Question:
Hey all, Need some opinions here. I"m not working right now because of a mutually agreed upon layoff from my last job. I HATED that job which is why I basically asked them to lay me off. I get UC checks now but I know that I will need to find a job soon. I have an undergrad degree plus the equiv of a master’s degree in another field. Finding a job that I can live with and make decent money has always been a huge problem for me. I have yet to actually work in the field that I went to school for for various reasons. I want part-time work because I get sick of doing the same thing everyday, day after day after day. I am most happy when I have 2 part-time jobs because it breaks up the monotany for me. I also like to move around so sitting at a desk all day is not for me, although I could do that if it was only for a few hours a day a couple days a week. I DO want a job – I DO want to work but I want balance in my life as well. I feel like I’m headed nowhere fast. Don’t know if this is depression or part of an attention deficit disorder. I’ve always been able to pay attention in school and was never hyperactive but I become extremely miserable if I have to be somewhere everyday for 8 hours a shot (i.e. a full-time job). Also, I don’t have interest in things anymore like I used to. I used to feel relatively content. I have interests but they are short-lived. I can’t believe how short lived my excitment about things are. My interest right now is food, cooking, baking. I signed up for a cake decorating class. I was so enthused over this but after a week’s time, I’m not excited anymore about it. Job/career advice is always "do what you love to do." I don’t buy that. I think that if I try to make a living doing something that I find interesting, the act of making it a job will take the fun out of it. I have interests but everytime I try to pursue an interest job-wise, I get sick of it really fast. Can anybody identify with any of this? Thank you so much. It feels good to at least ask these questions. Saundra
Response:
Have you considered contract work? More and more companies are outsourcing everything from tech writing to system administration. Depending on your field, short-term assignments might work for you. You wouldn’t be working at the same place, doing the same thing, long enough to get sick of it.
Thanks. I forgot about contract work. I will look into that. I’m taking a class right now toward yet another degree – this time it’s an associates. My thinking is "why bother?" – if I’m just going to lose interest in that. Why spend the bucks? I’m wondering if this is part of depression, a certain personality type that would be constant with or without depression, or part of an attention deficit problem? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -The downside to contract work is benefits: unless you can hook up with an agency, you’ll have to pay for your own health insurance, which can be incredibly expensive. This is why I’m trying to find a full-time job. Contract work suits my temperament and I love being able to work at home, but the insurance premiums are prohibitive. As for doing what you love– I gave up on that concept years ago, so I can’t be of much help there. I work because I need the money. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I could find many ways to occupy my time. philippa — Survivor guilt: Everyone wants to be one of the rescued or the rescuing. [John Weir, RS 880] http://www.mindspring.com/~philippa X-No-Archive: yes is in the headers.
Response:
I get bored too. It’s hard to find something that is interesting to well rounded people lng term I think that that’s why the average person changes career paths so often these days. As for ADHD… this is the MTV generation. We need constant stimulation.
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey all, Need some opinions here. I"m not working right now because of a mutually agreed upon layoff from my last job. I HATED that job which is why I basically asked them to lay me off. I get UC checks now but I know that I will need to find a job soon. I have an undergrad degree plus the equiv of a master’s degree in another field. Finding a job that I can live with and make decent money has always been a huge problem for me. I have yet to actually work in the field that I went to school for for various reasons. I want part-time work because I get sick of doing the same thing everyday, day after day after day. I am most happy when I have 2 part-time jobs because it breaks up the monotany for me. I also like to move around so sitting at a desk all day is not for me, although I could do that if it was only for a few hours a day a couple days a week. I DO want a job – I DO want to work but I want balance in my life as well. I feel like I’m headed nowhere fast. Don’t know if this is depression or part of an attention deficit disorder. I’ve always been able to pay attention in school and was never hyperactive but I become extremely miserable if I have to be somewhere everyday for 8 hours a shot (i.e. a full-time job). Also, I don’t have interest in things anymore like I used to. I used to feel relatively content. I have interests but they are short-lived. I can’t believe how short lived my excitment about things are. My interest right now is food, cooking, baking. I signed up for a cake decorating class. I was so enthused over this but after a week’s time, I’m not excited anymore about it. Job/career advice is always "do what you love to do." I don’t buy that. I think that if I try to make a living doing something that I find interesting, the act of making it a job will take the fun out of it. I have interests but everytime I try to pursue an interest job-wise, I get sick of it really fast. Can anybody identify with any of this? Thank you so much. It feels good to at least ask these questions.
