Job issues

[Matt1]

I have been in my new job for almost a month now and things aren't going so greatly, i was moved to the back office because they needed a helping hand and i have been having issues concentrating on the work, which is basically just data entry into a database and the odd email/phone call, i am mostly day dreaming through the day because its not very interesting. Interesting enough the person i sit next to at work has almost completed her degree in psychology for helping families etc and i guess she could tell fairly easily i wasn't really into the job and called me up on it, she was fairly nice about it and asked if i wanted to go with her to speak to the manager to see if i could maybe get moved to another part of the office. I had a word with the manager and she explained that for the time being that's were the work is to be done and after a months time the only other thing that can be done is a filing project, was sounds even less interesting. I have been doing administration for the last 5 years almost since college was over and i guess i have grown weary of doing it. She suggested that i find something that i would like to do as a career, so i thought about retraining and looked over the different Colleges and Universities, only to find nothing that stands out as a great interest to me. Well my boss knows now that i don't like the job so i assume its safe to say i probably wont get through into the next year or at the best until the end of the financial year. My brother said and i guess my family, that nobody really likes doing there job you just have to do it. I understand that i need to make money to look after my self and to get my own place but the idea of having to work in a job that doesn't interest me for a good while, is a rather awful thought. I was thinking perhaps to continue to look for a new job/retraining or to do some traveling. My friend has just come back from traveling and thought it was great but at the sametime i feel that it probably won't help me career wise that much. The cycle can be some what relentless but i still continue to seek that the source of all. The only thing that really interests me is spiritual practice and music, but god knows what i can do with that. I am in a new band now , so far so good with that, still no luck on the girlfriend front, basically given up on dating websites. Well hopefully i haven't given out to many bad vibes with my little rant!   Saying that thought i don't really feel that bad about it, i just accept it and laugh at it all, what else could one do?

[BlatzAdict]

It took me a range of jobs to find one that was actively telling me to shut down my ego, and since then it's felt like a good learning experience i challenged myself to see what communication skills i could learn, my job is customer service.

keeps me on my toes.

not everything will always be handed to you on a platter it's up to you to crash into all the walls and find the right one where you just kind of pass through it so easily. at the end of the day it'snot doing what you love it's doing what you can tolerate which will get you by. anything more or less will drive people insane? i am constantly trying to find a finer balance to understand the Tao.

[rva_jeremy]

As somebody who has struggled with jobs in the past, I don't know what to say to you that wouldn't come across as obvious or patronizing.

Perhaps the only thing I'd suggest is that there's another way to feel when you're doing what you're doing. You attitude is the one thing your boss simply cannot dictate to you. You can take your dissatisfaction with where you're at as a reflection on your lack of self-worth and career. Or you can see it as a challenge to be mastered. It's pat and trite, I know, and until you're there you're not there, but try to be patient with yourself.

There's no shame in not wanting to do the job that you have to do. Bu there are ways to do s#!++y jobs that don't bring you down.

[Diana]

Imagine you have 2 million in the bank. Then ask yourself what you would do. This may lead you to explore in greater depth what might excite you. There may be more than just music that you'd like to do. Let your imagination run wild.

I play a game with my boyfriend and friends. We start off with the idea that we have 10 million dollars. Then we just talk for at least an hour about what we would do, without any judgments or censorship. It's a good exercise that helps loosen up possibilities and perspective.

This may lead you to a trajectory you can work with. If you like to write for instance, you might get a freelance job online to edit papers, thereby getting you closer to your goal.

If music is what completely consumes you, I would say go for it in the most focused way possible. Write and record some songs; get them up on a website, FB, iTunes, etc. These days, indie musicians can make a living, but it takes work.

Good luck.

[Plenum]

Saying that thought i don't really feel that bad about it, i just accept it and laugh at it all, what else could one do?

Finding an income that is agreeable to one, on a personality level, is such a big thing.  You are spending almost half of your waking hours there each day, and if it is really incompatible or unfulfilling, it just leads to constant stress and strain.

That said, only you can really know the extent of the situation, and how long it can go on for.

[AnthroHeart]

Reading books about the afterlife and the secrets of the Universe and multiverse fulfills me.

[rva_jeremy]

My supervisor showed me this after my last performance review.  Worth thinking about.

[Diana]

Jeremy6d, that Alan Watts video is awesome.

[Matt1]

If i had a lot of money i would probably settle in a nice house, do work in nature, continue with musical and spiritual work, plus travel. Today was a bit better at work, its like i don't really connect with it though, its just unforfilling or uninteresting. I am not overly sure what i am going to do, traveling sounds like it would be quite fun and nice, but i am not sure how helpful it will be in finding a career. I had the idea of working in nature would be nice. I am in a band just now and have some things up on most most of the major sites but its still quite difficult to be able to get things going with that. Once we get gigging as a band then that will be good times yeah.

