Pointless office jobs

Yes but we don’t live in an ideal world where ability matches potential and success. Plenty of higher IQ people have lower paid work. Plenty of careers suffer with technology advances and having a higher than average IQ doesn’t exempt someone from that.

This isn’t America in the 1970s. The sky isn’t the limit and social mobility isn’t the game. A job isn’t for life and there aren’t many booming industries.

OP has a vulnerable dependent who is relying on her income. A household where the bills continue each month whether she works or not. They won’t stop for her.

So I’m sorry to be a negative Nancy, but sometimes you just have to adjust your expectations on life and find the smaller aspects to enjoy.

That’s not to say OP can’t study or retrain on the side in order to change careers later but it sounds to me like stability and good earnings are the priority for her family right now.

Technology has been reducing jobs steadily, however no “AI” or technology can completely take over all admin jobs no matter what the weirdo tech bros keep saying.

The answer is, as per usual, to buy some goats.

But on 80k a year you're going to be on 30 days AL and 11 Stat days holiday plus 104 weekend days. Add in a few days when you have company events or training and you are at work around 210 days a year for financial security with no impact on all those other days that you have. Plenty woukd take that. But if you need more then you need a plan.

I honestly can't imagine what it's like to sail through work days earning £80k.

I'm a care worker on (less than in real terms) NMW. I absolutely adore my job, and it's very far from pointless, but I'm in my 50s now, and live alone. Every single last penny of what I earn is accounted for in essential outgoings. There's nothing left for 'nice things' like going to the theatre, or out for a meal. Going on holiday is out of the question, and I probably never will again.
My pension is negligible and I have very little in savings. I'll need to keep working until I can get state pension at the age of 67. God only knows how I'll manage that.

I'd like to have retrained in something, but I need to work 60+ hours a week just to get by. I'm time-poor and exhausted. Also, I'm not all that bright and I lack in confidence that I could do anything else.

So I envy you in a lot of ways, Op.

If circumstances have you trapped there so you can't find something more meaningful at the moment, you have two options.
Either reframe your low pressure job into a positive, see yourself as fortunate you are well paid for old rope as it were, and use the freed up headspace to focus on your real life.
Or use your seniority, autonomy and influence to make things more meaningful for you, suggesting projects you would be enthusiastic about. Sometimes mentoring others works well for this because there's satisfaction in watching others develop.

Start your own business if your brain is so in need of being challenged - be the change you want to see in the world.

I earn 27k as a legal secretary in the world’s most boring firm. I’d love to have your problems, I also have no empathy. If you don’t like it look for something else!!!!

I love my job, I think it is worthwhile and the role is absolutely essential. I earn about 70k so less than you but not massively so. The difference is my role could not be done in 40 hours a week. I work 80 hours most weeks so I have no time at all for hobbies, no time to just relax, no time to go out with friends, barely any time to even spend with my family.

I'm not sure if it is worth it. If someone offered me a pointless role paying 10k more for literally half the hours I would jump at the chance regardless of how much I love my job at the moment.

Hi OP, I earn less than you but wrestle with the same question about the need for meaningful work. I started my career in the not-for-profit sector and cared a great deal about the aims of my organisation, but also struggled with the fact that I wasn't very good at it (inchoate goals for the role and inexperience and lack of savvy on my part). I've now moved into something a bit better paid but without the lofty aims. I've become entrenched in this new line of work, firstly due to family set-up and now because that's where I have nearly two decades of experience.

What I do isn't totally meaningless. Part of it involves unravelling difficulties for individuals. There are pointless bits. I feel like I could have achieved more - I've underperformed based on my educational background. But I like not working much outside 9-5 and the energy I have left over for other things. There's an element of compromise in everything. This set-up works okay for me. But yes, there's still an ache of longing for what I might have done.

Where are these office jobs for £80k coz I need one! I get what you are trying to say but I also work in an office for a hell of a lot less than this so Im jealous !

Agree. I am well aware of my privileges on 100k without even as much as line management responsibility. I just really didn't expect it to feel so dull. But looking at my daily life I am extremely lucky with the security I have and do not want to lose it. I know i would still be chasing that comfortable salary if i didnt already have it. It may be possible to find more meaning outside of work. It is just a job in the end.

