Hello everyone. Warm hugs to all as we do what we can to cope with recent events. Part of my own personal therapy has been having lengthy discussions with friends, family & coworkers, but we haven't just been discussing the events of the last week. Many of us have been hit with the realization that we aren't doing what we want in our occupations -- or rather, we're not doing what we *should* be doing -- we're missing our "true calling". Some of us have known this for a long time, but have been caught up in the rushing river of life & routine, uncertain if it's worth the effort, time & risk involved in making a major change.

Have any of you had similar thoughts? If so, how does one really go about identifying what the right next steps are? How do you figure out what you want to be when you grow up? Do you follow your heart? Do you throw caution (and the household budget) to the wind and just take the leap? (Not that this would necessarily be the right time to job-jump, as far as the economy goes, but...)

Again, peaceful wishes to all of you....and to the whole planet. Thanks.

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

Answers

My mind has been on this very topic for the past week. I've been hating my job and desperately searching for another for some time. I live in a largely blue-collar area (not that there's anything wrong with that, the category includes nearly all of my family) where a college education doesn't seem to help much. When I began my job hunt, my goal was to leave the admin world and use my degree in PR. Now that goal has been downgraded to "find an admin job I hate less than the one I have now." But there has to be something more. I feel so freakin' useless entering data into a computer all day. I'm young and healthy and have no commitments, other than my boyfriend, who, once he's out of school in a year or two would be willing to join me on an adventure. Any ideas?

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

Well, becoming a terrorist is probably not a good career move :)

You are right on the mark Laura. In reality, the grief process involved in job loss, unemployment, and underemployment is far more debilitiating and frightfull than an external event like a terrorist bombing. Occupational identity remains whether or not a person is actually employed in their chosen profession. This is mostly an unacknowledged fact in the world of "change" and "globilization".

I did some research on this topic in grad school in the mid nineties. After searching the net, I found very little information. The current universal panacea is "Who moved my cheese?" by Spencer Johnson. You may find this helpfull. I did'nt, because I think mice searching for food is not really analogous to underemployment and involuntary job change. But who am I to argue with success?

I think the vast majority of people make the best of a less than an optimal situation. "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation". You are not alone.

If you're hardcore and near a good college library see:

Archer, John and Rhodes, Valerie: "The Grief Process and job loss: A cross-sectional study." British Journal of Psychology (1993) vol 84. pp 395-410.

-- Anonymous, September 20, 2001

I love the research I do, but despise the pathological company I work for. Unfortunately, a Ph.D. does *not* lead one to infinite job possibilities. It so narrowly defines you that you are only hired if you have an exact skill set. I've been looking for a bench research job for 3 years. Since I'm not having great success, nor is any other science Ph.D.s I know, I'm taking courses to get a certificate in Regulatory Affairs so I can send 100,000 pages of 10 years of documentation to the FDA to get a drug approved for the market. Sounds thrilling eh? I think so too. Note the great sarcasm.

My calling was Med. School, but I was encouraged to go into a much lesser level medical field. I got the urge for Med. School fairly frequently but going to grad. school shook my mother's weak ego bad enough and I was actively discouraged and, boy is this a laugh after taking classes with med. students and teaching them, I didn't think I was smart enough.

I figure I only have two options now. Teach SCUBA diving in the Bahamas (unlikely to happen). Meet a sane, rich, caring man who will take care of me and my daughter so I can live the life of an appreciated volunteer (very unlikely to happen).

-- Anonymous, September 22, 2001