Saundra, I’m not any kind of doctor or psychologist, but what you are describing is right out of the depression textbook. Have you seen anyone for any of this?
Response:
I think you know the answer to your question. You know what you like, how you like to work, now all you have to do is to find work in an evironment that meets those needs and likes. That may mean moving from job to job until you find one you want to stick with for a while.
Response:
Hi Saundra 1. There is a "test" you can take that matches your interests with the interests of people in various fields of work. Most high schools have these "tests" and I imagine they are available in other places. You might try one of these to see what the results are. 2. Maybe you would enjoy the variety of work that a Temp agency could provide. I don’t know if there are any agencies that supply people at your level but might be worth looking into. 3. I’m wondering if you need to look mostly for this variety of things that interest you in the non-work part of your life. If you have a few things always waiting for you at the end of the work day, it makes work more tolerable. Stan – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey all, Need some opinions here. I"m not working right now because of a mutually agreed upon layoff from my last job. I HATED that job which is why I basically asked them to lay me off. I get UC checks now but I know that I will need to find a job soon. I have an undergrad degree plus the equiv of a master’s degree in another field. Finding a job that I can live with and make decent money has always been a huge problem for me. I have yet to actually work in the field that I went to school for for various reasons. I want part-time work because I get sick of doing the same thing everyday, day after day after day. I am most happy when I have 2 part-time jobs because it breaks up the monotany for me. I also like to move around so sitting at a desk all day is not for me, although I could do that if it was only for a few hours a day a couple days a week. I DO want a job – I DO want to work but I want balance in my life as well. I feel like I’m headed nowhere fast. Don’t know if this is depression or part of an attention deficit disorder. I’ve always been able to pay attention in school and was never hyperactive but I become extremely miserable if I have to be somewhere everyday for 8 hours a shot (i.e. a full-time job). Also, I don’t have interest in things anymore like I used to. I used to feel relatively content. I have interests but they are short-lived. I can’t believe how short lived my excitment about things are. My interest right now is food, cooking, baking. I signed up for a cake decorating class. I was so enthused over this but after a week’s time, I’m not excited anymore about it. Job/career advice is always "do what you love to do." I don’t buy that. I think that if I try to make a living doing something that I find interesting, the act of making it a job will take the fun out of it. I have interests but everytime I try to pursue an interest job-wise, I get sick of it really fast. Can anybody identify with any of this? Thank you so much. It feels good to at least ask these questions. Saundra
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey all, Need some opinions here. I"m not working right now because of a mutually agreed upon layoff from my last job. I HATED that job which is why I basically asked them to lay me off. I get UC checks now but I know that I will need to find a job soon. I have an undergrad degree plus the equiv of a master’s degree in another field. Finding a job that I can live with and make decent money has always been a huge problem for me. I have yet to actually work in the field that I went to school for for various reasons. I want part-time work because I get sick of doing the same thing everyday, day after day after day. I am most happy when I have 2 part-time jobs because it breaks up the monotany for me. I also like to move around so sitting at a desk all day is not for me, although I could do that if it was only for a few hours a day a couple days a week. I DO want a job – I DO want to work but I want balance in my life as well. I feel like I’m headed nowhere fast. Don’t know if this is depression or part of an attention deficit disorder. I’ve always been able to pay attention in school and was never hyperactive but I become extremely miserable if I have to be somewhere everyday for 8 hours a shot (i.e. a full-time job). Also, I don’t have interest in things anymore like I used to. I used to feel relatively content. I have interests but they are short-lived. I can’t believe how short lived my excitment about things are. My interest right now is food, cooking, baking. I signed up for a cake decorating class. I was so enthused over this but after a week’s time, I’m not excited anymore about it. Job/career advice is always "do what you love to do." I don’t buy that. I think that if I try to make a living doing something that I find interesting, the act of making it a job will take the fun out of it. I have interests but everytime I try to pursue an interest job-wise, I get sick of it really fast. Can anybody identify with any of this? Thank you so much. It feels good to at least ask these questions. Have you considered contract work? More and more companies are outsourcing everything from tech writing to system administration. Depending on your field, short-term assignments might work for you. You wouldn’t be working at the same place, doing the same thing, long enough to get sick of it. The downside to contract work is benefits: unless you can hook up with an agency, you’ll have to pay for your own health insurance, which can be incredibly expensive. This is why I’m trying to find a full-time job. Contract work suits my temperament and I love being able to work at home, but the insurance premiums are prohibitive. As for doing what you love– I gave up on that concept years ago, so I can’t be of much help there. I work because I need the money. If I won the lottery tomorrow, I could find many ways to occupy my time.
