For feeling miserable because I have the worst job out of everyone I know?

[scortja]

I am stuck in a dead end job while everyone else either earns A LOT more than me in a job I wouldn't really be that interested in (tax accountant, business research), or has a lovely fulfilling job (curator, script doctor, OT, animator), or a lowishly paid but interesting job (gardener, conservator).

I upload content. Why am I the failure? Why meeeee?

Take the challenge scortja, you can absolutely change your life whenever you want to. Realistically, there are plenty of jobs you could do which are fulfilling without having to train for years to do. It's not about having a 'status' job it's about being happy and if you're not happy then you can change it. It might be small changes at first but stick with it, in an ideal world we could all make massive changes but obviously things like money, time etc get in the way. Small changes and a lot of work are certainly possible.

You're not pathetic, at all. Good luck!

floozey you're young, you can retrain. Don't give up there's always hope if you want to do it. If you would like to retrain there's all sorts of financial help available for 'mature' students

Retrain. You never too young. I was in a dead end job being bullied. Rethought everything, did work experience in my own time, found what i wanted to do and took myself off to uni to retrain. I wasnt the oldest on course and i was in my 30s. It was hard as not studied for ages but i asked for help and support. The uni staff and other students were amazing. Now its the best thing i ever did. I have a job i love. Make 2014 your year to find out what you want to do. Its hard work but anything worthwhile is hard. Go for it... You young still. Xxx

I know how you feel.

I went to uni, but quit after 3 years due to bullying.

So now I have a huge debt, no degree and absolutely no self confidence, no real friends and am stuck living with my parents.

But, I am healthy and not being bullied. So look on the bright side.
My job isn't that bad, just low paid, and people sneer at it. I also like my colleagues and it can be fun.

All the people telling the OP to just retrain, with what money exactly?

I'm actually reading this thread and totally sympathising with scortja. I'll also be 40 by the time my DD is at school, and before having her I dithered around in lots of different jobs without ever finding a field I wanted to stay in. So I now have two degrees but no real experience and no confidence, and I don't have any particular enthusiasms beyond reading and pissing about online.

I know I should be finding things that interest me, blah blah blah, but to do anything seems like it would take so much time and money that at this stage really ought to be going towards college savings for DD.

Ohhhhhh that's very disheartening to say having children lowers happiness..... IMO it means your life is more stressful less & carefree, not that there is less happiness.

I started a cleaning business at the age of 40. I am nearly 2 years in and will have to take on an employee in the new year. There is a lot of money in cleaning if you pitch to the right market and almost zero start up costs. . Prior to that I was in sales for 10 years and was a miserable as sin.
good luck I hope the posts have given you food for thought!

Not good at this ....
Last post should be more stressful & less carefree.

Homeqrich .... You are inspirational ... I've often considered this.

Scortja - have you asked your boss about how you could get ahead in your current job? It is easy to think 'nah, no opportunities for me here'. But depending on what 'uploading content' actually entails and what sort of organisation you work for, you could for example develop that into some sort of communications and/or PR role, or something relating to the more technical side.

Scortja

I feel your pain, i was in a job I totally hated, unfortunately was there for 21 years'. left last year, currently at college studying Nursing, hoping next year to gain entry for degree programme in Nursing.

I have 5 children, and its tough, but I couldn't envisage another 10 years' in my job.

I am 42, and it was so daunting studying again after so many years', but it can be done!

Homeqcrich well done! Good to hear a success story. I always wonder how cleaning makes money though. Say you charge £10 per hour and do an average of 2 hours per client, that sounds ok if you work around eight hours per day. However, when you add travel time between clients that's 'dead' time, if you like, where you're not earning, so your actual paid work might be 6 hours making £60. Take off about a third for tax and NI, that's about £40 per day. Clearly you're making it work if you're going to take on staff though, so good for you.

I have a part time job i love as a nurse but i aslo love maternity nanny work n with my own child i do the latter as a night nanny n only as short term or ad hoc contracts which i would Di as a main job but minimal work in that in the area i live n currently traveling an hr at times but i love doing it n works for me.

Sometimes we have to make choices my day job is what i always wanted to do when i got into it 10yrs ago it meant leaving a v well paid full time with enhancements ward job to a part time lower grade community job but was so worth it as got into nannying to make up the hrs n money and have 2 fields of work i adore.i now have a fantastic reputation as a maternity night nanny n charge a good rate for this area but have worked for a pittance to get the experience in the early days.

Good luck

One of the best nurses I know didn't start her training until she was in her 40s. In turn, she encouraged me when in my mid 20s (I know, I know!) it felt I'd put too much effort into gaining my miserable career path to change. I've been a nurse for 7 years now, 4 years in a dream of a job, so I can't thank her enough. I've done a couple of locum shifts at my old job and I have to say life would have been a lot less fulfilling if I hadn't changed.

What I learned from this is that a space of time seems short when you're discussing it and an age when you're living it. Starting a bit later to a career means you might not have time to scale the dizzy heights but every day you're doing something that fulfills is a day that's worth it.

Try being a housewife!

No pay, taken for granted, and undervalued. In fact many would consider you unemployed but using the term housewife to hide it!

scortja 40?? Please! I am 40 & I changed career...or rather, I didn't go back to my old one when my youngest started school.

I worked in a job that I cannot go back to, for health reasons. I haven't found a paid job yet that fits in with the hours I need, so I volunteer.

Life is what you make it. If you sit around asking 'why me' eventually someone will say 'why not you' especially when you aren't going to make an effort to change it.

joysmum No-ones forcing you to be a housewife, don't be a martyr do something else that you'll love - life's too short

sugarmouse

There's lots of financial help available for mature students. Most people can do the access course for free, or a some other level 3 qualification. She would be entitled to student loans like the rest of us, or could get onto an NHS course.

DoYouLike As the OP already has a degree it's unlikely she'll get funding to do another, so it'd have to be fully self-funded.

whoah, I can relate to that last one. But real happiness is spontaneous - happens as a by-product. Being in a dead end job means you have no real colleagues. A lot of people do dead-end jobs but the comradarie stops them from noticing how dead-end things really are.

I'm 35 and in the process of re training, I want to be something to do with embryology.

I'm currently on year 2 of my biology degree, I have 4 years left then a year of NHS training so will be into my 40's when I've finished.

My mother and I went to university together - she was in her early forties. She went on to do a PhD and lecture all around the world.

My MIL finished her second (career-changing) degree in her mid-fifities and now has been working in her chosen field for more than 15 years.

There is no way on this earth that you are too old.