Quarterlife Crisis

Posted on | August 29, 2011 | 2 Comments

I suppose a certain level of ambivalence towards a day job is normal. Maybe this is just the time when my 20-something self realizes that the daily grind is no better than my food service shift work (I think I actually liked that better!). For some reason I thought I’d enjoy my life more once I started on the whole career path thing…but I don’t. In fact, I think I like it less.

Maybe it’s my ADD. ADDers are notorious for job-hopping and dissatisfaction with desk jobs! I do like working, though, and I’ve had several jobs I loved:

• Hallmark Sales Associate
• Data Entry
• Temp Office Worker

Not very encouraging. In short, I seem to enjoy changing shifts, low levels of responsibility, and pleasant, indoor environments. I think a big part of this is that I get overwhelmed with too many things going on–I do have unmedicated ADD, after all. But I’m overqualified to be a sales associate my whole life.

So now I’m at at a crossroads. I’m already planning on going back to school next fall, but that’s exactly a year away. I think the stress of the actual job and the financial stress of the low pay are starting to affect my health. I’m just starting to explore freelance and online work, but I know neither will be able to pay decently for at least a few months.

I’m seriously considering taking a receptionist/secretary job. They’re a dime a dozen around here, and the advertised starting pay (for the entry level ones) is $1-$4 more an hour than I make now. I just don’t know if it’s worth it.

I’m also thinking of going back to school a semester early at the local university before transferring to the state school I’ll be going to in the fall, just so I can get a head start on classes and get student loans! That’s awful. I want student loans so I don’t have to go to my dreadful job anymore.

I’ve tried so hard to tolerate my job. I’m just so fed up. I’m going to talk to my boss about my review (read : raise) this week, but at this point I don’t even know if higher pay is worth the stress.

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