I have to agree on doing contact/consulting work. You never stay at the same place for too long and you control your own pace/hours (for the most part). I do it and I enjoy it a great deal! As for not doing what you love… For some people yes, they cannot simply do what they love but I think it’s for practical reasons (not skilled enough etc…) It’s still very much a reachable goal! Good Luck to you 
— Please visit my friend’s site at www.helpsanya.ca
Response:
I have to agree on doing contact/consulting work. You never stay at the same place for too long and you control your own pace/hours (for the most part). I do it and I enjoy it a great deal!
I know that Information Tech people do contract work. What other kinds of work can be done on a contract level? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -As for not doing what you love… For some people yes, they cannot simply do what they love but I think it’s for practical reasons (not skilled enough etc…) It’s still very much a reachable goal! Good Luck to you — Please visit my friend’s site at www.helpsanya.ca
Response:
Saundra, I’m not any kind of doctor or psychologist, but what you are describing is right out of the depression textbook. Have you seen anyone for any of this?
Hi, Which depression resource of info is this in so I can go read it. I would like to see my symptoms in print. I search tooth and nail Yahoo for the string, "can’t work a full-time job" and similar phrases but all I get are hits containing info where the person can’t work a fullt-time job because of old age or because they have kids – nothing similar to my situation. Yes, I’ve seen someone. She seems to think it’s part of a personality type – a creative personality type. I think I’ve had an aversion to the same thing everyday since I was a kid. I missed a lot of school but did really well in college because of the loose schedule.
Response:
…if everyone did what they love, the world would be overwhelmed with pornstars, writers, beer testers, pro golfers, and rockstars.
Response:
Hi Saundra 1. There is a "test" you can take that matches your interests with the interests of people in various fields of work. Most high schools have these "tests" and I imagine they are available in other places. You might try one of these to see what the results are.
Stan, I have taken the Strong Campbell Interest Inventory and the Meyers Briggs and the Jackson Vocational Survey. I took the Strong about 4 times when I was in high school and college. They point strongly to teaching. 2. Maybe you would enjoy the variety of work that a Temp agency could provide. I don’t know if there are any agencies that supply people at your level but might be worth looking into. 3. I’m wondering if you need to look mostly for this variety of things that interest you in the non-work part of your life. If you have a few things always waiting for you at the end of the work day, it makes work more tolerable.
I honestly tried that at my last job. I tried to do fun stuff after work. It was too hard. I was extremely miserable and tired. 8 hours seemed like an eternity. There are other problems associated with this that I haven’t touched on here. For instance I had the problem of getting to sleep at night because I knew that my next waking moment meant that I would be going to that job – I never wanted to let go of the night so to speak – let go of my freedom because the next day I would be a caged bird. I stared anticipating having to go back to work on Monday – on Saturdays. It was just too much. I did this for 2 years. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Stan Hey all, Need some opinions here. I"m not working right now because of a mutually agreed upon layoff from my last job. I HATED that job which is why I basically asked them to lay me off. I get UC checks now but I know that I will need to find a job soon. I have an undergrad degree plus the equiv of a master’s degree in another field. Finding a job that I can live with and make decent money has always been a huge problem for me. I have yet to actually work in the field that I went to school for for various reasons. I want part-time work because I get sick of doing the same thing everyday, day after day after day. I am most happy when I have 2 part-time jobs because it breaks up the monotany for me. I also like to move around so sitting at a desk all day is not for me, although I could do that if it was only for a few hours a day a couple days a week. I DO want a job – I DO want to work but I want balance in my life as well. I feel like I’m headed nowhere fast. Don’t know if this is depression or part of an attention deficit disorder. I’ve always been able to pay attention in school and was never hyperactive but I become extremely miserable if I have to be somewhere everyday for 8 hours a shot (i.e. a full-time job). Also, I don’t have interest in things anymore like I used to. I used to feel relatively content. I have interests but they are short-lived. I can’t believe how short lived my excitment about things are. My interest right now is food, cooking, baking. I signed up for a cake decorating class. I was so enthused over this but after a week’s time, I’m not excited anymore about it. Job/career advice is always "do what you love to do." I don’t buy that. I think that if I try to make a living doing something that I find interesting, the act of making it a job will take the fun out of it. I have interests but everytime I try to pursue an interest job-wise, I get sick of it really fast. Can anybody identify with any of this? Thank you so much. It feels good to at least ask these questions. Saundra
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Saundra, I’m not any kind of doctor or psychologist, but what you are describing is right out of the depression textbook. Have you seen anyone for any of this? Hi, Which depression resource of info is this in so I can go read it. I would like to see my symptoms in print. I search tooth and nail Yahoo for the string, "can’t work a full-time job" and similar phrases but all I get are hits containing info where the person can’t work a fullt-time job because of old age or because they have kids – nothing similar to my situation. Yes, I’ve seen someone. She seems to think it’s part of a personality type – a creative personality type. I think I’ve had an aversion to the same thing everyday since I was a kid. I missed a lot of school but did really well in college because of the loose schedule.
