:( at the thought of working for decades

[Cactuses3580]

The thought of working every day for the rest of my life makes me feel depressed and trapped. I have a property so it's hard to take a lower paid job. Anyone else feel like this where they don't enjoy work

No, I take a lot of pleasure from my career. It’s challenging, rewarding, and I have a lot of friends in the business.

I feel like this. I decided to go to uni for a break from work and am nearing the end and absolutely dreading it again. The commitment and monotony really makes me feel panicky - even when I’ve enjoyed my job!

Most of us have to face that fact. So the key is to try and find a job you like I guess?

I used to feel like this until I got a job I love! You obviously hate where you work? Can you move somewhere else

Start looking for a different job if you feel like that about work. I don’t adore my job but I would hate not to work. I did recently start to feel like I needed a new challenge and I’ve recently secured a new job (a promotion too so win win). There’s nothing worse than being in a job you hate or bores you to tears

I felt like this. I became a SAHM two years ago and I've never been happier, I'm like a different person. I will have to go back to work in a couple of years and I feel a bit sick when I think about it!

You’ve got to get a new job @Cactuses3580

I am working in a good job which I like but I can relate! I’m disabled and knackered and would quite frankly much rather be pottering at home than perusing a career. I know I’m lucky as I’ve worked in some truly shitty environments with terrible hours/bullying etc, and now work for a good employer but I still hate having to work with - a petulant childlike passion!!

I think sometimes we don't know how good we've got it till we loose it. I know I didn't.
I lost my job 7 years ago due to ill health and was forced to retire. I was in my 30s and was told I'd never work again and life on disability benefits is so much worse (worrying about each renewal and if I'll loose money, unable to work extra hours in order to bring in more money with the cost of living, not being able to do things for my dc). I so wish I could go back to my stressful job.
I think in your shoes I'd count my blessings I could work and then look at how I could change to a job that gave me satisfaction /enjoyment. That might be moving companies, further education or even changing direction. It's a long time to work so we should try and be happy. However I'd rather spend 40/50 years of more work than 40/50 years on benefits. So turn it round to a positive for now and look to make it even more positive in the future (even if that means a few years of hard work now it'll be worth it down the line).

Yes the thought of working for decades with not even the guarantee of a decent retirement is depressing. I wanted to retire since I was 25 and I'm only early 30s now.
Unfortunately this is the reality for the working class.
All my family died by the time they were 70 so I'm making sure I enjoy life now.
I have no interest in getting tied down with a mortgage.
The only options I can think of is get a decent paid job and go part time. Reduce your outgoings and don't be a consumer so your money can go on experiences rather than useless throwaway plastic tat.
Find a job you can enjoy (or tolerate) but be wary of turning a hobby into a job... You may end up hating your hobby then!

Remember work to live not the other way round! I only do my contracted hours. Doing more work results in more work thrown your way not a promotion in my experience.

Good luck!

No, but have felt this way in the past. I never want to stop working. I think not working often sends people crazy!

No its just life isn't it. I work so I can live and have a good life. It is what it is, sacrifices are made to have nice things and go nice places.

I work with some lovely people although the job can be stressful and it's not great pay;
I remember starting work when I was 18 and at that employer you could have your pension at 55.
Now it's 67/68 for most of us

It gets me down that people including myself probably won't have much of a retirement; they say "people live longer" but most of my relatives have died in their 70's or at best one aunt died at 81 - none of my family are living to 100 - I wouldn't want that but it would be nice to retire at 60 and have "a retirement" as such

Yes, I hate it, and I can't ever "get a job I like" because the aspect I hate is the being trapped sitting still staring at a computer screen all day. I didn't realise until it was too late that both my mental health and mental sharpness are so much better when I'm physically mobile (so no, a standing desk won't quite cut it) but I have no qualifications and minimal experience in anything other than office jobs....so here I am stuck chaired to a chair all day, staring at a screen, with far too high a workload to even keep taking walks, can't even ever take real leave because it's all there waiting for me when I come back so to meet expectations have to pay back all my time off in unpaid overtime! And all they ever want is more, more, more. And at the end of the day I'm a shell with no energy left.

Would it help to start something like FIRE (financial independence retire early)? There's a thread on it here and a lot of info online. It can help you set goals and have purpose for working. For me I'll not achieve the end goals but I am saving up and feel less stuck in my job with a back up fund that could cover a few months searching for a new one if needed. It also helped me re-evaluate my life in terms of how I could work towards it and what was important to me. Do you have any hobbies you could focus on more, so that work isn't everything? Could you get a higher paying job/promotion and then work part-time? Also definitely find a new job with lots of development opportunities, that really helped me. I prefer the live frugally and work part time option myself but there's lots of options and ideas online on how to escape from working non-stop. Some people work to build up funds for a few months travelling every year or so. I worked with a colleague who spent 3 months every other year volunteering abroad and had an agreement at work to use a mix of annual leave and unpaid leave for it.

If I were you @SisterCellophane , I would start a thread of your own, and ask Mnetters of what you can do.
I would have thought, even without qualifiactions, that if you wanted to do things manual, that there were jobs available?
Perhaps I am wrong. But worth starting a thread?

There are loads of jobs that don’t require you to sit in front of a computer all day! Make a thread on here asking for ideas or start doing research yourself. You might not fall into it immediately but by this time next year you can either still be sat in front of the computer or doing something physical and better suited to you.