I'm stuck, does anybody have any advice?

Question

I'm 20, been in the Air Force for almost two years. I hate my career field, it's made me despise people. It would be very hard to cross train into a different field, because my is critically manned. Anyways, I have no idea what I want to do when I get out, (go to school yes), but for what job...I don't know. I've been trying to figure this out for years. I feel stuck, because my current "job" has great perks, but I have no heart in my field. I work hard and with pride, but I'm not happy. I don't want to get out and get a crappy job and say I used to do something better than I am now........I don't know what to do.....I'm not happy and I need some advice please. I have no problem finishing up my enlistment in good standing, I just don't know what to do after that...

Answer 1

Life is about making choices and it's about taking risks. Even when you don't make a choice, you're making a choice not to decide; and when you're not taking a risk, you're taking the risk of being safe.

What I have found is that there are many paths and many destinations. Taking one path isn't necessarily right or wrong. Say you go out and get a crappy job... so what? You are so young and can always change jobs again and try something else. What you want to avoid is being a journey man who can't hold on a job or see things through before you decide it's not what you want. But you don't seem the type; at least you know you want change.

I recommend:

1) Evaluate your skills... what are you good at? What are you not good at? Make a list first.

2) Think about the things you enjoy in your life other than entertainment and perks (yes, you can try to be a video game tester, but that kinda takes the fun out of the game). Do you enjoy dealing with people? Would you rather deal with numbers? Machines? computers? Do you like a stable job that follows more routines? Do you like jobs that are project based and changes every time? What do you find are the things are you passionate about or can spend hours working on without being bored?

3) How important are certain attainments to you in life? Do you want a family? Do you want kids? Do you want a lot of money? Do you want just enoughmoney, but have more enrichment in other aspects of life?

4) Put number 1, 2 and 3 together, use that as a basis to start looking around for careers. What you can start with is talking to people from different career fields. You can join networks such as www.military.com or leverage other veteran organizations to meet people. By talking to people with similar backgrounds who made the transition, you can learn a lot about what to do and what not to do.

5) When you get a better idea of what fields you may want to consider, you can check out the positions on job websites such as www.craigslist.org, www.monster.com, or www.hotjobs.com. You will see the description of the jobs and what skills are required. You can then plan a path to get there. You can also check out www.salary.com to see what kind of pay these positions get.

6) Go to college. College not only trains your mind on how to think and solve problems, it also gives you an opportunity to try out different fields. You can take accounting, marketing, finance, engineering, history, computer, sociology, psychology...etc. classes. It gives you some foundation as well as lets you figure out if it's a subject you even like. And a degree generally gives you higher pay. That's always nice ;)

7) If the answer seems very general, it's because the only thing I can figure is that you hate your current job... but have no idea why or what you would like to do. I can't help you with a more specific answer if you don't have more details.

Good luck!

Just Be!

Answer 2

Not having had the privilege to have served in the military, I can't address your question directly, but I can tell you that my son recently retired after twenty years in the Army. He talked about changing his MOS several times while enlisted, but never did. Is it possible you could change fields after your enlistment is up and re-enlist? Another thing that comes to mind is that a nephew served four years in the Navy, has been out four years now and the best job he has had since is working at a sushi bar in Washington state. If you basically like being in the military, I think you should give strong consideration to making it a career.

Answer 3

I think you need to put some time into thinking about what you do best and how you can turn that into a career. The Air Force can help you with that even if what you are currently doing isn't as satisfying as you would like. What parts of what you are doing are satisfying? How can you turn that around? When choosing a college, you can also chat with guidance counselors that can help with these decisions as well. But take a good hard look at what you are doing and how you can transition that into another career.

Answer 4

the best advice i can give you is "if you dont know, dont do anything." take classes that are a variety of different things and find your niche. You have plenty on time to figure it out. Life is too short to be unhappy. Dont settle and pay for school if your not sure what it is that you want for your life. I have been in the same position.. I took different classes in all different fields through college from medical to business.. it's a great way to find out what peaks your interest. Good luck, stress is bad! Peace!

Answer 5

I was in a similar position as you, hating a job that paid good and had some nice perks. I just one day quit, and for a while regretted it because I couldn't find anything good. Then I came upon a job years later that paid twice as much and is more enjoyable. If there is a specific career you want, go for it.

Answer 6

What you're doing now couldn't be better if you hate it.

Don't worry about not knowing that you do. I don't think most people do until their mid to late twenties. That's why so many students switch majors. In a way you're fortunate... Image accumulating all of that debt in student loans while you pass time trying to figure out what you want to do. At least the military is buying you some extra time to figure it out. If you don't know what you want to do when you get out, don't worry about it. You'll figure it out. Just do whatever you need or want to do for now in the meantime.

Answer 7

First of all, THANK YOU for your service to the Country. We appreciate all you do!

This situation is tricky, as I am convinced you MUST do what you are Passionate about and only then will you be truly happy and excel. I'm a firm believer in that. Think about what makes you happy when you are at home relaxed. I like to read---thus became a librarian. You might like to cook--become a chef.

Or think about what aspect you like most about the air force....When you "get" to do __________ on this day, you get siked! (That might help; you fill in the blank.)

Good luck to you and your future!

Answer 8

If you enjoy flying (I am not sure what exactly you don't like about your work...) you could become a commercial pilot...

Think about what you really enjoy in life. It sounds like you tend to think more about what you don't like in life than what you do. If you cultivate a habit of thinking more about what you enjoy, you will gradually come to understand better how to become more happy.