Saundra, Not being able to work a full-time job isn’t a symptom. It’s a consequence. Imagine your sprain your arm. How would you know you sprained it? The symptoms would be an inability to move your arm without feeling a sharp pain. Because of that pain, you can’t play tennis. If you search on the phrase "can’t play tennis" you won’t find an article on recognizing a sprained arm. Here is a web site about depression. I found it by going to Google and searching on depression symptoms. http://www.symptoms-of-depression.com/index.php3 Why did I write that you seemed to be depressed? Because you wrote that the things that used to interest you no longer do, and that you’re having a hard time sustaining new interests. I’m not a doctor, so I can’t say whether ADD is involved. But it sure seems like depression is involved. And if depression is involved, the good news is that the medications often are of great benefit. I found myself waking up in the middle of the night worrying, and I saw someone and began taking an anti-depressant. When I take the med there is no problem, and no side effects either. Again, I am not a doctor and I want to be really clear about that. But it seems *so much* like depression, and if that’s the case it is probably something you can have treated. And when you do, you’ll say to yourself, "I wish I had gotten the medication years ago." One other thing: I don’t work for a drug company or anything like that! Good luck …
Response:
whoooaaaaa…my bad…using a sense of humor amongst nerds. Note to self….in the future, respond with no irony or satire. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – …if everyone did what they love, the world would be overwhelmed with pornstars, writers, beer testers, pro golfers, and rockstars. No, if everyone did what *you* love the world would be overwhelmed with pornstars, writers, etc etc.!
Response:
…if everyone did what they love, the world would be overwhelmed with pornstars, writers, beer testers, pro golfers, and rockstars.
No, if everyone did what *you* love the world would be overwhelmed with pornstars, writers, etc etc.!
Response:
Me, too. How’s living in one of the few cities with an official cookie working out for ya?
I like Newton quite a bit. A nice balance between the city and the suburbs. Regarding Fig Newton cookies, here’s the story: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a980508.html
Response:
Me, too. How’s living in one of the few cities with an official cookie working out for ya? I like Newton quite a bit. A nice balance between the city and the suburbs. Regarding Fig Newton cookies, here’s the story: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a980508.html
Thanks for the link. So, it isn’t urban legend, then. Not quite as distinctive an identifier as Heartbreak Hill, but a good cookie it is … mmm. I like the town, too, but I don’t think I could afford to live here if I hadn’t inherited the house my parents paid $25K for in 1960. Sometimes I think about cashing out, but — but a lot of things, I guess. The convenient location is one of them. Gayle
Response:
nope…i just saw your moniker and assumed you’re a pretentious prick. I may well be a pretentious prick, but I take my moniker from where I live, which is Newton, Massachusetts
Me, too. How’s living in one of the few cities with an official cookie working out for ya? Gayle
Response:
nope…i just saw your moniker and assumed you’re a pretentious prick.
I may well be a pretentious prick, but I take my moniker from where I live, which is Newton, Massachusetts
Response:
nope…i just saw your moniker and assumed you’re a pretentious prick. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – whoooaaaaa…my bad…using a sense of humor amongst nerds. Note to self….in the future, respond with no irony or satire. I guess you didn’t pick up on the humor in my riposte. Oh well! 
Response:
whoooaaaaa…my bad…using a sense of humor amongst nerds. Note to self….in the future, respond with no irony or satire.
I guess you didn’t pick up on the humor in my riposte. Oh well!