (If you like, you can write the quotes on different windows. Wild, isn’t it?!)
Quote #1.
“Is life not a thousand times too short for us to bore ourselves?” — Friedrich Nietzsche
Quote #2.
“Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Quote #3.
“People need to be made more aware of the need to work at learning how to live because life is so quick and sometimes it goes away too quickly.” — Andy Warhol
I would say good luck, but you don’t need it, you little genius!
Super-love & cupcakes,
Gala
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Thank you for writing this! I was planning on writing to you and asking for this advice too. I really need to find a job I love. My dad always says that if you love what you are doing, you never have to work a day in your life.
Victoria — Your dad is totally, 100% right. I always thought my mother was insane for getting out of bed & being excited to go to work (she owned a clothing boutique for years), but these days I get out of bed before my alarm, before SUNRISE EVEN (!) & work until I run out of steam :> I love it so much.
Thank you so much Gala! I am only 16…but the idea of moving out starting a job, college, what have you is a just a bit intimidating.
Oh, and great quotes. Especially Nietzsche-he is such an interesting fellow.Thank you from me too! This is exactly the stage I’m in right now, too — while I’m figuring things out, I’m going to use some of this “off time” to do what I’ve been meaning to do for nine years… and go to Japan! I also plan on volunteering at a local bookstore and getting involved in the community; I need to build my soul back up, and volunteering’s a good way to do it.
thank you so muc for posting This Gala. My dream is to be a writer or be in a band. The only problems ive had with this is that;
One- I cant play an instrument YET.
Two- I cant seem to find the courage to tell my family.
They all want me to get a good job like be a vet or work in the foreign office like my Nan. But I could never live an average life like that; it will kill me. Im not made to sit in a shop or an office all day. My mind is always on ym stories, thinking about new ones, dreaming about what’s happening next. I love to sleep, I actually sleep too much and can never get up and am constantly very late to school [not good], but its because my dreams. I do it everywhere and anywhere. I write my stuff online and post it on my buzznet site, and also one other, where people can review and read my stuff. And I know that if I don’t become a writer then I am destined for something big like being in a band. The life attracts me so much, and not even the fact that we might end up living in a cramped little mini van and living off noodles and smelling has put me off.
I just cant seem to tell my family, I think im scared of disappointing them. Which makes a difference seeing as Im always seeming to do that.
Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaalaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Reading your glorious words is like being beaten up in a whirlwind of inspiration!
And cakes.
We come out a little high from the sugar rush, but inspired, motivated, and reaching for the hair dye.
GALA FOR PRESIDENT!
x.
How do you make money off this site?
Jay-Jay — Well, you’re young; they don’t need to know until you’re on your way to doing big things!
Sephy — You are sooooo adorable, I heart you :D !!
Caitlin Marie — http://galadarling.com/static/faq !
This is very inspirational !!!
Motivation can be my problem , full of steam then pop I’m all out of ….no stress tho Life always seems to smooth its self out …its all about your headspace …ahe ?
I wish my real name was Frenchie (heehee) its my alter online ego- Frenchie Swallows
Hey sweetie – you are SO inspiring. Honestly, I can feel you changing my life EVERY DAY, one grain of sugar at a time. I love what you’ve written and would add one tip (which I picked up from “becker”, a high-profile wedding photographer): If you know someone with a job you covet (eg wedding photographer!), take them out, buy them lunch and pick their brains. I haven’t tried this yet but I fully plan to before the end of the year!
Frenchie — Every project/idea has periods of stagnation, as long as you can pick yourself up again, it’s all good!
Nadine — Thank you honey. &, funny you say that! In an hour I’m going to have lunch with Mr Problogger.com himself :D !
OMG this article is amazing, and so is steve pavlina’s blog, i just can’t stop reading!
i got to confess that im a newbey reader and i had become an iCiNG addict!
Spoooky! ;-)
Thank you sweetheart. Your artical has perfect timing.
I really needed to read this today.
Thankyou once again gala for words needed on any day but especially when I am going near crazy for no reason. I have not worked up the courage to leave my job but maybe I can work up the courage to at least try and make friends. :)
i was in a job i hated (acc) i was so stressed by working there i would cry on the way to work, my hair was falling out, and my nails wouldnt grow. i HATED it there. after a few months enough was enough, and i started looking for a job i WANTED to do.
