Is my career over?

Question

I am stuck in a career rut at the moment. I have financial worries and got married last year, but have been looking for a new job for the past 6 months with absolutlely no success. I have two degrees. One is a BA Hons and the other an MSc. I have 5 years year employment experience but always get knock abcks for the jobs I am interested in. Tried recruitment agencies and they always put me in touch with menial, low paid jobs. I I am feeling pretty low, and feel the longer this goes on, I will become more depressed. The physical signs are already beginning to show, I have put on a lot of weight. I do not know where the next job I want is goinf to come from. I do not know what I can do to turn things around, and get out of this low paid, uninspiring job. I have considered re-training but that would involve money which I do not have at the moment. I always struggle to pay bills. I dread to think what might happen if this situation does not get better. Any advice would be welcome. Thanks.

Answer 1

Been there buddy. It sucks, but either you start interning, volunteering or something after work, or just quit and get a menial job. Does your wife work? YOu should have a few months savings to do an internship. But, if you are interested in something or want to try something completely different from your field, and internship is the way to get valuable experience. You usually don't get paid (if you do, it's not much), but you can't beat the opportunity.

i have been doing this for 8 years - trying to switch that is. Ive taken classes, gone back to grad school, all while working the day job in a bank. My advice, just find something now. Although I make decent money now, it's not worth it. Why keep climbing a ladder you don't want to be on? I'm planning on just hitting the road this summer to find something inspiring - living off credit cards b/c that's all I've got. Do it, man. Life is short!!!

Answer 2

First thing is to realise that you are a valuable commodity who has gained transferrable skills over the past five years. You are intelligent with the ability to learn but are simply p issed off with your current job. STOP FEELING SORRY FOR YOUSELF AS YOU DONT DESERVE IT.
Make a plan. You must first decide on what exactly you want from life. Is it big salary first or happy life? What do you enjoy doing that can be done within a job?
Do you need different qualifications which could be done at night school? Do you have any friends who could help get you a job? Have you thought of doing voluntary work when you could spare the time - this could lead to other things and improve your CV.
Talk to others and ask them why they feel you are being miserable. Could you change anything at work? Have you approached your boss about this? You never know they may be prepared to change your duties.

Good Luck. Nil Desperandum Carburundum Bastardes. Or something like that which is an engineering term meaning - dont let the bas-tards grind you down.

Answer 3

What the degrees are in is important. Only aim for jobs that they are for. If the subjects differ greatly between both degrees an employer will think that you cannot stick at anything. There are no rules about declaring both of them. Have at least 5 CVs. One with everything on, one aimed at jobs for your 1st degree, one aimed at jobs for your 2nd, one aimed at management and a final one written with your future plans in mind. There are quite a few websites that can assist you on CV creation. If you do this and have a CV created, change it into your own way of speaking as a manufactured CV sticks out like a sore thumb. Apply for everything - EVERYTHING - only talk up your good points. Be realistic too. If you want a career change you will not earn megabucks straight off - you need to work up to it. The other factor in a well paid job is location - you may need to move - commute further - accept a little hardship intially to ensure a bright future. When in an interview, do not seem desparate - a little aloof is good, they need you as much as you need them - even though it doesn't feel that way now.

Answer 4

Are you tied to your current location? Do you have family ties that you need to stay where you are?

There are jobs, but you may have to move to get them. Is this feasible?

Keep in mind, there are a lot of folks out there with no job or getting laid off. So...be glad you still currently have a job. Are you living above your means? You're just going to have to decide what you want out of life and make some changes necessary to get there. If you like where you are and don't want to move, maybe you can go into business for yourself? Maybe you'll just have to suck it up for a while until a better opportunity presents itself.

Life is what you make it. Discuss it with your new wife, make sure you two are on the same page. What does she think about all this?

There's a lot about your sitution that we don't know so it's hard to give a good answer. One way or another, things have a way of working out. So relax, discuss it with your wife, and come up with a gameplan together.

Good luck.

Answer 5

Hey, chin up. Things will get better. The important thing is that you know what you want and are willing to go out and get it. Financial worries come and go, please talk to your spouse and convey to her/him your feelings. Together you can find a way to budget and plan for a very bright future together.
Perhaps you should take a break from active searching and try networking instead. There are business website communities that put people in touch with one another in their own professional field. They're usually free, too. You can also keep your eyes on www.monster.com and other forums that offer career and educational advice for free. Good luck and feel better soon.

Answer 6

Those "menial, low paid jobs" are better than nothing - they will also help you to pay the bills. And doing one doesn't mean you have to give up on searching for the job you really want. Never give up. :-)

"When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it, but all that had gone before." - Jacob August Riis

Answer 7

So sorry to hear all this my dear.
But sadly the days when Degrees assured one of a good job are past......
However, You could try coming over to Thailand to teach English. Why don't you do a TEFL online course. They are very easy, and do that?
All the best.

Answer 8

Sounds to me that you lack confidence and have a very low self esteem, you need to have a serious word with your self, think more positively, tell yourself, I am a good person, I can do better, I am worth more, and I will have more, learn to sell yourself, chin up, shoulders back, go out and do it, you really know that you can.