Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Work

Chat with other users about all things related to working life on our Work forum.

Flip

Original poster

If you like your job, what do you do?

25 replies

BippityBoppityBoopBoopBoop · 26/06/2023 10:48

I work for the civil service and transferred from one department to another recently. The job sounded great and I was excited to start. I'm 3 months in now and I hate it. I spend my weekends dreading going back Monday and my days anxiously counting down the hours until I finish.

Life is too short to hate what you do so I need something new. What do you do?

I've stayed with the civil service so far for flexibility around my children and school runs, but that flexibility seems to be dwindling with the pressure to return to the office more and more.

I would LOVE to buy a piece of land and open a campsite, but my husband isn't keen on giving up all of his evenings and weekends as his job is already very full on and in all honesty, I'd be clueless!

So tell me wise MN'ers, what can I do with no formal qualifications and experience in the resourcing area? Particularly recruitment.

OP posts:

DustyLee123 · 26/06/2023 10:51

Why don’t you retrain ?
Ive always been a nurse and I love it, wouldn’t do anything else.

chocolateisavegetable · 26/06/2023 10:54

Not resourcing related, but I have an incredibly flexible job and WFH 99% of the time. Admin job for the local county council. As long as the work gets done and I do my hours overall (it’s no issue at all if I want to do less one week and more another week), then no one minds how I do my hours. There is absolutely no dread on a Sunday and I don’t feel desperate for weekends to arrive. Good luck!

Original poster

BippityBoppityBoopBoopBoop · 26/06/2023 13:19

I've thought of retraining but there's nothing that I really want to do.

@chocolateisavegetable that sounds amazing! How did you get into it?

OP posts:

chocolateisavegetable · 26/06/2023 13:20

I’m in the Children’s Services part of the council and had worked in education previously, so relevant experience.

Comety · 26/06/2023 13:25

I think the vast majority of jobs are good or bad mostly because of your colleagues and managers.

Most of us aren't working in any sort of vocation. The actual work in most of my jobs has been varying degrees of routine. The ones I've enjoyed have had supportive co workers the others not so much.

lalalandara · 26/06/2023 13:31

Not necessarily helpful to you OP as I did need training / qualifications - but I'm a landscape architect, so spend my days designing streets / parks / school playgrounds etc, and for what it's worth do really like my job.

What do you like doing? Are you particularly artistic or crafty, do you like dealing with people, do you like logic, etc? I think if you find something related to your interests or even just your traits as a person then that's half the battle.

Original poster

BippityBoppityBoopBoopBoop · 26/06/2023 13:48

I like problem solving and applying reasoning, which is what made my current job seem perfect but I just hate it. The people are nice enough but I just can't click with them and the job itself is so unorganised, I don't know my arse from my elbow most days 😔

OP posts:

UpToonGirl · 26/06/2023 14:57

@BippityBoppityBoopBoopBoop do you think you just need to give the job longer if you've only been there a few months? What don't you like about it...I have an ulterior motive for asking as I have an interview for a recruitment role within CS so trying to get more info! Do you deal with recruitment for a particular department?

What about HR? Links with your current role so you could ask about training/shadowing.

squirrelsareeverywhere · 26/06/2023 15:14

Weirdly enough OP I am in an almost identical situation to you! Except the campsite part as I don’t think I’d be very good at that.

Following for ideas!

Bromptotoo · 26/06/2023 15:19

Was in the Civil Service (MoJ and predecessors) from 1978 to 2013 during which I was promoted a bit and did multiple roles. Most were enjoyable but a couple had me close to tears and forcing myself to walk through the door on a Monday.

Both were essentially down to management and office culture.

I'm now a Welfare Rights Adviser and enjoy it (most of the time!). Problem solving and applying reasoning are certainly big parts of my work.

largeagegapWLW · 26/06/2023 15:36

I love my job. I prepare client's tax returns. There's a fair bit of data entry but I enjoy that. Then the more complex cases test the grey matter from time to time.

