Office Jobs: The Tipping Point
I think the point has almost come where I have had enough with the office jobs. I cannot stand sitting in cubicles pretending to be busy all day. I hate sitting in meetings pretending to care. I hate the fact I get paid for the time I spend here, rather than the amount of productivity I provide.
I swear, some weeks I do 40 hours of work and others I do 5. Either way I have to sit here for a minimum of 40 hours just to get a full paycheck. Not exactly the ideal work situation.
Now I know a lot of people may say I wish I had a job like this, which is fine. But honestly, I feel like I am wasting my life away by sitting here bored all day thinking of things I would rather be doing and places I would rather be. Everyone says you only get one shot at life, so why should I spend mine this way.
Sure It Pays Well
I know the job may pay more than other jobs, but I am not a money driven person my any means. Matter of fact, I am sick of the whole rat race. It seems like people here in America keep trying harder and harder to make more money so they can accumulate more stuff they don’t even need.
I barely own anything since I move so often, but I still feel like I own a lot of stuff I don’t need. Things like televisions and cable boxes are something I never need. I barely watch TV, so why have one. I am perfectly happy with the two suitcases I moved out to Hawaii with. A few sets of clothes, my MacBook, and a few other essentials. So in the next few months, I plan to sell more of my stuff. The only tough thing is going to be the car, which I only bought so I could commute to work with.
Time To Say Goodbye
So at some point in the very near future, I am going to kiss this “perfect” job away as some would say. I would rather work a job I enjoy and just be happy with what I have. The only stress in my life is caused by the combination of getting up early, commuting to work, sitting at work, and commuting home from work. Other than that, I am a very outgoing and happy person.
Back in college, I was broke almost the entire time. But you know what, I was never stressed out about anything, not even money. I used to give plasma just to have some beer money to go party with my friends. I lived off of oatmeal and rice and am willing to do it again if necessary. So obviously money is not the problem, but the fact I spend so much of my waking hours at a job that I have no motivation to perform well at.
I Don’t Even Want To Be Promoted
What is even worse about this job is when I look at the people of above me and realize I wouldn’t even want their position. So if you do not even want to move up to your supervisors position, why stick around? I never want to get a promotion or I’ll probably go even more crazy.
I am not real sure exactly what type of job I am looking for just yet. I would like to work outside that is for sure. Maybe a surf stand or cleaning boats or windows, who knows, just anything outside of an office. I used to do freelance work and loved it since I could set my own hours and wages. I also enjoy writing and hope to make some income off of this blog at some point.
My post yesterday about Living Situations brought some very positive feedback. Most importantly, Abbey posted some information about Australia.
I have been thinking about moving their since I met a few people from their while living in Hawaii and I really miss the sun and ocean. It sounds like a great country and I am really ready to just get out of America for awhile.
Stick around and see what happens as I try and sort this all out by June…
PS. Anyone else feel the way I do?
Photo Credit: darkpatator
Posted on: April 3rd, 2008
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Now, who didn’t give plasma in college?
lol thats true Josh, there used to be lines of college kids trying to give plasma for some pocket change.
You’re in the same set of mind I was in a few weeks back when I quit cube farm inc.
One of my happiest friends lives in Hawaii and works on a farm and doesn’t get paid! He works for a place to live and food to eat. He has not debt and no concerns and is learning a valuable skill instead of pushing papers around.
Working outside is great too. My most satisfying job was working for my step-dad at his small construction company. Going home and knowing I got my day’s exercise, sun, and helped make someone’s home better was an exhilarating feeling. A much, much better feeling than going home knowing you helped rich and powerful corporations get more rich and more powerful.
Make sure you are prepared for the jump though, meaning your bills are paid and you’ve got a little bit of a financial safety net so that you don’t spend all your free time worrying about money.
Good luck and let us know how it goes. Oh, and enjoy it. Quitting a cube farm is wicked liberating.
Good for you! The decision to jump ship is not easy, and the realization that you don’t need money to be happy even harder. You have joined the ranks of an elite and empowered few; revel in it.
