I feel like I'm wasting my life away

[fujiyama]

I hate my job. I drag my ass in everyday to grudgingly do something I hate. It's boring. It's tedious. I've been there a few months and the people I work with are great. I try learning what it is I should be doing but my motivation is SHIT. I keep thinking "blah blah blah..I won't use this stuff in a few months when I leave". The skills I learn are mostly proprietary and are hardly transferable. But I do the minimum and get my ass out of the office at around 5 barely working 8 hours.

Then when I get home I spend hours on this site. It's the only interaction I get with people as passionate as me about politics, which is stupid because I know I should be out there doing something in real life related to politics. Instead my degree was in something unrelated. My job pays fairly well and I should be grateful to have a job and health insurance in a state with such high unemployment.

But I'm miserable. I've lived in the same damn town for over 20 years and I'm going crazy.

What the hell is holding me back from making drastic changes!? I know this is NOT a healthy way to spend my life and these younger years especially.

[DS1]

1. volunteer for a campaign?

:shrug:

[Droopy]

2. I think most people do not like their jobs

It's probably pretty rare to find someone who genuinely likes their job. But if you find the secret to job happiness let me know.

I'm a trucker and I'm proud of what I do. But let me tell you, I'd much rather have a job that pays as good as mine where I don't have to work 12 hours a day and be out on the road fighting weather and traffic. But I do what I can.

As far as being in the same town goes, it's fun to get out on the road and see the country. For about a year anyway. Then you may find that you will be longing for your home town and your friends and family. That's what happened to me.

[Darth_Kitten]

3. You have to find an outlet for your energies......

I feel the same way about my job. It's like "ewh". Yes, the wage, benefits, etc are good, but it's hard to get up in the mornings.

[ThomCat]

4. I was a volunteer geek for a lot of years.

I did a lot of different types of volunteer work and had a wonderful time. I got to know some amazing people. I developed some very useful skills. And I know I did a lot of stuff that really helped a lot of people.

I'm sure there are places that would love to have you, where you could really feel like you're doing something good. :)

[Redstone]

5. Volunteer in a soup kitchen. Lots of perspective to be found there.

Redstone

[Deja Q]

6. Same here, but if the articles posted on DU are to be believed,

how long do we have to live?

Think nothing of your situation. You've got a job. Enjoy life and make use of the insurance if something dire happens. Though try not to have to use it, obviously. :)

Why are you holding back? The same reason I am, probably. Fear of change? Fear of failure? Fear you won't conform?

Like you, my degree is in something unrelated.

And who knows, maybe I'll end up growing fruit in a future career. If we have future careers. And that's the trouble; the media and what we read here may be clouding our judgments, goals, dreams, more than we realize.

:pals:

[harmonicon]

7. Move?

What city are you in? I grew up in Michigan and have lived there for a few months at a time off and on since first moving away, so I know the state fairly well. I bet if you had an equally crappy job in a bigger city where you could get out more you might have a better time - maybe a better chance to meet like minded people in person too. It wouldn't hurt to post a resume online or hunt for jobs in a city where you'd like to live. I personally really like Chicago, and would maybe move back there. I went to college there and loved it, and I still go back at least once a year to visit friends.

[Deja Q]

8. Are you single? Do you have pets?

I know for single people, we're told to have pets because we're not good enough to have people as companions...

[Redstone]

9. PS: You could always just pull up your damn socks and get on with it, right?

Not to sound hostile, but Jesus on a wedding cake, this is America.

Don't like your job? YOu can get a different one, and nobody can stop you.

Don't like where you live? You can move, and nobody can stop you.

Stop whining and start doing. That's your ONLY alternative. Trust me on this one, OK?

Redstone

[Deja Q]

10. You come from free republic?

:rofl:

Last I've read, no company wants to hire Americans, and then blame us for not spending... :crazy:

True. People can move; usually where the jobs are; damn the family, uproot them too. Good luck paying the mortgage on the old house... plus the rent for the new apartment as most of us couldn't get two home loans (never mind one) these days.

It's like our society is meant for single people who don't want to have a rooted, stable life.

[Redstone]

11. Oh, stop kvetching. People bitch, piss, and moan about "how hard things are,"

like life has EVER been easy.

Unless you're born rich, of course. Which I, unfortunately, was not.

But I WAS lucky enough to be born American. Think things are tough here? Go live in Afghanistan or Iraq, or China, or Africa.

Redstone

[Lorien]

12. It sounds like depression is holding you back

depression can suck the motivation right out of you and make everything seem insurmountable. I know, I've been there. I use this to help get over the worst of it: www.alpha-stim.com (I've also written about it in the mental health forum), but you may need another approach. Maybe just a bit of therapy would help you get "unstuck". even just a change in diet and a bit more exercise can make a huge difference. But you are right; it is NOT a healthy way to spend your life. Don't wait until you are middle aged or older; do all you can to discover what's holding you back now, otherwise you'll be faced with far too many regrets.

Best of luck!

[Droopy]

13. That's a perceptive take on the OP

I should have thought of that because I post in the mental health forum, too. :)

I've had bad jobs, too, but I only took so much of it until I realized it was time for a change. But there is something to be said for having a decent pay check and health insurance, especially in the economy that we are experiencing now.

I think the best thing the OP could do is hold on to her/his job right now while actively looking for something more accomodating. Don't move on unless you are moving up.

[PassingFair]

14. Living in Michigan can MAKE you depressed.

If I was young, I'd SPLIT, Fuji.

It DOES suck here....

:hi:

[Lorien]

15. And can give you a nasty case of S.A.D this time of year

I grew up in Ohio and I aways got depressed in winter. I now live in Florida which can suck for other reasons, but I don't get the seasonal blues anymore.

[PassingFair]

16. It's MICHIGAN, Fuji....Soylent Green is Michigan.

Things have been going from bad to worse here
for YEARS....

People in other states (OK, maybe Ohio feels it too)
don't know how DIRE things are here.

I sometimes feel trapped, too.
But I have two elderly women to care for,
and two kids in school.

Crap! I AM trapped.

:crazy: