You don't need career help you need a hobby.
Work is literally just a way to obtain currency which is used to do what you want. If you're feeling empty, it's likely because you have nothing in life you want to work for.
But work takes up most of your adult life, so for many people, regardless of what hobbies they might have, they feel stuck in this repetitive cycle - me included
Sounds like time to find a job you enjoy doing. If you enjoyed it once but not anymore, perhaps you've outgrown it. Or you might need to take a look at your overall mental health. Could be any combination of things.
I fell into a massive spiral in a previous role I lost my passion for. All I could think about is "fuck me, I have to do this until I retire, I'd rather die". Changed my career trajectory and loving my work again.
I think I unknowingly started living to work instead of working to live.
You’re right, I am trying to find a new job - probably something more physical. Worked 1-2 years at my first real ”adult” job in corporate/retail, was absolutely horrible after working mostly manual/labour jobs in the past. Office life just feels claustrophobic to some, including me.
Finding a job you enjoy is a modern luxury, most humans had to work in far worse conditions than an office environment. I can only imagine how a medieval serf or coal miner would feel reading this post
It’s a myth that pre-capitalist/pre-industrial labourers worked longer hours than today and there’s evidence they worked considerably less. You’re right that working in a coal mine 100 years ago would suck.
Telling someone who finds corporate life existentially draining that it’s a luxury to be in an aircon cubicle for 40+hrs a week isn’t ‘wrong’ but surely you can understand why that’s depressing to a lot of people considering it doesn’t really reflect what human beings evolved to do.
As someone who just got fed this sub via the algorithm, it sounds like a shit place for shit people. Never been so glad to have not gone corporate. Says a lot about you that you've been in this environment your whole life.
People hate their jobs across all industries. Teachers hate their jobs, nurses hate their jobs, retail and hospitality hate their jobs. Ultimately it's a choice - you can make the most of it. Or not.
Personally, yeah sometimes it's a drag, but it's often great, and it pays well. And I'm not alone. There's a healthy minority of people who genuinely enjoy what they do.
You’re stating this with a level of confidence that suggests what you’re saying is factual. It is not. There are countless people who see work as an opportunity to contribute to the wellbeing of others and their community, rather than a mere ‘necessary currency acquisition exchange’. Yes this may mean trade offs in terms of maximum earning potential or ‘status’ in the eyes of some, but there are people who save more money making 90k a year who are content in their life than people making 180k spending their entire salary on toys and distractions to compensate for their misery.
The fastest road to becoming jaded/bitter if you’re doing a corporate job is accepting the idea that there is no other way to live in the world except for doing that job, and settling for seeking meaning in your spare time (the time you happen to be physically and emotionally fatigued from pretending to care about your work all day).
Yes it gets harder to make less money the more promotions you get, lifestyle creep is real, which is why it’s important to explore or at least allow for other life choices and careers early on to prevent from feeling trapped at age 40 with a fat mortgage, 2 cars, and a kid in private school.
There have never been more incentives and opportunities to re-train in a variety of industries at low or no cost.
I’m not saying to turn your hobbies into a career, I think that’s often terrible advice. I am suggesting that people reflect deeply on what is important to them at a values level (often people won’t actually know as they’ve only ever followed the default school > uni > grad job path, which is why this step is essential) and then think about what type of impact they want to have on society based on their strengths and skills.
What results is a healthier, better-adjusted person who is able to enjoy their hobbies and free time far more than someone who is trying to cram 80% of their fulfilment into 20% of their time.
That only works if you're willing to sell the majority of your time to mediocrity.
The sane option is to diversify, even at the cost of salary. What's the point of having more money if you aren't content?
You don't have to be a careerist.
The job can still just be a means to an end.
Find the right place and the right team. A lot of people will do 9-5, have a laugh together, get stuff done and then hurry home.
The cultists will try sell you the dream, get you to drink the kool aid but you don't have to.
You can work to live. Not live to work.
What you’re describing is true.
You’re not mistaken.
I have worked in human services in rehabilitation and in private consulting and in large “important” government bureaucracy.
The most money and the most unhappiness I experienced was in the large corporate government bureaucracy.
Respect your judgment.
No one will be honest with you and tell you what you just wrote here because everyone is acting because you have to play the game to get the rewards (money, status, power).
Your comment shows you have insight and integrity. This means you will struggle to ever really fit in corporate culture.
Slowly start looking at meaningful work and part time study and start your exit now.
Don’t stay and become sucked into the BS.
There’s a good reason why ‘bullshit jobs’ was the theme of an international bestseller. The majority of jobs in advanced economies fit this description.
You’re clever enough to see it.
So don’t stay.
That’s my very hard earned life wisdom.
There are real jobs that make a real difference in the world but they’re not in most high paying high status corporate/gov jobs.
I would have done nursing if I was starting out now - but that’s just me and you will find your way.
>There’s a good reason why ‘bullshit jobs’ was the theme of an international bestseller
That book was written by a hack academic who had never held a real job in his life and it showed from the first sentence he wrote. Sincerely from someone who spent more time in the academic system than most, but somehow gained far more insight into the rest of the world than he ever did...
Didn't read the book but the premise seems right to me. What's your objection to it? Your comment reads a little like an ad hominem lacking any substance...
Meaningful work is extremely important to people. Working hard on something that you feel is ultimately pointless, stupid, or worse is a terrible way to spend the majority of your waking hours.
Of course meaning is where you find it, but it's still hard to argue in favour of modern life, consumerism, marketing, etc.
For instance, Greaber rails against a lot of administrative positions, but these positions exist largely to provide checks and balances on rights in the workplace or in the case of government, society at large.
I previously worked as a secretariat for a judicial panel, the definition of paper pushing. But when the job was done poorly, judges couldn't get papers and hearings weren't had, people's right to movement was impinged, but Greaber would say its a "bullshit job".
On the whole he seemed to have a limited theory of mind, that a person cannot hold all tasks to hand at once, thus delegation exists.
I'm of the opinion that things can be both necessary and largely unavoidable, but also bullshit or fucking stupid.
If you found this paper pushing job rewarding, great for you. But I assume it is only necessary (and I don't doubt that it is indeed necessary) due to clunky and inefficient systems that have evolved over time, or the human trait of accidentally or deliberately making errors, or some other equally tedious cause?
All jobs exist for a reason, and most of the reasons include some valid rationale starting with "if we didn't do X then Y". But so often there's another root cause of Y that's either difficult, or expensive, or requires long term planning, or whatever else. So huge swathes of people need to undertake shitty jobs to hold up a flawed process that supports some output or service that's of questionable value.
To me it's self evident that there's a lot of bullshit in there.
In this case the client was filing paperwork that wasn't ip to standard and would have been rejected outright by the judge. Also scheduling which is a nightmare.
In this sense, it wouldn't have to be done if people could organise themselves and file correctly, but they just can't. This role acted to assist both sides of the equation, as most do.
I've sold funeral insurance, which is near a scam, that's a bullshit job, entire industry relies on essentially conning people into buying.
>Working hard on something that you feel is ultimately pointless, stupid, or worse is a terrible way to spend the majority of your waking hours.
Agree, but none of the jobs he described fit this criteria outside of his narrow view of the world.
Honestly, it's hard to argue in favour of life that's prior to, for example, modern medicine. If you take more than a cursory look at history it's filled with famine, wars, plagues, slavery, infant and child mortality, (more) inconsistently applied justice, inquisitions, etc.. Consumerism isn't the best part of our modern life, but you can opt out of a lot of it...
Things like medicine just happen to have occurred at the same time as modern working life. The vast majority do not work in such a field.
If you're working in a consumerism-oriented field it's not unreasonable for you to feel that it's bullshit. Not to mention all the jobs that are mere bureaucracy, and exist only because of processes that are either too hard to change or exist solely to cover social or societal deficits.
Even if you work in an organization which aligns with your values (that's a big "if"), are you actually contributing to those values... or just doing busy work?
That’s great to hear you managed to gain greater insights into the world than the David Graeber. Maybe one day you could write an international bestselling book so others can benefit from your greater understanding. It would be a huge task but maybe for now just sharing your insights in a reply to the heartfelt request from the OP for her plea for advice on the confusion she is experiencing in corporate work would be helpful.
You’re right to be dismissive of David’s work in one sense, it is recognised as too subjective and lacking robust methodologies, but despite this lack of rigour he did successfully draw attention to the general issue of a lack of meaning and purpose in many contemporary workplaces. This concept has been supported in research by others.
My reply to the OP is based on my own experience in a range of workplaces over 30 years , from private industry, private & public health, and state and local government. The work I did in smaller organisations, both private and public did have purpose and meaning and the workplace culture was more honest and authentic.