Dude, I feel ya on this one. Life is too short to spend in a cubicle, or working at all for that matter. The key is finding a job that doesn’t feel like work..and making it work for you. I’ve been thinking about this very same issue a lot myself lately and plan to write a post in the near future…stay tuned
Hey, this post was super-refreshing. I felt like someone had written down all the thoughts that I have in my head. I want an outdoor job too, maybe you could do a post about types of outdoor jobs, or something like that. It would be amazing
Also, have you ever seen Into the Wild? It’s a great movie and based on your recent posts, I think you would find it exhilarating.
Thanks for writing, good luck with everything.
Yeah Into the Wild is a great movie (and book). A few people told me to check it out and I must say I loved it!
If your serious Justin check here
http://jobsearch.gov.au/harvesttrail/
http://www.stonedcrow.com/default.htm
http://www.backpackingaround.com/
http://www.bugaustralia.com/
The first one is the fruit picking guide…alot of back packers do that to supplement their cash…we get heaps here in the Gap year..
well that should get you started on your dream…hang in at work cause you are going to have to save to get here…:)
I couldn’t agree with you more! I feel the exact same way about my office job right now. I go to work, and sit behind a desk all day, then go to sleep at night, just to wake up the next day repeating the same cycle! I feel like my life has become one big monotony… and I do feel like I should be doing something else with my life right now. I feel like there’s so much I’m missing out there stuck to this boring office job. The problem is, I’m not sure what I really want to do with my life either. Sucks, huh?
Good for you, coz you can go anywhere you like. Hey, if you’re looking for another place to explore, maybe you could try the Philippines. Lol. Although I can’t see why you want to leave Hawaii. I’ve always wanted to visit that place!
I hear it’s amazing!
Well, good looking out. And I’ll be tuning in, to see what updates you have.
HI Justin,
Wow..very inspiring!!! Everything you just wrote is exactly what I have been thinking and feeling for the last few months. I work in Manhattan as a Fashion
Designer/Graphic artist. I sit in a cubicle all day. I hate it!!! I am very stressed out with deadlines all the time for multiple buyers and production timelines. My job is not creative at all. I have become a robot.
We just merged with another company and have new corporate rules.
We cannot eat at our desks, they have video cameras above our desk.
We have to scan our finger prints to get in and out of the building.
Plus we have no 401K, bonuses or raises. Only 1 week vacation …. it sucks!!!!
I am not a materialistic, superficial person and don’t care about having the latest Coach bag. I dont fit in this industry.
I am trying to think of a new career to go back to school for.
Teaching sounded good b/c of the two months off a year. I love to travel in the spare time. It takes too long to b/c a teacher.
Kind Regards,
Sandy Shelton
I wish they paid you money for giving plasma here in Australia. Here in Australia you donate, but you don’t get paid.
So you’re telling me I’ve been getting ripped off all this time? I’m going to demand some cash next time
Here’s a quote from Tim Ferris, who you had better read if you haven’t yet!!
“The objective is to fix mistakes of ambition and not make mistakes of sloth.”
Hey when you get to Bali, look me up. It’s pretty much Australia anyway! ; )
yes. Yes. YES!!!
Yes I feel like this. I live in Hawaii too. It’s hard to be inside all day. I think of work outside and I am trying to work on boats. Slowly learning. Office jobs suck in general. I look at my superiors and definitely don’t want their jobs. But they’re really nice people.
I hear you! I’m the same exact way, I feel like the office type jobs are ridiculous and I’m wasting my life away. It gets so frustrating dealing with the whole work place environment thing, when I overlook the coast from my job. I mean don’t get me wrong, the view is great. Although like you I wanna be OUT exploring the world, not like it is now.
I know exactly how you feel. I went to college to get a degree in accounting, but now that I am done with college I realize that I can’t stand sitting in an office for 8-10 hours a day. The thing is when you are in college you don’t have to sit 8-10 hours at a desk. I admit it just plain sticks and is not what I want to do with the rest of my life. I have so much energy that I go home and run 5 miles or so everyday, but I find that I am constantly squirming in my chair or bouncing my legs at work. Boy, I wish I could find something that is interesting to do and requires some physical exertion. I agree that money is not everything in life. I am happiest when I am working out or playing tennis for the day, but I realize I can’t get paid for doing either of those things. It is just difficult to find a balance at this point in my life. Maybe when I get much, much older I won’t mind sitting all day long. But what to do now????