I knew what i wanted. a small office, in town, somewhere i didnt need 3 people to sign something off before i could get a pen, and i had to be able to wear jeans to the office.
i went to millions of interviews and turned jobs down if any of the three things I wanted I was missing, or if I noticed something that annoyed me. I turned one job down because the lift took to long to get to the floor my office was on.
in the end, after sticking to my guns, I got my dream job that i am totally in love with. i never dread going into work, and my days fly by.
I want to say thank you. I came across the “10 Reasons…” Steve Pavlina blog-post through your site, and I was HOOKED on his site. There’s something so inspiring about the way he writes.
So I’m working on doing what you guys are doing. When people ask me if I want to be a writer, I reply with “I already AM a writer.” There’s no way I’ll let anything, especially a silly thing like a job, stop me from doing what I love to do.
I’ve been researching, writing, and soon I’ll have a website up and going…But the most important thing is KNOWING, with all my heart, that I can do it.
Thanks for this post, it reminded me that this IS real. Life is ours, so we better live like we mean it.
Sorry to post again, but everyone positively must read those first two links you posted (10 reasons and courage).
I just finished them and might read them both again straight away to get the full impact of it. My wife and I both run small businesses on the side, but maybe now we will take the plunge to attempt full blown self sufficiency.
the first step is always the hardest and you will eat 2 min noodles and you will miss being able to pay all your bills every month but you also will find a peace that comes when you are doing what your heart tells you is right – I would add a fourth quote its from Land Before Time ( animated movie) the momma dinosaur says to the baby dino something along the lines of “ listen to your heart and it will tell you what to do – but you have to listen closely because your heart only whispers “
and if that fails watch Tank Girl – it always helps watching a kick ass fashion inspiration win by simply being kooky and quirky and madly in love!
Sx
D! — Yay! Hello! Welcome! xx!
Yaffa — Yup, Steve knows his shit! Pretty much everything on his site is worth reading, great for days when you feel like you need a kick in zee pants. The world always needs more writers, so keep it up! (Also I have two books to recommend — ‘Writing Down The Bones’ by Natalie Goldberg & ‘Bird By Bird’ by Anne Lamott.)
sarah — I’m so glad to hear that you took control & changed your life! That’s awesome. The first job I had, in a bank, was horrific, they were lucky to see me come in two days a week (& I was a full-timer). I just couldn’t make myself go, I hated it that much.
Sarah — Amen! (& I love both those movies, hee!)
Good post. I hate regular office jobs with a passion. I find them insulting to human intelligence and creativity. My parents, however, are supportive of my idea to be a writer. I am happy with this, but they want me to be a writer on the level and fame of Dylan Thomas! I am gifted child, so I am pressured a large amount to succeed and rise above the rest of the masses by my parents. The thing is, I don’t really want that life, but would rather be a nomad traveling the country and playing my guitar on street corners to my writing…not exactly Robert Frost-esque.
This and the links you have posted have encouraged me to go on. Thanks.
This is going to sound so-oo-oo cliched, but I’m going to say it anyway: you are so inspiring! I’m a college student and I have been going through that “what do I want to do with my life?!” madness lately. This article – and truthfully, your website in general – gives me hope that I can live life doing what I’m passionate about.
thank you!
any movie with the line “its been swell but the swellings gone down “ is inspirational in its self but I also love it bc it tells you to follow your bliss bc its ok to be anything – even if its in love with a mutant kangaroo who used to be a dog – but a really smart one .
which is sort of on topic …. I take every and all oppourtunity to tell everyone to watch Tank Girl,its like self help and a pick me up it makes you smile and it makes you want to take on the world! not to mention wear what you want how you want and that everything goes if you want it to!
I read this post this morning (I’ve started to need my fix every morning before getting productive!) and was thinking the same about my job. Then low and behold about 5 hours later I got a phone call saying I was fired. Luckily I was with friends so they gave me the needed hugs.
But I realised something, I wasn’t happy there. Now there’s fear because that job was what my university course is leading to.