Original poster

BippityBoppityBoopBoopBoop · 27/06/2023 14:39

@UpToonGirl I left recruitment for my new post. I enjoyed recruitment but the culture in my particular office was quite toxic so I made the decision to move on. I'd happily work in another recruitment office though. Happy for you to message me if you want anymore info/tips x

OP posts:

StrangeLittleGirl · 27/06/2023 16:34

I've done all sorts of jobs, from customer service to retail, pensions to personnel. I currently work as a learning disabilities support worker and am really enjoying it. No shift is the same and it's so rewarding. Sometimes it doesn't even feel like work!

jfshu · 27/06/2023 20:22

Ah OP I sympathise I am too CS and 3 months into a new job I'm not keen on but it's a promotion so trying to stick it out. I have gone back to my previous organisation to see if there is room for me to go back on my new grade, but not simple to do in the public sector!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 27/06/2023 21:08

I left my school attendance/pastoral officer role in October and I now work for a children’s hospice charity. 4 days a week from home, 1 day in the office which is 20mins away. I do 9-5, they would consider flexible hours but I prefer the regular days tbh. I start 20 mins early and collect my son from school every day. My new role is data officer, it uses a lot of my skill set but I had no direct experience in this kind of role. I’ve learned a lot! My work/life balance is 100x better than it was this time last year.

sureigot20 · 27/06/2023 21:13

I'm a health visitor and quite like my job. I didn't last week due to a lot of safeguarding but on the whole I really enjoy it. I've been a HV for 8 years and a nurse since 2005.

I was an ITU nurse for a very long time, too. Loved that as well.

PilatesPeach · 27/06/2023 21:19

Lawyer for 15 years hated every day - retrained as a yoga and Pilates teacher as well as a fitness instructor and love love love every single day literally feel buzzing when I get in the car to go to work took me many years but honestly feel like I have found my groove

InTheGardenShed · 27/06/2023 21:20

I love my job in the Prison service but realise it's not for everyone

It's a cat B men's prison so not the easiest of inmates to deal with,but it's rewarding.

MotherOfRatios · 27/06/2023 21:21

Just entered the civil service and I work in policy previously public affairs in the charity sector

Diddykong · 27/06/2023 21:21

I find it always takes 4-6 months to get into a new job properly. I think more now roles are hybrid so it takes longer to know everyone and understand the organisation. I would give it more time!

TheGoddessFreyja · 27/06/2023 21:23

I work in the financial crime and anti money laundering department at a very well known bank. I love it! work from home too 😊

honeycookies · 27/06/2023 21:29

BippityBoppityBoopBoopBoop · 26/06/2023 13:48

I’m currently living out this post in my last week at the toxic workplace! I’m moving to a different type of role in CS next month and am sorry you feel like this about your new job. I think it might take some more time for you to settle in and build friendships?

for me, I intend to train myself at home in certain software to enter a digital role in the future so my new job isn’t a forever job. I just don’t have the headspace to train myself in my current job due to the horrible atmosphere and the lower pay.

purplecorkheart · 27/06/2023 21:35

I work in management in a Healthcare setting. I love it. Honestly on a Sunday night the only thing I am worrying about work is I should have made a packed lunch.

In my previous job I used to dread going to work, feel sick on a Sunday night and many times were physically sick facing work. I have taken a bit of a paycut but it is beyond worth it. It took me many years to walk away from my previous job as they had massively chipped away my confidence and I stayed away there way too long.

mauricemossmylove · 29/06/2023 15:29

I'm in a very similar position OP, in that I've been CS for far too many years and due to departmental changes etc I just hate my job now and am desperate to leave.
I have a similar skill set to you as well, I love problem solving and would ideally like to move into advocacy work but the perimenopause has robbed me of all my confidence and a recent job rejection just added to that.
I don't have the answer but I'm following with interest.

Yetisrus · 30/06/2023 21:11

A PA, I love it and am very fortunate I look after 3 of the nicest people. But I also work in an industry I'm passionate about, which really helps. I'm being pushed, and my boss wants me to succeed. I'm being picked for things which I could never have dreamt about before. It's like my potential has been seen and they want me to go somewhere.

I changed jobs and industry last year and absolutely hated my last job, I worked in education and never intended to stay but did for 16 years it took a breakdown(I was being bullied, discriminated against and undermined by my manager) for me to leave.

Flip