What to do? My career choice is making me miserable...?

Question

My final year of uni, after a year of travelling, I feel I need to get a job having spent my student years doing an English degree and amateur theatre. So I choose to do accountancy (seemed like it pays ok) and secure a job with one of the top 4 firms. 2 years on I'm 25, 18 months from qualifying, and thoroughly miserable in a job I'm good at, but which I hate as its completely 'not me'. I feel know value in my work, and dont feel I give anything back in it to the community. I'm itching to get into writing and travel, but my job eats up all my free time, I've got a mortgage, and I dont know how I can afford to quit and look elsewhere. On top of that I'm suffering from pride and dont want to feel like a quitter.

It all sounds thoroughly self indulgent but its eating me up...

Any ideas? I,m sure I'm not the only one in this boat...

Answer 1

We've al been there - the stage where you want to conform to the 'proper' way of living and appear 'decent' to become accepted. Did you do well in your degree? Why don't you make use of it? You love drama too - have you considered teaching? That pays really well too - they even pay for your training and give you allowances ......Accountancy is a very well respected profession , but only if you do well and are good at your work - otherwise if you're pants, have no dedication to it, only do it for money - then you will gain no respect. The last thing you want is to be only half heartly in it and get struck off some day for being negligent. Do what you enjoy - as long as you have the talent as well, you'll do well, and the money will come in too. There's so much you can do with your background - journalism, media, tv broadcasting, presenting, journalism, editorial writing. Can you perhaps become a tutor for the extra income so that you can quit from accounting? Or do lots of full-time temping for the time being - have a think.......hope this helps.......

Answer 2

I would suggest you stay with it until you are qualified.

Set yourself a plan the you will use your accounting skills to fund your travel and theatre work. Try to organize your time so that you have free time , it might be very small now but look at what will be free when you finish your accounting credential.

A good accountant can run their own accounting business so thats another option, a job with a theater company as an accountant or production assistant may also be possible.

Your mortgage feels like a drain now, but in two years if you still hate your life , it gives you an assett that you can sell and hopefully profit from .

I think many adults after a few years in a job , feel a bit trapped. Mortgage, marriage, kids can all make you feel trapped when you dream of going out and doing wonderful things. Well, in the real world many people have to do the wonderful stuff after work and on weekends.

Good luck whatever you choose to do . :)

Answer 3

I had the same trouble.

I worked in accounts for a bit and found that it didn't suit me either.

I went back to uni and became a barrister. It isn't much more interesting, but I sometimes get to make bad people suffer. :)

If you hate it that much, I think you'll eventually have to do something else. You can't spend the rest of your life doing something that makes you miserable.

The good news is that accountants do rather well finantually, so perhaps you could make enough money to open up some more options.

There are a lot of different sorts of jobs you can get with a degree in accountancy too. Perhaps a job that requires a university education, without requiring a specific degree, would be more tolerable for you.

Answer 4

Pride, or being stubborn? Not quitting or avoiding an ulcer?
I've been where you are and I know exactly what you're going through.
i majored in English and all I feel I did was prove i could stay awake listening to a lecture on "Pride and Prejudice."
Went to work in insurance, felt like they always were watching me to be sure i was working.
I heard of an opening at a trucking co (dispatch) where the only rule was "get the job done" and loved every minute of the next 30 years.
You have another 40 years to work, it's your stomach. What would you (within reason) love to do?? Brush up your resume, and go get 'em.
Best of luck. I've been there.

Answer 5

Carry on with what your doing and get your qualification.

You must have some spare time, so use it to do the things you want to do. Your spare time might not be much, but if your truly passionate about what you want to do, then you`ll make the time!

You need to carry on with your current job, until you can start making enough in your spare time to quit, and go full time with what you want to do.

One word of warning with the writing. If its what you want to do, it can be a great career, but it is tough! It takes a lot of time to get your writing perfect, you think its fine, but then the editor and reviewers want changes made. You need to be able to accept criticism, as it can be tough when you submit something you think is great, only to be told you need to change this, and alter that!

It also pays slowly, in that if you write magazine articles for example, you only get paid about 3 - 4 months after you`ve submitted your final article. You need money to see you through this period.

With books, it can be even longer. You get a small advance up front, but its not enough to live off (unless your an extremely well known and popular author!). The real money comes in through royalties, but these are paid typically every 6 months. So again you need money to see you through to your first royalty cheque.

So stick with your current career, knowing that you won't be at it for ever, its a necessary evil. If you really want to be a writer, you need to build up a big slush fund (enough to live off for 6 months ideally), before you quit and go full time, so that you have enough until your first payments come through.

Submit some articles to web sites etc, so that when you look for a publisher you have some work to show off, and you also get criticism on it which can help you improve.

If this is what you truly what you want to do, then you can do it! If it sounds difficult, or hard work, then you should maybe think about something else.

Following your dreams is never easy, which is why very few people do it! Keep at it though and you`ll get there!

Answer 6

If you have any interest in business management, yo can stick it out for a couple of years and move into a commercial role. Getting professional qualifications as an accountant will set you up for all management/business jobs in the future, so don't throw it in...unless you're set on doing something completely different.

Answer 7

You need to have plan for your future 5 years, 10 years etc if you do not want to do what you are doing for the rest of your life. Sorting out your financial carefully you might be able to retire early or doing something else that you enjoy without a financial mess. Good luck.

Answer 8

If you hate your job you should get out of it ASAP before it seriously drives you crazy. You can always sell your property to get out of your morgage, or find an alternative job. Choosing to leave a job because you hate it is perfectly sensible and one of the benefits of a modern, free society.
I left my job. I felt like some kind of robot, a slave to it, so I left and now feel much more human again!

Answer 9

Get your qualification first. It's a fall back if all else fails.

Start making plans now as to where you want to be and who you want to be by the time you get to 30.