I think I will take a week or two off to relax and find a job which is more in my style. And maybe just maybe relaxed enough so I can go crazy with my hair once again.
You’re an inspiration Gala please, please, please keep at it :)
Hey Gala!
What a brilliant article! Exactly what I (and everyone else by the sound of it) needed to hear :)
I am currently in my poo job and am resigning on September 3rd to run off and work as a masseuse on a mountain for the winter. After that… who knows? I am looking forward to working hard for something good… the ideas aren’t fully formed but they’ll come!
I have been a bit shaky in my resolve as this job pays me more money that I could earn anywhere else so I “should” stay, but the truth is that I’m rubbish at it, completely out of my depth and have lost all interest in what I’m doing, so after two years I’m going to take back my soul, go out into the world and contribute to the positivity and not just churn out numbers all day long :)
Thanks Gala, keep bringing the good stuff!!!
x x x
THANK YOU!! honestly thank you so much. I’ve just quit my uni course as I just wasn’t enjoying the uni thing, I’m just not an academic. Obviously my parents are upset that I have quit and keep asking me what I want to do. And the honest answer is ‘I don’t know’. I’m going to read those articles and see what I can come up with. Scary though, giving up something easy (call center work) but sooo boring.
Thanks Gala x
Acris — I’ll tell you a secret. Your life is your own, to do whatever you want with. Your parents might want you to be Dylan Thomas or Martha Stewart — the fact remains that you’re in charge, & you can (& hopefully, will) do as you please :>
Teenfashionista — Merci beaucoup! I love your blog, it’s great! I’m sure you will be wonderful at whatever you choose to do, cutie!
Jess — Wow, that’s a bit uncanny. I’m sorry that happened to you, but I hope you can spin it into a positive situation! Good luck! (P.S. I’ve been fired before too & it makes you feel awful, but when it happened to me, I LOATHED my job, & really, it was a good thing. The universe telling me I should be doing something better with my time!)
madam — Working as a masseuse sounds fantastic! Congratulations for doing something different & taking a risk, I bet you will have an AMAZING time! Good for you darlingheart!
LauraJ — Call centres, argh! Worst ever! I swear, I would rather work on a farm. & that’s saying something ;> You’ll be brill though, I have faith! xx
May I share one more quote?
“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.” — Helen Keller
wow, this post of yours was the perfect antidote to this society constantly screaming at me to focus on a sensible career, to pretty much just be sensible and practical about life. Thank you so much!
What a great post! Reminds me I need to actually finish signing up my blog for Google AdSense…and actually finish my pile of six or seven articles (I am rubbish at finishing stuff) currently on the go. I guess it’s fear that stops me completing them.
I loved this article! Inspiring as always :)
I think its important to remember that you don’t have to be creative/arty to work for yourself. If you want to be self employed or start a business there are so many options. Its also surprisingly easy to start a company (though takes a bit of work to run one!).
And why limit yourself to one career? Its possible to do more than one job at a time, and it might be the best way to go in the direction you want.
This can also be a good stepping stone on the way to doing what you really want. If you have a job you can live with but really want to move into something else, cut back your hours and spend the rest of your time pursuing your dreams (while still getting income).
And remember that the way that you feel about your career is more important than anyones opinion!
i must say though, that IF you have to hold a job you dislike for a period of time (i have to for financial reasons) you should remind yourself why you have the job. if it’s leading nowhere, you’re probably on the wrong track. but if you learn something from it in a time where you needed cash, i don’t see anything wrong with making yourself “suffer” a little bit. these kind of things help you grow, you shouldn’t run away from every bad situation.
this summer i am working on a cleaning/repairs crew for student apartments. i don’t like it much, but it allows me to live on my own and that gives me a good feeling. i also feel better about myself sometimes after work because sometimes i have to do things i won’t be able to. even though other people don’t covet my job and i really don’t care for it sometime, it’s not the end-all-be-all of my life. keep that in mind! :)
oops! typo! i meant “even though i sometimes have to do things i DIDN’T THINK i’d be able to” haha…
To add the lone voice of dissent here, I think some conditions need to be added. After working retail and service for a few years, I’ve seen people leave, who did not like the job, because they weren’t too fond of working, period. And I’m sorry to say that they probably wouldn’t succeed elsewhere, self-employed or otherwise, unless they confronted some things about themselves first. (This is NOT at all connected to the OP.)
