Pointless office jobs

I did the opposite to you worked on a pointless office job then became a teacher. I would sometimes think oh to go back to my pointless job where I can drink tea and go for a wee! I did give up the school teaching job and now a very meaningful job but it doesn't pay 80k!

I see a few people have referred to bullshit jobs - I used to have one of these and was glad (if that’s the right word!) to find out that this is the official a name for them https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/may/25/bullshit-jobs-a-theory-by-david-graeber-review

I work in a similar ish role nowadays but very part time and for a much smaller and friendlier company. So it doesn’t feel as bullshitish.

Sending a much needed head wobble!
Find a hobby and invest in yourself and friendships.

I have a term time much sought after job and it’s not fulfilling but I do it well and get paid so I gave my head a wobble and am much happier.

The thing is, there are plenty of jobs that are meaningful and a lot less well paid than £80k per year...

Without knowing what your job is its hard to say whether you're doing its worthwhileness down or not.

@Probablygreen

Have you looked at the Excel spreadsheet olympics online?

It’s surprisingly incredible

Not saying this can make your job more worthwhile but you might be able to look at office computer packages in a different way.

You say no one would die if you didn’t do your job but is that true? Would your H and son be adequately housed with food and heat?

It’s just a job.

And a decently paid job at that.

Can you find a way to raise money or connect your company with a worthy local cause?

Many ways to spread tentacles to share the wealth. Gifts to kids in hospital over Christmas?
Raising money for a local defibrillator?

I think this all the time. We all faking it and deluding/ enabling each other to do fake work in fake industries. Pathetic really. Late stage capitalism. It’s playing out in a quicker cycle in AI now too. A human uses AI to create content then runs that content through an AI editor to make it sound more human. The human posts the content then another human uses AI to summarise and create a response. None of it is real!!!

I would love a job that paid £80k and also meant that no one would be harmed if I slipped up. In some ways you're very lucky.

Yeah a huge number of jobs add no value today.

A fellow in the civil service recently had 5 jobs.... no one noticed so clearly none needed doing as he wasn't doing them.

Not to worry, OP, AI will be taking your job soon and then you will have a real problem.

It is better to be in a dead end job earning 80k , than a dead end job earning 30k. That said give yourself a deadline - say 2 years - and save as much as you can to that point. Also put your partner on notice that you are looking to change your life. Apply for different jobs from today - something more rewarding may come along. In two years time use the savings to change your life. Whether it buys you time whilst you retrain or allows you to set up your lives differently. Maybe just pack up and move somewhere else. I would start to look at developing hobbies into side hustles as well. Use the next two years to upskill- can you get your employer to invest in some training for you?

This !! So true .

But I think we are though! The IQ bell curve says there are people whose IQ is below, average, above. Realistically to be doing an £80k job well, even knew which the OP identifies as pointless, means she has an above average IQ. Isn't it a waste of your talents, skills and potential to have lots of career options open to you and you make choices that don't lead to a fantastic fulfilled life? How many below and average IQ people would swap places in a heartbeat to have those options open to them.

Just because the OP doesn't know what a fantastic fulfilled life means for her doesn't mean she should stop looking for meaning.

@Probablygreen do you have an employee assistance programme that gives you access to counselling or similar? Get yourself talking to someone about how you feel and help guide what else you can do with your life.

Life is precious and way too short to waste 30+ years on a pointless job.

Maybe you need to change perspective. Don't look for meaning in the work itself. The meaning is in what it provides for your family.. And find every chance to try and enjoy what there is to enjoy - coffee with a colleague, charity efforts organised by works, meeting new people, conference here or there, helping other people. Be the person who starts a choir/theatre group/book club at lunchtime.

If you're feeling unfulfilled, can you find some volunteering outside of work in an area you'd like to be in, where you'll definitely be making a difference, but won't loose your salary or lifestyle?
Loads of organisations would love to have someone who felt passionate about helping kids and those with additional needs!
Some huge ones that are everywhere (Girlguiding, Scouting, school ptas, library programmes) plus loads of local smaller ones! Have a Google of what's in your area!

Let's say you're right.

You can either accept your fate and laugh at the machine and spend the moneynin a way that makes you happy, or you can rage and burn out.

As you've identified, the machine doesn't care either way.

So you don't have to care.

Just show up, do what needs doing and park it when you're logged off. Easy as pie.

Don't most people actually do things in their job?

My heart bleeds. Wanna swap with me and my pointless office job that pays less than 40k??

It's wonderful to have fantastic well paid, albeit pointless job, OP. I do agree with you about corporate office jobs being fairly pointless up to a point (!😬😳🤣), but believe me, even though I've been in fairly ok editorial publishing roles when younger- around £25k - they weren't brilliant but better paid than now.

After terrible health problems a decade ago including an awful head injury and post concussion syndrome before being injured permanently by an off label antipsychotic that gave me a movement disorder, I'm now in a part time job that pays less than £10k pa.(!!)

I'm very grateful to be employed, and i know it's freelance so it isn't great in terms of holidays, sick pay etc, but at least it's a job.

And yes, health truly is wealth to me. If you told me to choose between full life and rude health vs a better paid job, I'd always choose my health.

Can you do a similar role of sorts, or a sideways move/take on a more meaningful role in your industry?

How do I get a job like that please dm me. I’m bored in childcare

Bloody hell with AI taking everyone’s jobs be careful what you wish for

Yeah, this is basically what i did. I decided one day what I actually cared about and it was the people.

So now I make myself the team player. I volunteer for a shit job to save a colleague doing it, I speak to the angry stakeholder, I mentor, I organise extras.

Not for the business or culture, but because I like these people and I can. So I do.

probably because I’m public sector where we’ve either been cut to the bone or having to constantly defend our existence and jobs but I’m surprised to hear this, if you’re are genuinely dispensable to the business. Am surely all businesses want to cut costs?

I dont know what firld youre in @Probablygreen

My job can be 100% office, 100% site-based or anything in between. I love it. Even if I'm office bound, with my colleagues, we make a difference every day.

Environment, sustainability, health and well being, social value, community value all of these jobs give a sense of making a difference through work and are areas you could look at...

PS if you want to earn bigger ££££ health and safety is where it's at.

Sorry your job is pointless OP. I work in NHS admin and it is far from pointless, it is crucial work to support our medical teams. 99% of office work is not pointless but maybe if you got a job that pays minimum wage and actually means something you would be happier!!

What is it? I'll do it for 80k