Need help with career choice

[danijelg]

Hi all...

I would like to share my trouble and confusion with the community hoping that someone could give me a clue on how to decide on my future career path.

Here are the facts:

I have studied computer science in high school and at college. I have found a good job working as a web developer (programmer). The pay is good, I have been able to take a loan, buy an apartment and leave my parent's home.

Everything was fine and dandy until about a year ago when I have suddenly realized that I am living a BIG lie. I hate my job, I don't like programming. I actually love music and arts. I always have. I love playing the guitar in my band. I love to draw, illustrate and create graphics. Yet for some strange reason these activities were always considered a hobby. Actually it's not so strange - I have never been able to generate enough income from these activities.

The worst part is that I get so frustrated with my current situation that I have lost interest in the things I used to love. I feel powerless. I am well aware of the fact that I should take Steve's advice, get up from this chair, go to my boss and say the two magic words. But the truth is that now I have a loan to pay and I can't simply quit my job, as much as I want to.

Over the past few months I have done a lot of reading and self-evaluating. I am enjoying Steve's career series on the blog. I really feel as if I am growing stronger from this experience. But at the same time I feel I am doing something wrong, or I am not doing enough to change my situation.

I would really appreciate any advice and ideas.

[Morten P]

Hi Danijel,

If you really hate your job and don't like programming you should definitely change career path at some point. Just quitting your job doesn't sound like the perfect idea, although leaving your apartment and moving back to your parents won't be the end of the World - right?
If you love music and arts I think you should make that your living - one way or the other. You say that you have not been able to make much money on that - well, maybe you have not tried hard enough? How about starting out as a freelance graphics designer? Start advertising on the internet or your local town and build yourself a reputation and a customer base. I know that after a loooong day of programming you might not have much energy, but I think it is a way to start without risking everything. If - when - it picks up you could take the dive and escape the cubicle altogether and start your own business.
I have not done so myself, but my girlfriend has and she is now self employed with her own graphics design business. You might want to read Pamela Slims blog: "Escape from cubicle Nation" - she is truly inspiring I think.

Good luck,
Morten

[rene_stpierre]

I think you should definitely go for your passion.

Try to find people that have succeeded doing what you love and use them as models (you could even approach one to be your mentor). Read everything about them, apply the methods and strategies they have used to succeed.

If they made it, there is no reason why you can't, if you are really passionate about what you do.

Good Luck!
René

[Blue Wolf]

Originally Posted by danijelg

Hi all...

I would like to share my trouble and confusion with the community hoping that someone could give me a clue on how to decide on my future career path.

The pay is good, I have been able to take a loan, buy an apartment and leave my parent's home.

The worst part is that I get so frustrated with my current situation that I have lost interest in the things I used to love. I feel powerless. I am well aware of the fact that I should take Steve's advice, get up from this chair, go to my boss and say the two magic words. But the truth is that now I have a loan to pay and I can't simply quit my job, as much as I want to.
.

I understand your current situation. Like most people, I'm in a similar situation (economical obligations and need to job for life necessities). In addition, I've also been in that same spot before: becoming so frustrated with work that it begins to disrupt other areas of life that you enjoy.

Although none of us can really give you an answer to your question, since only you will be able to come up with a solution that you will be happy with, I thought I'd throw out some ideas.

First, are you trying to identify a new career (or do you want to follow one of the hobbies you have listed)? If you are looking to explore (and once you identify the possible career, change fields), I'd honestly suggest having informational interviews with people. Brainstorm jobs that you can envision yourself doing, perhaps building on your current skill set (only if you want to build on that). Talk to people that do it now - what is their daily life like? Pros? Cons? How did they get the job? If you find a field that piques your interest, then take the steps to get that next job. By taking this approach, some people may suggest related fields that you never even considered before.

If you are completely open to brain storming and thinking about any possibility that combines with your hobbies -- I think there a ton of possibilities. I've heard of a musician that makes a couple thousand a week by writing songs, writing a daily blog about it, and then putting his new songs onto his website. I think the bloggers goal was 1 song a day. Everything is free, but is sounds like a lot of fun (developing that skill set even more). Alternatively, have you ever tried to sell a drawing or other project that you create? Offering to sell it will cost you nothing, it will just verify (or not verify) whether you could enter that field and make money at it. Even that is not the end because if it didn't sell, you could try a different set of drawings and then try to sell to a different audience, etc.

Taking steps - if you find a project that you want to try (or change careers), would a few hours a week too much? If it is the motivation, is there someone you can team up with (e.g., for the music blog, another musician; or to sell art work, another artist). The person can either work with you to create something or just work on their own project at the same time. Anyway, I'm using that strategy for writing, and if I know I am going to meet my friend at X time to write, I find time to do so. A couple hours a week towards a hobby you enjoy isn't too much.

Finally, I don't know if the link below will help or not, but I liked the perspective stated in this blog. The author of this blog doesn't just say 'Quit!" or "Hey! Aren't you miserable!", the author acknowledges the discontent from a job that one does not enjoy but also gives concrete steps that a person can take to change and transition into another job (or whatever else you envision). Also, after I read the first article on that blog, I realized that there are a lot of things I can learn and enjoy in my current job (just observing the negative things in life won't help).