But if your job is truly soul-destroying and every day you wake up with a sense of absolute despair having to go into the office and face another day of it (like I felt before I left my job) the tradeoff of a decent salary comes at a price of your mental health and general well-being. We spend most our lives at work. It's not worth it when you hate every day of it.

I feel this too. So hard to battle the guilt at knowing you have an ideal balance that many working mums would love, but at the same time finding your job soul-destroyingly dull. I haven't found the answer yet - just wanted to let you know you're not alone!

So I’m an ex teacher in half a teachers salary now working full time with children with additional needs. I needed out of teaching and I love what I do but I do wish it paid more. I’m a single parent and get a small amount of UC. But I’m stuck in a house that was meant to be a stepping stone before my ex and I separated and it’s not the forever home but has not become that.

I genuinely would like a mind numbing job that paid your salary so I could get moved and not worry about money. I also have a disabled child and am classed as carer but can’t afford not to work.

I guess your job must be important to someone somewhere as no one would be paying you that much money if it wasn’t.

one suggestion is volunteering. I also volunteer with one well recognised youth organisation but am at the stage where I’m now running it with another person and it’s become a lot of work and we deal with things we aren’t trained or paid to deal with (I’m trained from my job but wouldn’t really be able to out in into practise in my volunteer role). I used to volunteer for a couple of other things too but cut back when I went from part time teacher to full time new job.

i do struggle with people who complain they get paid a lot for not much and aren’t happy. Maybe if I was in your shoes I might understand more. But then again, I took the pay cut to do something I enjoy despite struggling money wise. I tried applying for better paid jobs but ex teachers find it hard to get into other places.

You sound massively overpaid. I didn't know such jobs existed. Poor you.

Oh god, the same. I dreamt of becoming a psychologist, but studied 'business' instead as I wanted out of poverty. I thanked myself for the past 20 years that I did that, as I would not be so well off being a psychologist. But now I am comfortable and think of going back to what was a bit of an interest when I was a teenager. Mostly because I have put myself through years of therapy to deal with my childhood and I see how it transforms lives. I am now looking into ways to rack in the money in my current job and maybe 'retire' a bit early and live off being a coach of some sort. I have a good salary, shares and investments I need to grow for another 10 years or so. But I need training and I am not miserable enough to do this in the evenings and weekends. As an overhang of my childhood, I am also kind of tight with money and haven't been able to justify to myself to spend 3k or so on some sort of basic training I have no idea I will ever apply in real life.

I don't earn anywhere near as much as you OP, but I kind of get what you mean. My job can be really boring, but I keep going as it is flexible and I can do the school runs, go to sports day etc. without taking annual leave. Money is OK and I get to work from home so no costs for work clothes or fuel, so I am grateful for that but get so bored at times.

Yes and the rest of the civil service would probably agree.

You mean prison officers, driving instructors, job centre work coaches? Not sure any would agree they are overpaid or have an easy job.

troll post

Exactly. Most people don't have a clue about the variety of jobs done by civil servants. Or that 80% are outside London and many are neither office based or work office hours.

hi @Probablygreen i haven’t read all
the pages of replies so sorry if I’m repeating other comments.

I feel the same. I earn good money but my role and my whole teams existence is pointless. We are there to “give guidance” to teams that don’t want our help. I have good experience and am smart and if people wanted me to contribute I could. But the organisation structure makes it impossible to do anything useful. I am constantly trying to come up with proactive ideas to stay relevant.

I know my role will be replaced by AI in the next few years. Most corporate jobs that write “strategy” aren’t really needed. I’m grateful for the money I earn now. But my gosh it’s dull. I can’t imagine doing this for another 20 years. But I think the world is changing faster than we know and who knows what will come.

I try every week to learn something new - either work related or external. And I try to be kind and nice to all my colleagues so at least I contribute a good human interaction. The work itself - I figure if the company don’t want me to input or add value it’s not my fault?

Brilliant and so true

Blimey - which profession??