I’m taking the jump myself soon, can’t stand it anymore. What’s the point of making decent money if you hate your job? I mean, who cares if I can buy a new car if I hate myself 8 hours a day? I can’t stand sitting down all day in front of a computer inside a little room interviewing people 8 hours a day. It takes me a few hours to ‘calm down’ after a day of feeling bad about myself that by that time its off to bed and start all over again. I’ll give an update myself, but hear this, I am gone from this job in 09!
Mate…I have these exact same thoughts every single day. I hope you take the risk and quit your shit job soon. I hope I do too.
I am sooo with you. I am about to finish a Master’s degree in something that I’m not interested in just for the sake of making money. I’m job hunting right now since I’ll be done with my degree in two months, and the idea of being done with college and sitting around working on a computer all day makes me want to jump off a bridge, honestly. Problem is, now I have roughly $55,000 in student debt to pay back, which means I probably can’t just decide to do something I like that makes less money AND be able to pay back these loans. I feel stuck and frustrated. I’ve been seeking advise from any and everyone who is willing to give it around me, but have come up empty handed. I guess most people I know hate their jobs and figure everyone should just deal with it, pay your bills, then one day if your lucky, retire. So, what? I get to live all the days of my life hoping I’ll live to be old enough to have built up enough money to retire? I don’t want to settle for that.
I feel exactly the same. The only difference is that I do know what my ideal job would be. Right now I currently work 9 hours every day to make money. But like you I also realize that I don’t need all this stuff that most people worry about. That is, I do not need to sacrifice 80% of the amazing opportunity that I have, my life, to have material things. I would much rather live humbly, and do something that I truly enjoy. I know what I want. A good job, the perfect job, would be a job that I wake up every day wanting to do. It is a job where I challenge myself intellectually to strive for better results. For example, I remember working on a project in college that I gave my all. I remember working hard to research everything that encapsulated designing a lunar rover. To me this project illustrates exactly the type of job I would like to do. It is challenging and in some ways it is also akin and close to my desire to help not just myself, but ourselves, in furthering and advancing our knowledge. I do not wish to attain any idealistic goals, but I do wish to be happy, not unhappy. Our lives are short, and we are blessed to be alive. I am very much a naturalist and appreciate the natural means by which I exist. And I sure as hell do not wish to waste it away. What a shame that would be. To that aim, I hope to lift the baton handed to me by all the human beings that have walked on this planet, even by the first initial impetus, the big bang.
I now look at it from this point of view. What good am I doing myself, for that matter, what good am I doing anyone by sitting in front of a computer mindlessly waiting for time to pass. Even if I were the most knowledgeable and productive person where I work, I would be doing virtually nothing for anyone. I would just rot, decompose, and wilt away, with little to no effect. Fuck that.
I must say I basically did exactly what you described. I ended up getting rid of a lot of my possessions (car, cable, iPhone) and reducing my expenses substantially. Once I did that, I was able to say screw my office job and now it’s been well over a year since I’ve had a “real job.”
Wish you the best of luck!
It is almost scary reading this…I feel like I am reading a script from my own brain! I, too moved to Hawai’i with only two suitcases and should have been perfectly happy waiting tables and going to the beach everyday/enjoying the simple things in life. But I felt that, having spent five years in college and with all the pressure from my family/society, I ‘deserved better’. So I moved from Hawai’i and am currently living in DC, doing fundraising work for a non-profit.
While I’m proud of the work that this non-profit does, my job is incredibly boring. It’s my first office job and I absolutely dislike it. I feel like I spend every day waiting for the day to end, only to spend another day waisting my time. I need stimulation and action in my life–I am very energetic and outgoing and the worst thing I could possibly be doing with my life is sitting behind a desk for 40 hours a week not talking to anybody. I am only 25 and I’m worried that after a couple years of this I’ll feel like I’m 40. I get so bored here I’m begginning to lose my short term memory and concentration and find myself getting incredibly irritated and aggravated over things that used to not bother me at all.
Sorry to write so much, I guess I really needed to get all that off my chest! Well, good luck to everyone out there with boring office jobs..hope you all find what makes you happy.
I am SO glad I found this posting and website! It’s validating to read that others are in the same boat. David’s updated post is so inspirational. I have been finding myself in Davinia’s situation and it’s a hard one: working at an organization you believe in, but the work is totally boring. Davinia, please quit! You are too young. That coupled with nice colleagues, safe feeling of being in a cocoon, solid paycheck, and a nice cafeteria kept me at my last non-profit job for many years, oh, yeah, and the fear of what’s next, even though I looked and looked for a new job but couldn’t find one.
So a few months ago I finally decided to take a big leap and quit and move overseas to volunteer at a small company. This was a huge decision but felt I needed to make a big change both personally and professionally and get out of my rut. My parents’ were totally against it for the sole reason that I wasn’t getting paid, but I thought it would be good professional experience even though I was scared of taking a risk.
Well, it has been the same scenario I described above, and I am not learning much and I am paying my expenses. I am a people person and I am sitting at the desk all day feeling like life is going by and I can’t get motivated. Days are sooo long. I’d quit now if I knew what I wanted to do, and don’t want to return home unemployed. I am so glad I quit my other job and tried this adventure, and hope this is just a stepping stone.
The biggest learning is that I CAN’T sit at a desk all day anymore no matter how great the mission is. At least on the weekends I explore and talk to people and have adventures. Perhaps I should do something with cultural tourism or teaching, but the latter requires going back to school and loans. Thanks Justin for sharing your story and I am glad you found work you love. I like blogging too!
hey man I hear where your coming from. I work in the wine and spirit industry. I work for the biggest company and represent the best brands. At 25 I was given a six figure job. Around 120,000. My job was outside sales. Working with nightclubs, restaurants,bars and liquor stores. I was outside and not stuck in a office all day. I do not have a college degree and did it all with networking with the right people. Even though this sounds good to lots of people I hated it. I am married and love my life. My wide is not at all materliastic and the best thing in my wife is spending time with her. I could not in this job. Working long nights and stressed out on weekends. So I worked their for a year and stepped down to a posistion less demanding that gave me more time in my day and am currently going back to school and searching for my passion in life. Life is short and I think it should be a adventure not walking these security line that society creates. I feel wierd in my company when I see past co workers and new ones at meetings and feel like I have been black balled. If so that’s ok I don’t want to end up like any of these guys. Married multiple times and pure alcholics and just DoWn right lost and evil people. I know they are just playing their part in this movie called life. I need to find my role or even better write it own movie. I have so much tIme now and more time to reflect and I sometimes think did I make the rift decision? Should I have just endured it for 10 years and invested well and just retired at 35 and moved wherever I wanted and opened up my own business or not and just live within my means. So I keep going back and fourth on did I do the right thing chasing my passion. My wife and parenths support me and I am thankful. I love writing and feel so free. I feel like I have so much to give to this world and great changes to make. Not sure how but feel like maybe through my writings. Still my business sense don’t be stupid and get a English degeree it wot pay nothing if you are not the best writer. On the the other hand I want to do patent law because it trains you and deals with all aspects of thing I like such as you have to be a great speaker,writer,business,techonlogy I just don’t know about their lifestyles. If I am making great money supprting my famly and love what I do. The last is be $150,000 in debt from law school and still hate what I do. I also think have my degree I can travel anywhere inthe world and find a great job if I have too. I have lots of family in australi and have thougt abpub always moving their and lots of tlother places. I hope I made the write decision. Losing the fact of my peers and family looking up to me as the 25 year old kid they said might not be much was making more than their lifetimes and quit. More than anything I feel like inthis bad economy people are losing jobs and I am thankful to still to have one but quit a even higher paying one.
I never really car
Sorry about all the typos. Got published before I could spell check. Nice talking to you.
Not a problem. Thanks a ton for stopping by and sharing your story. It’s crazy how many people feel exactly the same way.
I’m also very stressed about my job….I used to play the piano and then I started working and lost some of my interest in life…I only look forward to weekends….even if I do get my 8 hours of sleep, because I stare at the monitor all day, my eyes are red when I wake up and puffy….as soon as Im away from the monitor and take time off I start to look healthy again, I feel great, my mood starts to elevate back to my outgoing crazy self, making people laugh and generally being happy with just being outside and being around friends… for most people I have a ‘great’ job, a Benz (not showing off… just enjoy cars and it makes me happy), pretty lucky in life, own my own condo but Im stuck in a job that I see no future in because Im in a cubicle….and 8 hours of my daily life is spent here…I need to do something creative, in music or something else… the bills are tying me down and its depressing me…
The stress maintainance is easy if you try, you can work with humor sense with the collegues who sitting with you, you can tell a joke or you can discuss about the important event in the country with humor way etc… you may have work like mountain but also please allot time for humor with your office friends, then see you will finish your work soon with full relaxation………
This post describes exactly how I feel. I was employed at a state agency for two years as a software developer. I didn’t even have my own cubicle most of the time – just a cramped conference room shared with 3 other employees and no windows (there’s just something fundamentally wrong if, for most of your life, you can’t even see natural sunlight!). Often, whole months would pass before there was any work for me. Once, after waiting for so long for something to do, another team in our department assigned me to upgrade and add new features to some in-house employee timekeeping application. I jumped at the chance and began work. My boss, however, came in later and said I shouldn’t work more than 10 hours total on that project and reminded me of that twice again the next day. Yes… it’s okay for me to sit there with NOTHING to do for a MONTH (and still get paid in full, mind you), but God forbid I work a minute longer than 10 hours, on a small in-house application. Why you ask? Our financial department didn’t want to bill themselves for more hours than that.
Of the few projects I did have there, most were just tedious busywork, but one I think might not have been legal (at least it could be used for illegal purposes).
I used to love software development… but because of that job, I am thoroughly, completely, utterly burnt out. If I ever touch a compiler again, it’ll be too soon. I quit that job to save my sanity, but now I’m lost because programming is the only well-developed professional skill I have. If I could afford it, I’d go back to college, earn a Ph. D. (in what? I don’t know. In some sort of natural science, at least) and become a scientist/professor. I did very well getting my computer science degree so I know I can succeed academically. But, unfortunately I’m 25, have no money, unemployed, living with my mother, and disgusted at the prospect of another programming job.
Last time I wrote on this post I felt helpless. My life was just rotting away before my very eyes. And I could see the days, the months, the years passing by, and I was just miserable. Since then, I decided to change that, so I quit my job. I moved back in with my parents and I started my own tutoring business. I have a passion and deep desire to help people and do something that is productive to society and me. Tutoring is just that kind of job.
Since then, I also got into salsa dancing, and I am now a proficient dancer. I am also in the best shape of my life. I no longer have a beer belly. I kayak, I bike, I run, I swim, I workout, and I am a triathlete. What a blast! I do all this and still balance it with work I love!
I went from a daily routine of waiting for the 9 hours to wilt away……to wondering why there are just not enough hours in the day to do all the things I want to do…….
I now have so many friends and my social life is just remarkable. Before, I would be lucky if I could talk to myself. I no longer live a repressed life. I am gearing my life to achieve all my dreams. I may not be working for NASA or developing rovers at the moment. But I sure as hell am putting myself on a good path to achieve that goal. And hell maybe one day if I’m successful in all my business ventures I can start my own aerospace corporation. I am content with every day of my life. And at the moment this is what truly matters to me. I now love who I am and love what I do!
Hey David, that’s awesome to hear! Glad you were able to quit your job and head down a better path. Wish you the best of luck!
Wow, I just feel the same. Exactly the same.
I’m a one man IT department in a small business. The bosses are from the same family. It’s so boring, there is no challenge. I’m sick of computers now. Through the years, I worked for 4 different companies before realizing that each time I left a company, I was getting sick of computers. Computer jobs may not be suited for me. No, they are definitely not!
I work 35 hours a week and I need my paycheck. But I also don’t want to work for another IT company because I completely lost interest in computers so it would be the same story. I would like to work with tools, in construction, as an electrician or plumber. I would need to go back in school to complete a 2-year formation 25 hours a week. But I’m planning to buy my first house in about two years… don’t really know what to do… i hate computers.
Yeah I know the feeling of being a 1 man IT department. Everyone expects you to be able to do everything, even if it’s something you shouldn’t even be doing.
I know exactly how you feel. I hate the office politics, sitting at a desk all day, the monotony, the feeling that the work I do isn’t noticed or appreciated unless something goes wrong. I could go on and on. I’m actually going back to school for nursing (I hope). Even though I’m just finishing up prerequisites now, I’m excited about kissing my days of office dronery goodbye and moving on to something that is not only intrinsically interesting but can benefit someone else’s life. I think an active job where I get to meet different people (even if they are sick and very cranky) will be a nice change from my current job. My pay will drop by about $20K to $30K but I don’t care in the least. I too am not motivated by money.