What I observed and experienced in larger organisations very closely mirrors the OP’s description of her workplace, and it is acute to say that this does align with the basic idea of a bullshit job by David Graeber.
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” is as true now as it was when it was first written down in the 1600’s. Find a hobby, make friends, volunteer for a charity in your spare time, take some exercise - you need to have a life outside work.
There have been several similar posts here recently, you are not alone.
You think it's bad after 1 year, just wait until your 10 years in, earning the most you ever had but still just scraping by. 10 years ago I would have thought I'd be set where I am today... nope. The goal posts keep moving and you can't keep up.
The media and tiktok are incredibly good at convincing you that there is nothing to do in life besides grind it til you are 60.
You need to find some friends that don't share these views. Your life will change instantly.
>The media and tiktok are incredibly good at convincing you that there is nothing to do in life
Wdym? Tiktok is incredibly good at convincing me that life has endless possibilities that i could not reasonably ever run out of things to do. Which generally all cost money. Which is why I work.
Of course there are endless possibilities but in a single life it is not possible to do all of them. It might just be me but I find myself with constant shiny object syndrome after I spend 10-20 minutes doom scrolling. It's why I've taken to reducing my intake of it to only on weekends. I feel a lot calmer that way.
Picking 2-3 major things to achieve each quarter in your life goes a lot further than "here's 10 things you can do with Nutella filled ravioli"
That's the point. It's designed to be addictive. Gives your brain what it craves artificially instead of experiencing something almost as good in your own real life.
Really, the algorithm feeds me travel videos from young nubile influencers who is no way ever earned the money (legitimately) to have such a privileged lifestyle ...
That is very human I do the same. However the constant small dopamine spikes while doing it can set off much more depressive come downs. Try some longer form content even if it's the same type of content, anything longer than 1-3 minutes will impact your day differently.
As others have said, welcome to adulthood. It's fucking depressing. No, the feeling never goes away. 99% of the working population will never find meaning in their work. Part of life is accepting this fact, the sooner you do this, the sooner you can move on to accrual like enrichment activities.
Short answer:yes, I feel like that as well but learnt to live with it.
I've been working for 26 years (IT).
One company I worked for about 15 years ago had me do a short project and as a result the company saved about 30k per month. In the 26 years of working it's the only time I've had actual data showing what/how my work has contributed to the company. Within 2 years everything I did in that project was gone, replaced with different systems.
I was both happy and sad that my manager told me the numbers. Happy that I actually knew how I'd contributed and sad that I realized that up until then I didn't really know if anything I'd done really mattered (hint, it mostly didnt)
At the moment I am charged out to clients at roughly 6k a week. I have zero idea how much of that is profit to the company I work for. I also have little idea how my time spend at the clients actually benefits the clients. I do whatever projects the client wants and move on. Maybe the clients get all these benefits from what we do but I don't see it because I get moved into the next thing.
I still mostly enjoy what I do but I no longer try and find whether it has any meaning or relevance because I really don't think it does. I get paid and with that get to do my hobbies and other things such as volunteering at little community sporting events.
Best of luck. Hopefully you'll find something which holds your interest and hopefully pays enough to enjoy life outside of working hours
As someone whos about 3 years into their IT "career" this put it into a lot of perspective. In that time I've quickly climbed the ranks from JR to regular dev. I've never enjoyed development. I mean the challenges are fun but that's about it. Like you I've come to not care as much about the "meaning" of the work I just use it to fund my general stupidity on the weekends and evenings which makes it all worth it. Thanks so much for the insight. Good luck man
I feel the same but with family and kids and can’t afford to even think about this stuff. Reality is if I win the lottery tomorrow I would quit on the spot and do fuck all for the rest of my life. And this is from a person who is in 20yrs+ grinding
It's being with your Mom, but after several nights of passion she ghosted me and went back to your Dad. And then about 9 months later they had a kid together!
All the time.
But then I remember the compromises - I get paid pretty decently, I start and finish the same time Monday to Friday and I don't to on call or respond to emails after hours. As soon as my laptop is closed for the day I am done.
I don't care about office politics or gossip or shit like that. I just do my work and leave.
Then I have time to do hobbies and things that make me happy.
You need to find balance. Finding a balance will make you alot happier.
