
Why does it seem so hard to find work that one really enjoys? Or is it just me? - argv
If you don't yet have a clear idea of what you want to do instead, should/ would you quit your job now, if you're feeling unhappy in it, or wait till you've come up with a clear plan/ alternative?<p>How much of how you view your prospects is coloured by your unhappiness with
your current job?<p>Is it possible to make yourself understand that irrationality - that the future
may be shaped but is not determined by the past, and that you shouldn't
therefore let your feelings about the past or the present define your view of
the future - at an emotionally convincing level?<p>... is this the wrong forum to ask questions like these?
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pasbesoin
Here's my somewhat novel perspective (may not apply to the reader).

I can enjoy most any kind of work. (I've done everything from programming to
accounting to clerical work and manual labor, for private companies and for
the "gubmint".)

What stops me from enjoying it are people and the settings they place me into,
that don't let me get the work done. Noisy cubicles. Crap tools that I can't
change nor improve upon -- "can't" meaning I'm not allowed to.

The other thing: Disrespect. Don't ask me to fix your crap, and then look down
your nose at me while I'm doing it.

If you're unhappy, don't just look at your job, look at your environment. If
you're being treated like crap and disrespected, move on. Don't waste another
moment there.

And _don't_ listen to those "you should be happy to have a job" people. If
that's _really_ the case, you'll already know it. Otherwise, it's manipulation
-- whether direct or indirect, e.g. societal -- do get you to do something
that someone else -- who created the situation -- doesn't want to take
responsibility for.

P.S. By "don't waste another moment there", I generally mean an unnecessary
moment. These days in particular (in the U.S., at least), it's best to find
the next job before leaving the current one. (Income, and being a better
prospect because your are "currently employed".)

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ifearthenight
I for one am perpetually see-sawing between insane focused passion for what I
am doing and full blown existential crisis. I see this as a blessing and a
curse.

I think a little bit of impatience can help you achieve more than others who
sit around waiting for things to happen/dawn upon them, but at the same time
too much can mean you miss out on the benefits of some things that take time
to build. I think the balance between the two is very specific to the
individual and unfortunately can only be found through experience and making
your fair share of mistakes (and successes).

I generally feel ill anytime I see someone using a quote by someone famous to
help define their life but this always brings a smile to my face when I think
about it:

"If you don't know where you are going, any road will take you there."

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dmd149
I think you should try many different things. It's too much pressure to think
you need to have the perfect job right now. Your goal at this point is to
learn as much as possible about yourself in order to have the most data about
what you're good, what you like to do, and what you think you want to do. I
wrote a blog post that touches on the subject.

[http://dalethoughts.com/2012/01/should-you-diversify-or-
shou...](http://dalethoughts.com/2012/01/should-you-diversify-or-should-you-
specialize/)

------
Peroni
Ultimately, if you are unhappy then it won't hurt to look at other options.

I've written a blog post that may help in terms of helping people find the
right job for them: [http://voltsteve.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-to-find-job-
for-ha...](http://voltsteve.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-to-find-job-for-
hackers.html)

------
argv
Hi, thank you for all your responses. I've always known/ thought in theory
that the Internet is or should be great at enabling friendships and goodwill
(beyond just clicking on "Add to Friends" on Facebook, which is what I assume
people do on it... yes, I'm off that grid), but it is still really heartening
to actually see it happening.

I think I am going to quit, because it is succeeding in making me feel lousy
about myself, despite my attempts to rationalize it.

I am angry with myself though for not having got my act together enough to get
a new job before I do that. I can't quite say why this is so, or maybe I just
can't admit it to myself. The only answer I can come up with is it's a
combination of a lack of discipline, and a slight difficulty (and extreme
vagueness) in what I'd like to do.

I'm a bit reluctant to apply for another programming job at the moment; I
don't know how much of it is coloured by the current one. (I think by most
objective standards, my job right now is pretty boring, if not positively
mind-numbing - debugging poorly-written financial software that's 2-3 decades
old on Windows - in terms of the programming, although the "business" aspects
of it, the uses of that software and the calculations, are interesting to
think about.)

But beyond wanting to "really understand how businesses work" - why/ how
certain companies do well, why/ how people work together, what motivates them,
why some people get paid so much more (for doing what appears to be sod all)
than others, what it means to "compete", what a "competitive advantage" is,
much less a "durable" one, how one can possibly see into the future - I don't
know what specifically I can or want to do that would be financially useful
enough (yet?) to someone else that they would be willing to pay me for it.

I've been trying to read up on what people's perspectives are on how or what
makes businesses work (and spluttering and gagging over the tonnes of vacuous
crap that gets spouted) - books, blogs, newspapers, annual reports - but it's
been unstructured, and I have nothing tangible to show for it. I feel like
I've some glimpses, but no insight that I can write or speak coherently about.

And I've wasted too much time wallowing and feeling sorry for myself (as you
can imagine).

... I'll need to think about it some more - what I want to do, how, why. But
it has helped just being able to "talk"/ write about it (it is easier to do it
anonymously), and to see/ hear all your advices. So I'd just like to say, once
again, a big "thank you".

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AznHisoka
I would take some action, whether it's delving into something, or at least
doing some research, even if you have no clear idea what it is you like.
Taking some action to me gives me hope. Waiting around and doing nothing is a
recipe for depression.

~~~
jgeorge
Well put. The biggest depressive factor in a work environment (to me, at
least) is having a feeling of hopelessness, of being "stuck" in a job - even
if it's a job you kind of like, being stuck in it makes it much less
enjoyable.

You don't even have to quit, but look around, find prospects, prove to
yourself that you _can_ find another job if you choose to, and you may find
your outlook becomes much brighter. It's a feeling of being in control of your
destiny.

And hey, if one of those prospects looks like a more promising path, then all
the better.