1. It might not be the job—it might be you. How many times have I heard “this job starts too early” at 10:00 AM, when the person in question has been bragging about partying and drinking until 5:00 AM? Identify your strengths, but be aware of your weaknesses and potential debilitating habits.
2. I don’t mean to say that it’s all the employee’s fault, definitely not, and I might be preaching to the choir here, but one’s actions dictate the immediate environment one works in: Your co-workers are chilly? Maybe if you weren’t always late and expect them to pick up the slack, they’d be nicer. Your job is boring? Take initiative, volunteer for projects that you’re interested in. Opportunities don’t wait politely at your door—you’ve got to make the effort.
3. Others might call Steve Pavlina “inspirational,” but I personally hate his tone. (No offense to you at all, Gala.) By making the assumption that everyone who works at a conventional job is “trapped” and “brainwashed,” he belittles those who work to feed their families, and to make ends meet. As a first-generation immigrant, I find his writings to have stemmed out of never having gone to bed hungry or seriously worried about being evicted.
Not to mention that he’s doing the exact same thing as those who say “those who don’t have a (conventional) job are bums and leech off of others.” Judgmental comments are abhorrant regardless which end of the spectrum they’re on.
4. Don’t dismiss what others say. Blatant negativity with no backing? Ignore all you want. But if your mother tells you gently that you can’t make it as a travel writer because your fear of airplanes is not as light as you pretend it is, listen to her. Sometimes our desires overwhelm our abilities. (I know I desperately wanted to be a surgeon, despite my mother reminding me that chemistry labs were the bane of my existence. She was right.)
However, in conclusion, I do want to congratulate you on succeeding so well in the field of YOUR choosing. You’re an inspiration!
mazikeen — Hello!
The reason iCiNG works is because it lifts people up, it removes all judgement, it tells them they CAN do whatever they want to. & that’s absolutely, 100% true. People get knocked around by life so much, it’s hard enough as it is — I don’t want to contribute to that.
I think you raise some good points, but you’re missing the crucial part of the article, which is that I sincerely believe that if someone is doing something they enjoy, all previous ways of life will go out the window. Of course, the girl who parties until the wee hours of the morning is going to have to change a little bit in order to get her jewellery business off the ground… but if someone wants it enough, THEY WILL! I used to be the girl who hated her job, who slacked off, who would call in sick in the blink of an eye. But these days I get up at sunrise. I am obsessed with working. I always thought I was the laziest person on the planet. Like I said in the article, I wasn’t, I was just doing something I didn’t enjoy.
Laziness & negative attitudes towards work can be changed, easily, but you need some REASON to change! Doing something which gets you fired up can be that thing.
All that stuff about other people’s flaws — that’s really just something which happens when you’re young & boisterous. Most people start to settle down after a few years of working, & that stuff doesn’t happen anymore. Being young & unenthused about your work doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you human. Your comments sound like you’re harbouring a bit of resentment towards people who have disappointed you in the workplace before ;D
I can’t defend Steve’s intentions, because I don’t know what they are, but I don’t think he is belittling anyone at all. Everyone works to feed their families, everyone (at some stage or another) struggles to make ends meet. I think his intention is to show that IF (if) you don’t want to be chained to a desk, you don’t HAVE to be. & he is absolutely right, regardless of your personal situation, no one HAS to do anything. Yes, his tone is obnoxious, but I think he felt the need to write that way in order to get his point across. (Not my style, but then, we’re different people!)
“Weaknesses & potential debilitating habits” are a myth. As long as you believe in these restrictions, yes, you will continue to live by them. There are enough famous dyslexic public speakers to prove that these things don’t matter unless you think they do. Anyway, these days, with EFT & NLP & all these other amazing discoveries, you can change your life in a week. A day, even.