YES YOUR WHOLE ARTICLE DESCRIBES EXACTLY HOW I FEEL but there’s nothing I can do about it. Quitting is not an option unless I want to beg on the streets, which isn’t an option either in my rat-racing-zero-welfare-city-country of Singapore.
Oh btw, I’m in my office right now and I googled ‘I hate office job’ and your page came out top.
Cheers
The article is a reflection of what the majority of intelligent office workers think daily. I had changed one office job for another office job with a higher salary a year ago, moved to another city. It was a great boost for me, but kept me interested only for 6 months. Now, after a year has passed, I am as bored with my new office job as I was with the previous one. This makes me think I’m just not psychologically fit for working in the office. I have pretty high salary, which the majority of people in my country could only dream of & getting this job required some very influential guys’ recommendations. Many people in my country would think that I’m a spoiled rich guy who simply complains for no reason. But I’m not happy with my job, although I like my co-workers, they are very nice people indeed. It’s just that I’m not motivated enough by money, cause I can’t see the real results of my work, which is basically nothing more than some senseless paper-pushing. I’m constantly thinking about quitting & getting a real job in construction or agriculture. The problem is that here in Russia people engaged in those kinds of jobs get so little money, that they cannot afford even the basic things like healthcare, renting an appartment, not to mention travelling abroad, which I love very much. You have to give bribes everywhere simply to get what you must be given for free. While here in Russia a person’s life doesn’t mean anything in general, a person without money and connections is basically nothing & is as good as dead. Office jobs at huge beaurocratic state corporations or oligarch businesses are the only jobs, where it is possible to earn a decent salary without getting involved in corruption or crime. If I ever have an opportunity to move legally to a free country like the USA, I would without a doubt work eagerly as a waiter, builder, even janitor (surprisingly, I might even be getting more or unsignificantly less money for that kind of work than I’m getting now for “prestigious” work in Russia). So people if you are living in free countries like the USA or Australia and hate your office jobs, try to quit. I don’t have that option here, cause I would simply let down my family & condemn my loved ones to humiliation & constant fear for their lives.
I also hate office jobs, so I left my previous job and got trained as a certified nursing assistant. My current job as a nursing aide is physically more demanding, but I like to be on the move and love the challenge of this job.
I’m glad to hear you were able to pursue something you enjoy! Wish you the best of luck.
Congratulations! I’m currently in a class to be a CNA! I will finish up next month and then apply to nursing school this July. I can’t wait!
A ton of people feel the same way you do, it’s just too bad they’re not all in our local social circles. It would make for a better support system, for sure.
I had an office/i.t. job meltdown last year. I quit it to drive big rigs around last summer. I didn’t like being gone from home for 3 weeks at a time so it didn’t work out in the beginning, but now I’ve found a local route job in the meantime while I contemplate my next move.
Here’s an appropriate quote that popped up on my tumblr page today:
“Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives.”
— Fight Club 1999
it is a bit dated since we have had several wars and a borderline depression since, but the basics are still there.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment! Yeah it’s almost overwhelming to see how many people feel this way. I’m glad to hear you quit your job to try something else. I’ve also managed to quit my job and have never looked back since.
For everyone feeling like this, I highly recommend giving something else a shot. Just plan ahead and you’ll have no problems pursuing your passions.
The trick is to find your dream job. Analyze your passions then find jobs that fit what you enjoy. Plan your work around your life rather than planning life around work.
This is the article I was looking for, thanks for sharing
Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
I feel exactly this way!!! Thank you so much for posting and for everyone else for sharing – it makes me feel a little better!
I hate this life – the 8 hours+ sitting on my backside staring at a computer screen filling in pointless forms some pompous twit desinged to justify their own pointless job in one of the most staggeringly incompetent companies i have ever encountered (and i am a business analyst!). I spent all of those years getting a degree and Master’s degree for THIS? To be a glorified secretary tapping away in a booth????!
I can’t afford to give it up though
i have thousands of pounds of debt that keep me shackled in this hellish cycle of barely sleep; drag self to work; fidget and sigh and count the seconds until i can leave and then go back home nad wait for it all to begin anew the next day.
I just don’t care about my job in any way, shape or form other than it keeps me from sleeping in a cardboard box.
