to ask are there any jobs out there that people enjoy doing

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Hi- have been a social worker for the elderly for 20 plus years.I really believe in my job and to my utmost for every person i meet and treat them with respect and as if they were my own relative as i feel that everyone is somone s father ,mother ,etc.

Having faced a berevement and now a grave family illness were a vclose family member is v ill , and continue to do so ,it has raised questions for me .I realise i am traumatised by several dashes to the hospital having been told my relative may not live.However it has raised the following sort of questions.

Im not sure that i want to stay in a job which demands so much and one which i cannot do without giving a lot of myself .I will not do it unless i do it to my utmost ability to get the best outcome for each person i wd not be able to live withmyself.I love so much of my job and am very motivated .- however im not sure if the emotional price is getting or has got too high and i want to look at options.

I realise it is not a time to make a decision in the middle of this trauma.However, am currently sighned off work as my df is on life support and may be for some time and i have to go back at some time.i dont feel i can as it would be too close to the bone and i know that i would not function.I can only stay off so long .So ,i have decided to think anout other jobs.

Does anyone have experince of job change to a totally different role?.Especially from a job like mine to something different. does anyone enyoy their job and if so what do you do.

Im not good at repetition - worked v brief in insurance office i could nt do it and find sw easier i .am creative thinker ,i like to think about problems and how to apply what i have to get best possible solution.love the outdoors ,plants ,horses,being by myself,large organizations.Am also intrested in things that mark life- i used to do humanistic services and wonder if i should look into being a registrar.Poor at computors and typing - as evidenced bu my post !! but love to write ,think and like to balance risks and benefits and legal frameworks.

Any experinces of similar situations,jobs changes ,enjoyment of jobs would be really helpful - having done the same job for 2 0 years means that i have a lot of thinking to do..thankyou.

Books, you sound lovely. And so very good at your job.

Whilst age should not define us , it will have an impact on such matters such as re-training/career breaks. I'm guessing you might be mid forties (like me).

First thing to say is that I do not believe that you should make a hasty decision to give up a career that you so obviously excel at. It may be that time will show you that you are able to resume your present role.

The other thing we do not know about you is the extent to which you need to earn your living. Would it be possible for you to take an unpaid extended break from your job to take stock and then see if you can go back?

The idea of humanist services is nice. My guess though is that this is unlikely to pay as much as your present occupation and would be self employed. I'm self employed and love the flexibility but there is little security and it is not for everyone.

Do you have skills or experience (waitressing/cooking/admin) that you could use to supplement your income while either retraining/ doing some other self employed work?

My present thoughts are that you might do better if you were to seek a change of roles within social services. Would working with children or young people or disabled people provide a change of emphasis that would make things easier for you? Or the probation service? Though I recognise that the public sector is not falling over itself to recruit right now.

As you have been in your present role for some time I assume you have a decent pension pot and are fairly senior. It's likely that your overall package as it were will suffer unless you can negotiate a change of roles with the same employer.

If you can afford a time not earning then doing some voluntary work at an organisation that you would like to work for might be an option. I have 2 friends who got good - though part-time - jobs this way. One for a housing association and one for the CAB.

I'm interested in your story and would love to hear what you decide.

Apparently, you can now get adult apprenticeships. Im toying with the idea. Maybe worth looking into?

Lady - many thanks for your lovely post.Will keep you posted.Sadly whilst dad in Icu - which he still is - my grandma had a TIA and died thi s saturday so thought s and plans are on hold...