I think a lot of people live their lives rationalising their reasons for being in a job they dislike, because they feel a sense of obligation, or like it is “their lot” in life. People can choose to believe whatever they like, but the reason Steve & I write these things is to shake them out of it — if they want to be!
I think this article saved my life. Thank you :) I should send you something awesome and Canadian – anything you’d like?
Opium — Awwwww! No problem honeypie! I’m happy to help. & um, I don’t know, I’ve never been to Canada! I like anything containing sugar though, haha! xxx
done!
Gala, I can’t thank you enough for the article. Sorry for the late comment, my comp at home is totally screwed. So here I am, at a dodgy-looking internet cafe, just because I couldn’t stand not knowing what you’re getting up to with your life! I’m taking this free time I have to slowly learn more about myself before I take further action. I’m using your article as a guide so I’ll update you on the haps okay? Anyway, thanks again! Keep doing what you’re doing cos I’m loving it!
P/S: My eyes have been going *&^$%% everytime I see ads featuring Topshop’s candy-coloured skinnies. I’m sure I’ll get some stares if I wear them out on the streets of Singapore (where dressing quirky interprets as strange and attention-seeking)but seriously, why on earth would I pray an exorbitant amount of money on a piece of clothing that will make other people happy and me, a miserable mouse?
Hey Brave Girl! So glad to help. It was a bit tricky to write because obviously, I have no idea what your life is like or where your talents lie (other than in being generally amazing)! So I guess I looked at it like, this is the advice I would have wanted six months ago. A bit of encouragement & a push towards looking more closely at my passions. But do keep me updated on your progress, would love to see how you go. xxx!
thank you so much for your article – and your high-octane sweetness and smarts. i stumbled upon your site looking for something about what colors to wear and fell in love with it. bluebirds and buttercups to ya!
This is a fantastic post, but unfortunately following your own career path is a lot more difficult when factoring in chronic health problems that require group health insurance and prescriptions (very expensive to get if self-employed in the US) and over $1,000 a month in rent. oh, san francisco.
Gala, I cannot begin to tell you how much of a help your articles are. And, oddly enough, you seem to write articles on topics that apply to my life NOW, rather than something I may never use now or in the future. Honestly, you write to the tempo of my life (and apparantly to others)!
This article is a good example. While I’m only 17, I’ve hit a that ‘What am I going to do with my life?!’ phase. It’s my senoir year in High School, so all my teachers will be pushing me to live comfortably, and get a stable job. But I’ve always felt that that wasn’t for me. Naturally, I passed that off as just an off-day feeling I had. Yet, lo and behold, I read your Life Help article, and all that I have been feeling (but denying) was addressed! You have no idea what kind of relief I was experiencing (or maybe you do)! It was simply horrid.
But I ramble.
Now I must think outside the box and try to find a lifestyle that I find ideal. It’s going to be tough, but now that I know that it’s not a sin to think that way, I can do it without fear.
. . . On that note, might you know any sort of job that would give me the opportunity to travel to far, exotic, and almost wild lands? I have always been one to love exploring (a favourite pass-time of mine was going to new places in the woods (before we moved)), and have always dreamt of seeing how other people live their life. It’s an exciting thought, no?Thank you Gala! You’re like the big sis I never had!
Dakota — Merci beaucoup my darling! I do try ;>
Lydia — Sorry to hear it, I know SF is a killer for those on a regular salary!
Stephia — Thank you, honey! My friend Julie (www.julieinjapan.com) volunteered at an orphanage in Tanzania, so I think volunteer work can be a great way to get some travelling work under your belt. (She is on her way to Japan to teach ESL there, she does a lot of that kind of stuff, her blog is a good read!) There are other things you can do, like work on the mountains as a ski guide in some countries, teaching ESL in basically any place where English is not the first language, work as a travel writer, do missionary stuff, etc. I would suggest talking to your careers counsellor about working abroad, there are HEAPS of exchange programs you can go on, especially at college level. Hope that helps! xxx
Oh Gala, I love you for this. This brought me such joy (I’m going to show it to my dad so he accepts that his conviction that I am too creative to sit in an office ought to be taken seriously!)
Right now I am volounteering to work in festivals, litter picking etc. You get to see the bands and feel the vibes all for free! It’s a great way to spend the summer :)
Zoe — That sounds like an amazing way to spend your summer! Shrewd move!