I go to the gym or dance class most evenings after work and i live for this – for the feeling of being active and having the rush or moving! I have taken sick days this year to go appear in films and TV not caring what happened with work because there is so much that i would rather do! If i could just get out of debt… i don’t care about money, i just need to be able to put a roof over my head – i don’t have a partner or parents to ease the burden, i just have to keep on this hamster wheel of office drudgery until i die
Hi, I came across this blog today and i feel the exact same way! I am right now sitting at my computer “wasting” my time at work. I am working the job i went to school for (graphic design) and a lot of people say i have a “good” job. i however hate it and feel like I’m wasting my PRECIOUS time! I know we have a short life to live even if we live to be 100.
I am just like you, Justin. I want to be OUT THERE. traveling, seeing all there is to see. I’m 27 and I’ve never even been to the ocean WTF?!!!
Well the good news is, I have been planning my “way out” for a few months now, and hopefully in a year or so I’ll be posting on here again with my success story.
I am very passionate about music and about GOD and I love traveling and meeting new people. So my plan is to travel and do shows and play christian music, sharing God’s love with people and seeing all that this beautiful world has to offer.
I DONT CARE if it dosent pay much and i may have to live out of my car but i dont care anymore!!! I’m tired of this.
So to everyone else reading this i say – do what you want. we only live once. a great quote on this is “THE BIGGEST RISK IN LIFE IS NOT TAKING ONE”
So here soon I’m gonna take my risk. I’ll let you know what happens! =)
Hey Paul, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I wish you the best of luck at ditching your job and hitting the road. I have a feeling you would be happier living in your car if it really came to it. Funny thing is, it probably never will and things will work out perfectly for you.
Cheers to your success!
Many blessings on the path of your new life.
I googled ‘Office jobs suck’ while I’m here in the office. Funny. Office jobs do suck! but I’ve finished some scripts…
Hey man im glad i ran across this blog, It doesnt completely make my decision for me but it helps. I have 2 job offers at the moment. One is an office job the other is a videographer at a news station. I was considering the office job since it pays more with benefits and so on. BUT the other job is in the field in which I went to school for. its only temporary but could possibly turn to full time. But atleast I would get to get out of the office a couple times a day and see whats around the city shooting video, lol. I think you have helped me sway in the way of the videographer job. Im not motivated by money either but sometimes when its there for you, you have 2nd thoughts!
Hey Justin,
yup feel the same you did, great writeup, articulating what i had in mind and from the comments what we all had in our minds but dare not spit it out. Here is my understanding after being laid off, yes re-org, the corporation so as to show less head count and pad the quarterly results 3 or 4 is good enough to get the stock moving, and the bonus cheques pouring in while we stand in line to collect unemployment cheques and ponder our life thinking what a loser i am.
I read somewhere which gave me a bit of comfort here is how the author framed and i hope i can articulate as well as him, really find your Hawai anywhere you currently live:
The list based on satisfaction is this -
1. Vocation if you find this you have achieved Nirvana
2. Career the next best thing you may not love it as much but if you put in the time the $$$ make it worth the effort [Lawyers, Doctors, Dentist and such]
3. Job don’t care to define, anything goes, get up punch the clock hate the cubicle and other keyboard monkies who have outlasted the dinosur and still keep the job, yet get promotions ! well its 40 hours of death in slow motion, yes it pays the bills, all the bills one could live with out, iPhone, iPad, iPoop, with voice plan and add the data plan then the subscriber fee, then wipe your hiny fee and govt fee and taxes nonsense for every one service we think we can’t live without.
Forget it i say find the vocation otherwise don’t bother, just show up and fuck up, don’t worry they need you more than you need them as long as you have no illusions of climbing the food chain.
cheers
Thank God for finding this post today, right at the point where I’m sitting in my cube thinking a breakdown is not far from happening. It’s SO nice to hear other people feel this way!
