career change

Can't give you any advice on "what" to do: however, a great book on career fulfillment and change is, "40 Days to the Work You Love" by Dan Miller.

Hang in there; I'm sure BT will have some good advice for you.

I think it's 48 days. :-)

I'm looking into this myself after getting re-organized out of a job 2 days ago.
Been with one of the top PC makers for 9 years, and didn't really like it the last 2 years.

Obviously, if you're unhappy, you're unhappy and that is a perfectly valid feeling.

Perhaps make a list of things, specific things, that make you unhappy at work.
-Is it the tasks/ projects you're assigned? Are they too easy? Too hard? Are you not being given the appropriate resources to succeed?
- Is it teamwork problems? If so, how can they be addressed? Ask to be reassigned to a different unit? Ask for mediation with a coworker?
- Is it an environment issue? This was one of the reasons I was desperate to leave my last employer...my work environment was terrible, like the physical space was awful. Damp, cold, no sunlight, no interaction, disconnected from my boss/other workers etc. It made it actually difficult to enjoy the work I was doing.

Once you've pinpointed what it is that is making you unhappy, perhaps have a chat with your supervisor. Don't frame it in "Hey I'm jumping ship, this is why" perhaps frame it as, "I have some concerns about some things in our office. Can we talk privately?" See if they agree, and if so, how can it be improved?

But if at the end of all of that, you still feel like crashing your car into a median just to avoid going to work (been there), it is time to get out. But you've gotta exit classy. Give sufficient notice, finish any projects you've got (or leave excruciatingly detail instructions on how to do it), and leave graciously.

What would your back up plan be? What are your qualifications (degrees, certs etc?). Would you need to go back to school? Is that something you can do/start now while you're still employed?

Think about what would make you happy *most* days. I love my job with a passion and still, if I'm given the opportunity to stay home and cuddle a dog, I'll choose the dog. But most days, I go in and I'm challenged and sought after and given things to do.

Edited by phoenixazul 2011-01-30 9:37 AM

I'm in a similar situation.  I've been in IT for a while now and just not digging it anymore; in particular my company. My first step when I started feeling this way was to get my MBA.  I've also been working on getting ITIL certs.  Using company money to give myself more options. Now that I've done that, I'm no closer to knowing what to do.  Now I'm thinking about looking into the fitness industry.

So basically, if your company will pay for it increase your education in one way or another.  Look at an industry that you're interested in and start preparing yourself to be attractive to firms in that industry.

Good luck.

dont be lawyer.

Give scientific research a miss too.

Making the change now from civil engineer to Massage Therapist/Personal Trainer. Already started massage therapy school. My change was easy I knew what I loved to do and it wasn't engineering.

I'm in the process of changing fields, too. I spent 10 years as a medic and was just burnt out, so I quit working the ambulance and went back to school. Fortunately, my wife is supportive and makes enough to support the family until I finish school and get back to work - hopefully this May.

to each his own - I love my job !

Recording engineer?

You need to sit down and evaluate what it is that you don't like about your current career, and what you do like about it. Then you need to identify general fields that would allow you to maximize your time spent doing the things you enjoy.

Are you kidding? There's nothing better (at least for me).

Pro triathlete?

I'm guessing you have some decent grants and probably tenure or at least a tenure track position then....

Don't get me wrong, I love the job, but I am nearly at the end of my tether with finding funding.

I retired from the Navy worked in electronics for a bit and hated it. Now I teach Government and Economics and love it.  Find what you enjoy doing and pass it on to the next generation.

Ha, Ha. Not that! That's what I was until I got laid off last wednesday. 

^^^^ THIS ^^^^^

I just recently did this myself - or I should say, I've been doing this analysis for the past few years, actually.  I started a career in retail management with a sociology degree directly out of college the first time.  7years later, I quit, started bartending, and went back to school.  7 years after that, I had a second bachelors and a masters in electrical engineering.  I've been working as a systems engineer and then a product engineer for the past 8 years and I'm now looking at changing careers once again.  I've been putting out requests for volunteer positions and researching schools as my plan is to go back for veterinary medicine.  I won't need much back class work since most of my EE classes will cover undergrad requirements - but I will need to get some experience (hence the volunteering).  I also need to stash away as much cash as possible in the next two years because once I start school, I'll have to quit my full time job and we'll live on one salary.

It'll be a long haul...but I'll know for certain by the time I appy if it's the right path for me.  If not, I'll look into some other ideas that I have.  Either way, I need to be damn sure this is the way I want to go because financially, it will be painful.