That Alan watts video is good times, i have read one of his books and seen a few of his talks. I think he was the real deal as far as gurus go.

[rva_jeremy]

Hope we can jam sometime, Matt1. Know that there are several of us musicians who are into this stuff. What do you play?

[Matt1]

Bass and guitar

[AnthroHeart]

Bass and guitar

Did you get callouses or bleeding in your fingers when you first learned?

[Matt1]

A little callouses , never bleeding.

[rva_jeremy]

Bass and guitar

Sweet, I played bass in a bands for a while in high school and college, now playing keys a bunch.  You gotta get on these wanderer retreats that are coming up out in Virginia: we have full-on jam sessions and it's pretty awesome.

I've been away from music for about 10 years and just now really rediscovering how important it is, how much it is part and parcel with the opening of the heart, how deeply it connects me to people whom I otherwise wouldn't know how to communicate with.  So don't ever let go of that, man.  

[Matt1]

nice one, i played for about 12 years now, i was in a band and got a ep out, now i am in a new band, things are going well so far. i got some videos on youtube and tracks on spotify etc

I will have to meet up one of these days for a jam, but i am in the uk, so it will be a fair traveling. but will be good times.

[neutral333]

Try the book "What Color is Your Parachute". It will help you get to where you need to be.

My real turning point is when I just put my head down and worked really hard. I always thought I was so smart and could afford being lazy. I thought someone was sure to see my potential and seek me out to have a great position. Nope. When you start just getting in the zone at work (no matter where you currently find yourself; I was at Jimmy John's for about 6 months as a delivery driver when I learned), ans when you swallow your ego completely as BlatzAdict mentioned, multiple doors begin to open for you to step through.

You have to hit a sort of emotional rock bottom and feel a deep sense of responsibility before you can earn a job that reflects your true value...

[AnthroHeart]

I have a choice of going back to work from my disability in a couple of months, or just taking off on disability permanently. My home is paid for each month while I'm out from work. So I question whether I should go back.

[Lorna]

Matt, here in the UK there are volunteering opportunities with nature and conservation charities that provide accommodation, they are a wonderful way of trying out nature based or countryside ranger work without committing to it fully as a job.

By doing these voluntary roles - habitat management, environmental education, conservation, wildlife surveys etc - the volunteers gain a wealth of knowledge, experience and references to help them secure a job in that field, if they so want. I was chatting to a volunteer at one of our local nature reserves recently who had been moving from one volunteering project to another across the country for a year - a few months in one place, a few weeks in another, with her accommodation covered her costs would have been minimal.

It may be different where you are based, but volunteering, whether on a full time basis to immerse yourself in a new experience, or on a part time basis to give you a lift after a hard day at your normal job, is a superb way to develop skills and to figure out what you would ultimately enjoy doing. In the UK nature based jobs can often be hard work and the pay can be rubbish, but they are tremendously rewarding in all sorts of ways. If working in nature is something you'd like to explore, go for it!

[Matt1]

Thanks Lorna, i will have a look into that.

[Lorna]

Hi Matt, just noticed you mentioned you are in the UK. This is the programme the girl at my local reserve was on http://www.rspb.org.uk/joinandhelp/volun...ntial.aspx

She didn't have any particularly bird based knowledge, but clearly she had learnt an awful lot. Take a look at organisations like the National Trust and Forestry Commission too, or on a community basis your local authority can probably advise on local volunteering opportunities.

If you are anywhere near a WWT reserve they are amazing and are always keen to welcome volunteers, there are real opportunities to make a difference with organisations like that while also learning a massive amount. Good luck!

[tamaryn]

Yellow ray pain. Kinda feel taken advantage of at work. Just working too many hours and doing more work than every one else.

[Jade]

I struggled for a long time with the "doing more work than anyone else" problem - there's only one offender at my current job, luckily - gotta learn how to say no! And avoid work phone calls on your day off like the plague!

[Matt1]

I feel a bit bad at work just now, i think i am not really pulling my weight enough, just kinda goofing around because i don't really enjoy it that much, but the person training me is a really decent person, who listens and even took the time to offer some career advice. I just can't focus for some reason at the moment there, maybe i just need to pull my self together or i will probably end up with some type of karmic work related issue. :/

[rva_jeremy]

I feel a bit bad at work just now, i think i am not really pulling my weight enough, just kinda goofing around because i don't really enjoy it that much, but the person training me is a really decent person, who listens and even took the time to offer some career advice. I just can't focus for some reason at the moment there, maybe i just need to pull my self together or i will probably end up with some type of karmic work related issue. :/

For what it's worth, everybody goes through that.  It's a blessing to love what you do.  Most of us just have catalyst, am I right?