I majored in psychology in college and couldn’t really do anything with that so since graduating, I have worked as an Administrative, and currently now, Executive Assistant since college. I did have an office job that I really loved (actually I didn’t love the job but LOVED my co-workers), however I got laid off over a year ago and was completely devastated. Not only did I lose my job, but I lost connection with my friends there too. The first thing I said when that happened was “I do not want another job sitting behind a desk being bored all day.” And of course, due to pressures of my family and society, that is exactly what I ended up with. And everyone was so thrilled for me because it is with a major, HUGE US firm (which obviously I cannot name) and it sucks!!!! Nobody talks here; you could here a pin drop. And I have to pretend to be busy 8 hours a day. Meanwhile, I am slowly losing my mind and feel so lost. I am in my early 30’s and most of my friends have families, etc…..but I am on my own due to a divorce from an abusive husband. My parents live near me and have been hugely supportive emotionally and financially, but they love the way it sounds when they tell people I work for this company, and meanwhile I could care less.
I don’t know what to do now, because I have to keep the income. I am way in debt and need to keep my condo. I only make $50,000/year which sucks. So I feel it probably shouldn’t be that hard to find a “real” job that I like and could make close to that amount. I would rather run my ass of as a waitress in a good restaurant, as long as I could interact and actually talk to people and feel like I’m living. Hell, I’d rather bag groceries as long as I can be outside of my cube. I don’t care about the image that comes with this company or working in an office. I hate it and my depression is positively overwhelming at this point.
Sorry for writing so much, but I finally found some people who could understand. I even was in therapy for a while, but had to drop her as she didn’t get it either. I used to be very active with working out and running, even did a couple of marathons, but now I’m so down on myself that I don’t even have the energy to run. I feel like I’m wasting my life away and my once energetic and outgoing personality have now become completely withdrawn. But I know it’s still in me – I just have to find myself again.
I live in the DC area and need to stay here as my parents live here and are elderly and I want to be around them. So if anyone has any ideas for someone who loves being outside and mostly, just loves helping and interacting with people….please let me know. Thanks for reading, and again sorry for the length but it did feel good to get it all out.
Hi, Kathy–
Nursing is not an outdoor career, but it’s one where you get to be active, talk with lots of different people, help them, and feel that you’ve truly made a difference in someone’s life. You could maybe even be a nurse on a cruise ship or at a camp and be able to work outside the traditional hospital environment. There is so much you can do with a nursing career. Once I pass my nurse aide state licensing exam, I’ll be working as a CNA until I get into nursing school. I am so excited about this career change. I’ve been a CPA for the past 10 years and hate it with a passion. I’ll be taking a HUGE pay cut to be a CNA and also initially as a nurse fresh out of school but I don’t care. I did my clinical CNA training at a nursing home, and while that environment wouldn’t be my first choice for working, it was SO much more rewarding than all of my years working at a desk.
I hope you are able to find work you enjoy. My advice would be to not be so caught up in how much money you make. If you hate what you do, money doesn’t matter. I made over $70K at my last job, and I still hated the work. I’ll be making $9 to $10 to start as a CNA, and I can’t wait. I’m getting really excited.
Oh, and nothing is wrong with you. Depression can often steer you away from harm in your life. This career path you’re on is not working for you, and you know that. You are obviously a strong person to be able to leave an abusive relationship. It takes a lot of courage to do that. I predict you will one day leave the job/career path you’re in too.
In the meantime, my advice is to try to make yourself do some kind of exercise to help ease the stress. It can be very effective. I started doing yoga after leaving my last job, and the stress relief it provides is incredible. I had always heard that but didn’t really believe it until I tried it.
I wish you the absolute best of luck. Know that there are many people who feel just as you do and who also deal with the same family pressures. You at least are willing to acknowledge the things in your life that need fixing. That takes courage!
It is very cool to see so many people feel the same way. I have been in IT for 10yrs now and basically stare at a laptop all day and weekend nights when they make me. My situation reflects a good deal of the others posting here — hours sitting at a desk feeling dead waiting for the clock to hit 5 — However, my big difference, from what I can see, is that I am 35 with wife and kids. I am the primary income for the family and do not have a dream job identified. There are many things I believe I would enjoy but many of them require returning to school and accruing more debt. My wife and I have discussed some options to own our own business and hopefully that will work out. I do not want to look back 20 years from now thinking how I wasted 10 hours a day for all those years. On my parting note let me offer some advice to those younger and not responsible for others yet: Make the change you want. Dont settle for a day to day existence waiting for the weekend. Make the change to do something that you love. I am already teaching my children that very thing. It isnt about the money you make and the things you own but whether you enjoy getting out of bed each day. Make it count.