Good luck.

http://www.inspiredmoneymaker.com/in..._for_a_living/

Since I may be a moron when it comes to putting up links, if the above link doesn't work, just google inspired money maker. It still leads you to that post.

[danijelg]

First of all thanks to everyone for their quick replies. I really appreciate your help and I have found some encouraging ideas and thoughts in your posts. I have added some comments bellow.

Morten P: I know that after a loooong day of programming you might not have much energy, but I think it is a way to start without risking everything. If - when - it picks up you could take the dive and escape the cubicle altogether and start your own business.

This is exactly the line of thought that I am having lately. However, the situation is not quite so simple. After a long day at work, I have a lot of other activities which I find important and hard to give up in order to free up more time and energy for working on graphic design. There is playing music with my band, aikido training, spending time with my girlfriend, spending time with family and friends, setting-up and decorating the new apartment, finishing college. I find myself in a certain paradox - sometimes I feel that I am being lazy, but when I analyze my day I realize that it's quite the opposite - there is not a minute wasted and I feel exhausted and having less time for myself than ever! Sometimes I feel like I am trying to live more than one life at a time

rene_stpierre: Try to find people that have succeeded doing what you love and use them as models (you could even approach one to be your mentor). Read everything about them, apply the methods and strategies they have used to succeed. If they made it, there is no reason why you can't, if you are really passionate about what you do.

Blue Wolf: If it is the motivation, is there someone you can team up with (e.g., for the music blog, another musician; or to sell art work, another artist). The person can either work with you to create something or just work on their own project at the same time. Anyway, I'm using that strategy for writing, and if I know I am going to meet my friend at X time to write, I find time to do so. A couple hours a week towards a hobby you enjoy isn't too much.

These are very good ideas. I have realized lately that I should focus some of my time and energy on meeting new people as well as work on existing social connections. The thing is that I live in a small town, have a small circle of friends and I have only one friend who studies graphic design and she is still in school. I guess I have never approached her with a suggestion to try and work on something together. I feel that we could learn from each other, as I have some working experience and she has formal education.

Blue Wolf: Finally, I don't know if the link below will help or not, but I liked the perspective stated in this blog. The author of this blog doesn't just say 'Quit!" or "Hey! Aren't you miserable!", the author acknowledges the discontent from a job that one does not enjoy but also gives concrete steps that a person can take to change and transition into another job (or whatever else you envision). Also, after I read the first article on that blog, I realized that there are a lot of things I can learn and enjoy in my current job (just observing the negative things in life won't help).

This is just the thing I need, because I was driving myself (and everyone around me) crazy with reading about how I should simply quit my job if I don't like it, yet I felt that doing so without any clue about what I really want wouldn't be wise at all.

[mustard76]

I was in your situation and this book helped me a lot:

Amazon.com: Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live: Books: Martha Beck

[danijelg]

Originally Posted by mustard76

I was in your situation and this book helped me a lot:

Amazon.com: Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live: Books: Martha Beck

Thank you. It is really comforting to know that I am not the only one with this kind of trouble, and that there is a way out.

[mustard76]

You are _not_ alone. I work as a prgrammer too. It took me a year after my crisis to figure out what I wanted to do.

If I were you I would pursue graphic design first because it would be the easiest way to get some money coming in. Also, when you leave your job you could do web development contracts part-time. That way you would have more time and still have money coming in while you make your transition.

You may want to sell your condo if it would lower your expenses enough to make a difference. Could you tolerate living with your parents until you finish school or find a more fulfilling job?

[Blue Wolf]

Originally Posted by danijelg

This is exactly the line of thought that I am having lately. However, the situation is not quite so simple. After a long day at work, I have a lot of other activities which I find important and hard to give up in order to free up more time and energy for working on graphic design. There is playing music with my band, aikido training, spending time with my girlfriend, spending time with family and friends, setting-up and decorating the new apartment, finishing college. I find myself in a certain paradox - sometimes I feel that I am being lazy, but when I analyze my day I realize that it's quite the opposite - there is not a minute wasted and I feel exhausted and having less time for myself than ever! Sometimes I feel like I am trying to live more than one life at a time
.

Greetings again,

I understand your perspective regarding time. I am in the same boat (trying to make time for projects that I want to do and that may equal a job or development of a new skill in the future). In the same way, I definitely set aside entire days to do things I enjoy (biking, staring at the wall, etc.). I would never advocate someone give those things up.

It also sounds like you lead a very busy life.

I still think are ways you can come up with a few hours, whether it be per week or per month.

First, are you sure you are using that time towards things that you want to do. e.g, here it the states there was a study of very 'busy' employees/people. They claimed to have no free time during the week and recorded their activities over the course of the week. Researchers found that most of these people spent a lot of time watching tv. I'm not casting stones at television, I'm just mentioning something like this because there may be...an hour here, an hour there.