Help! I loved your article and it’s definitely a breath of fresh air in a world were everyone tells you to just work your way up and that if you’re getting paid then your job can’t be that bad. That’s exactly where I am right now. I’m 21 and after 3 1/2 years of college, I’m no where close to graduatign from anything. I have tons of bills and even though I have a pretty decent (to society’s standard) job – I soo hate it. I’m an assistant and I swear I spent at least 1 and a half hours opening mail today. I think I have so much untapped potential and that I could be something great. Bad news is, I can’t figure out what makes me tick. I like a little bit of everything and nothing enough and I can’t focus my energy into a single career goal. I need help. Maybe you can give me some advice in how to find my calling. I’m definitely independent & head strong; I think I would do best in a self-employed business, but I just dont know where to start or what i could be good at; I have dont plenty of research and it all seems to take me in an endless vicious cycle. Gosh sorry I rambled for so long…
I have so been there with jobs that I couldn’t stand. My parents were always telling me to stick with it, that no one loves their jobs, you just do it. I’ve made myself over and am currently working in dispatch. Its not the actual trucking industry that I like, its the mental challenges that I like; nothing is the same everyday. Also, so I can hopefully start doing what I want to do instead of what a job wants me to do, I’ve started several side businesses. They don’t make much, but everything I do make either goes back into the business to make it bigger and hopefully make more money, or into investments so my money can work for me. Gota have a job for the food and roof, but work on other options so you can do what you want to do in life.
Many many thanks :) I’m currently studying in college, but the career I thought was awesome (Sociology) until now has been incredibly boring, and the fact that I see no prospect in keep on studying sociology and that I have no idea what I career can be good for me, has depressed me so much…just taking the subway towards the university is depressing. I subscribed to this vocational search class, and have make plans to take some extra curricular stuff like dance lessons but until now I haven’t do much…your post is very inspirational :) thanks a lot, I love your blog so much, keep on the amazing job!
Dear gala.. I love your writing. I was only disappointed when I went to the sites you suggested. In finding a job etc.. & working from fome etc. & found that they are only realative to everywhere except Aust. Can you help me maybe?
A career change may be a very daunting process, however the transition can be easier with distance eduaction. Distance education institutions such as Thomson Education http://thomson.edu.au/ provide courses which are faster, less expensive, more accessible, and more flexible than campus-based university programs. Furthermore, courses can be completed part-time while working in your existing job allowing you to gradually switch to your fantastic new career!
That was a good piece ofadvice what you have written there Gala.Keep writing.Sometimes I also feel the same.That my Job is suckin the life out of me.I never wanted to be in here.But I have learned to Live with it.Thats wahat makes a living organism survive.The ability to adapt.I liked the quote of Mr.Johann Wolfgang.That changed my mentality a bit.Hope it will lead to a chain reaction in me.So keep writing.And one advice for that 7th gal Calatin Marie -Life is not all about money.Please do convey my message to her.
And by the way is that your picture in there?
Wow, you have no idea how much this article hit home for me. I also recently quit my job that “bored me to death” and have since felt an extreme worry about what I am going to do with my life! Haha, I really liked how you said, “Simply put, it is impossible to be happy when your job makes you want to throw yourself out the window.” That statement right there is exactly how my job made me feel and I just knew I had to get out. I ended up quitting without another job lined up because after all I am only 19, still live at home, and didn’t want to waste another minute of my precious time doing something that completely drained me of all my happiness Monday thru Friday!
I have been debating over and over the past few years about what I want my major for school should be. For some reason I have this idea that what I choose will somehow determine the rest of my life! Thank you for sharing your own experiences; it has provided me with some much needed relief.
Hey, i absolutly love your website, especially this article! I am in a job right now that just sucks the life out of me, my week is spent dreading getting up for work! I would much rather be running my own website like you, but….i dont even know where to start? how did you set this up? did you use sitebuildit (like it says to use in the Steve Pavlina article?) or did you use something else? Please let m know :)
Thankyou for inspiring me Gala! You’ve been a great help! :)
Jess xXx