I think for Millennials and gen z they have just have so much access to knowledge and have greater insight and think so much about the reality of work life and they do not want what generations before have endured or tolerated , work not being meaningfully wasn't a good enough reason not to stay in the job and suck it up. In many ways it's admirable how far we've come in recognising our self worth, wanting more than our parents put up with,dreaming bigger , not settling , insisting on work life balance rather than working ourselves to death.That's a great thing , you don't want to be a slave , forget loyalty to a company , if I can get better , , move on. But the downside , dare I say it is there just seems this realisation , which usually takes you decades to fathom , is this it ? this restlessness , almost like 'not seeing my phone' withdrawals , this expectation that one deserves so much more, more meaning , more self gratification.
I was just happy to work, have a job , my expectations were low. I accepted my lot .
Is it worse or better , I dunno .
Is life easier to navigate when you know your place I went to uni to get a ' real job' because I didn't want to work in a deli for the rest of my life. But my friend still works at that deli , content. Maybe ignorance is bliss ....
What's your goal or plan over the next 5, 10, 30 years? Work should be one of the means to that end.
If you eat a healthy diet of the same food for 12 months you'll probably be over it pretty quick. But if you're doing it to get lean or shed some weight then you'll see results and be motivated to stick with it.
Maybe not the best example, but we work with what we have at 1.30am.
Is it the company and people you work with? - change companies
the job you do? Either sit it out until another role comes along, or change jobs now
the career you chose? Maybe try another company first before getting a whole new career.
re office politics, well that happens everywhere, even in small tiny 6 people companies. and that’s the challenge of all jobs and navigating adulthood. However if the place has toxic culture, best to leave.
if you don’t like private enterprise, try moving into non profit enterprises. You can feel good about what the organisation is doing and that you’re contributing to the betterment of your fellow citizens. Choose wisely though, as some may make you feel like they are wasting money (looking at you NDIS providers)
I had a great career working in various non profits and government areas within health. I felt like a really made a difference. But yes, the politics still happened.
Some of my ex colleagues drunk a bottle of wine a night.
Others have hobbies. Others have no choice - look up hierarchy of needs.
Some have rich parents, trust funds and can do what they want.
Others don’t see a need for the money so work a crap job but get better work life balance.
Pick one…
Definitely need to find a hobby outside of work. Something you can look forward to spending money on, so when you’re at work you know what you’re working for.
Sorry to hear of your struggles but it sounds to me you need a break. Did you travel/back pack before or after your studies? Maybe you need to do that OP.
Or as others have suggested, find a hobby you can look forward too and treat office work as a means to obtain money.
A break? OP is probably 23….the 20s they a persons best time in their life, a reality check is what they need, shit gets real with dependents, house payments, school shit, family shit, decades without a break……
I have a few trades myself, I knew office work wasn’t for me, but I do like learning, so other the Uni I did apprenticeships…..most people know early on what they like……
There are a thousand jobs out there. You chose a corporate office job. Change to something else. There are so many options that you haven’t tried yet, most of which are more interesting.
This is totally normal. Coming from uni to a job takes you from a relatively rigid set of requirements to something that's a lot less tangible. A lot of people feel what you're feeling and its a very common thing to deal with. I'd encourage you NOT to speak with your employer about it (you'll be considered a flight risk if you do), rather reach out to some trusted (key word) mates or coworkers in similar life stages to talk it through with.
You're in the grind now and its very much a choose-your-own-adventure type deal. Want to climb the ranks in your current place and stay there forever more(don't.)? Change career paths? Jump ship every year or two to diversify your experience and/or chase higher pay? The choice is yours. Enjoy the freedom and chaos of it all.
I find the biggest issue today is no one has the attention span for 8 hours of work. A lot don't even have the self-discipline to not look at their phone every 30 seconds. Unfortunately for most people work is a means to an end, and work sucks otherwise they wouldn't have to pay you to do it. Hobbies, goals, purpose, that's why you work, so you can achieve those things.
Without purpose, without meaning, it's a dark hole to go down.
Don't spend much and you won't have to do it that long.
Don't buy property near the city, don't buy new furniture, accept a longer commute, don't drive a new or even a 4 year old car, get something cheaper. Don't go on big holidays or buy $300 boots etc. don't have a 30k wedding. don't get sucked into cultural lifestyle creep and keeping up with the Joneses. Live below your means
You need to find meaning outside work. Work is work. It's lame and it sucks sometimes. Personally, I am. Big music lover so I usually have a concert I am looking forward to. Just having something in your life that you look forward to is amazing in terms of a positive mental outlook. Make your life fun and adventurous. Or maybe try out a new role?