Another idea (back to the old - project buddy or buddies). If you work with a current friend or friends, your not really taking time away from anything. You have a day or two of the week set aside to A) work on your project and B) visit with your friend. It doesn't have to be the exact same project, brain storming perhaps, but you are still working towards it.

I think the idea of asking your friend working on the degree is interesting, because you both may have very different perspectives. It would also not be overwhelming if you guys land project. If your friend is not interesting, perhaps he or she can introduce you to other students who would like to try a similar project.

Another idea - why not break this down into smaller steps? Rather than state, "I want to have a graphic arts business right now" - why not, either alone or with a friend, work towards different projects along the way. For example, you both work on a web page and plan to have the page up by date X (give yourself enough time to do the things you enjoy plus that project). Then you work on making beautiful flyers, etc. Don't force yourself to have everything fully completed, or you will be overwhelmed instantly.

Also, if graphic arts is the direction you want to go (or music business, or another area) -- is there a reason you can't move into a semi-related job? One that leverages your current skill set plus the new one? Then you can use the new job as a semi-training ground. You may just be bored with your current job.

Finally, I don't know if this is valid idea or not, but is there some way you can use down time at work to think about projects? Work on it at lunch, while commuting to and from work, etc.

You may also just be craving to balance your life with creativity. I don't know if this would work for you, but have you ever started the day thinking about the problem (new song and lyrics), put it aside, and once every hour or so revisit your problem (while working?). For myself, I've managed to come up with things that are far more creative this way. You are 'working' but you are still being - true to yourself. Anyway, this has worked for me, no idea if it would work with others. Maybe it works because I'm letting the idea incubate while working on something else.

Anyway, best of luck, and if you come up with any ideas, please share them. I think many of us are in the same boat. Other ideas or another perspective may help.

[rebelwithacause]

Hi Danijel,

Boy can I relate to that one!

I was born at the piano, was winning photography awards when I was 10 years old, in a band all through high school...

And then I majored in finance in college and ended up being a stock trader and then in real estate.

Just around 1994, I read my first self help book, and it has been an avalanche since that time...

I've read over 600 books, been to ever self help seminar on the planet, done all the workshops etc...

And at the end of the day, when all the "stuff" clears out, you find out that you haven't been true to yourself, and that you bought into the "make a living" instead of creating a life...

I know, because I kept chasing money...and when I got it, and it came pretty quick...that's when my soul said, hey buddy, whatever happened to all the music, and photography, and story telling etc...

And after years and years, of "talking" about it, all the books and wisdom kicked in...

Just do something about it...

So I started taking Improv classes, stand up comedy, filmmaking, writing music again etc...

And the first most important thing that I picked up first and foremost...is do what brings you joy...

Even if it's not making money yet...because in my opinion, there is always ways to make money at what you love...especially with the internet...

If you have a home biz that is making a ton of cash, like I do, then part of the marketing that you can do with that is to do what you love...

Make youtube videos with your music, express yourself, be real...and people will flock to you like crazy...

Because we all want to be around people that are real...

You can also go full boat into what you love and go for it with all your gusto...

But as a back up like Steve said on podcast 20 I believe it was...set yourself up a home biz/system...and take care of your cash...then you can do all the projects that you want regardless if they make money...

that my friend is huge...

Because I want to be doing all kinds of things in entertainment and spiritual/personal growth combined...

so I have a vision and am working on my first book, film, and TV show...hey, I live in Los Angeles what do you expect?

But in the meantime, I have a system that makes me a ton of cash for very little time...that way, I can do what I love, and take care of biz...

and the ultimate is to do what you love full time...

It's all good, and you are definitely not alone...

It's very common in our society for people to be brainwashed to just make money and not listen
to their hearts...

My wish for everyone is to always follow your heart and passions first and foremost...and the money will come...because you are coming from a place of joy...

all the best,

[schola]

Do you know what you like and just need some guidance, or do you have know idea where to start? I took a career exploration class at the local community college that helped me immensely. There are so many synchronicities that resulted from me taking that class. I'm now a psych major, and part of what got me so interested in psychology was my research of the various personality tests they used in this class!

I'm a junior and I've just changed my major for the 3rd time, but I know I've finally found something I'll love.

So, I suggest that, or at least looking online at the various free resources online. Most of what we used is freely available online. Google OOH. That contains a detailed database of almost every job in the US. Myers-Brigg and Holland test are two useful personality tests for determining careers.

[danijelg]

I would like to thank everyone for their encouragement and ideas. It's been over a month since my last post and I must admit I have nothing exciting to report about my case. Except maybe for the fact that I am now much more aware of the problem I have with decision making and other personal issues and for these I will seek advice in other sections of the forum

At work I have been able to calm myself and be more productive on my current job (which I don't like) and this brought me back some sense of dignity and self-respect. I have realized that I hated the fact that I am turning into a very bad employee and fellow employer even more than I hated the job.

My decision is to keep my current job because of the financial gain, but slowly work my way out of this career. I have started doing some freelance design work in my spare time. I have really enjoyed the process of creating a logo for a client recently and I was like: "oh, I still have it in me - it's just like riding a bicycle!"

So fingers crossed and hope for the best I guess