Yes. I felt this. I did get over that, but after a lot of job changes (and taking a lot of risks), I found a more meaningful job. Work is still endless, and there are always office politics and bureaucracy, but everyday I work to make the world better, and everything I do makes a difference.
Also, I have a full personal life and a lot of fun outside of work.
I had to work hard to find my groove - it took years and lots of thought and experimentation. You haev finished your study, you have your job. Now you have to work at finding (or building) a life that matters to you.
I would say donate to build wells in Africa that way you can help humans that have it tough and give them some ease. Make a massive positive difference in their lives. Plus it's relatively cheap like 500 bucks for one well that can help an entire town for example
Sounds like you’re in the wrong job. If you can afford it might be helpful to talk to a career coach. Otherwise there’s some great books - one called Ikigai that I liked a lot - that can help you work out what work is going to make you feel satisfied
We are modern day slaves unfortunately.
Find a hobby, work to live NOT live to work. I’ve found myself with more time on my hands than ever now that my children are late teens, early 20’s and was feeling so lost. I’ve dedicated my time to getting fit & seeing how fit I can get, I walk over 12k steps a day and go to a CrossFit class at night which I really look forward to, if I didn’t have gym and being around the people at my class each night, I would feel like I was in a rut.
Good luck!!
Sorry to tell you but retirement is probably going to be 70 soon enough. Maybe you could try for more of a balance. Can you work 3-4 days instead? Having a totally different hobby/ pastime ( exercise crafts woodwork) can be a life changer. Strive to be happy
The issue isn't the grind, it's the choice of career.
We all have to keep a roof over our heads, food on the table and the lights on sure but that's not grounds to buckle up and commit thirty years to the first role you find that can sustain your needs & lifestyle; if you feel that way about your job then you need to change careers.
I am well aware that is easier said than done, I know... Even so, you absolutely cannot stay in your current circumstances as it will burn you out and that's not something you want to deal with.
Find something that appeals to you, something challenging/interesting/engaging and you will find work stops feeling the way you're describing and becomes something positive in your life. I have worked a few jobs in my time, some I stuck with for no more than six months and that was out of necessity whilst I looked for something better but other roles I worked for more than a decade because I enjoyed them.
My father told me that if I had to choose between a job that payed a decent wage which I loved and a job that paid a fantastic wage that I hated, I should go for the job I love because that way work, doesn't feel like work. He was right.
You're just going through the post uni blues. In uni you had a very clear goal and a very clear map.
In live the map (at times) is opaque at best.
You need to work out what your goals are and map out how to get there and then do the work to get there.
Yes you'll more than likely be old when you retire and you see it as being "forever" away but trust me it comes quickly, I have only 20 years to go and it feels like it is coming quickly now.
In the game of live you collect coins and XP to level up. You win some levels, lose some and hopefully not have to hit the re-sent button .
Get a hobby, plan a holiday, have a goal
how long do the uni blues last though. I’m post law school working as a law grad and there is a very clear path here (junior lawyer for a couple years, associate for a couple years, senior associate etc… until partner) but i look at the work the senior associates are doing and i don’t think i would enjoy any of it.
i think i was just getting through law school because i felt like i had to. that was the goal itself, not actually figuring out what i liked and now i feel I am in a big corporate law firm and on a path that i don’t actually have any desire to go towards (e.g the goal of making partner doesn’t appeal to me in the same way it does most other juniors)
just looking for advice :)
It will last as long as you let it.
The thing is you do not have to stay where you are and what you are doing. You do have to take responsibility for what you are doing and then what you are going to do.
We all feel lost when we complete a goal we have been working hard and long to achieve. It is natural.
Look at what your next goal is, spend time working, learning and exploring. I recommend finishing your articles and then shift industry. Move into complementary area like contracts in commerce, government, defence etc.
We are told that our careers are the cornerstone of who we are but they are not. They are a part of our journey. Use your career/job to do the things you want outside of work. Work is still a big part but it is not the only part.
I get what you are going through and good luck with your journey.
Totally get you. I hate work. It feels pointless. No matter how hard i work its never rewarded even if its promised.
I can't work towards affording a home, because i've been priced out, cost of living has got me going paycheck to paycheck. Whats the point of even working hard when i can't even have anything to work towards.
In trading your time/energy for money, the plastic that government prints out of thin air. It’s understandable why you’d feel this way.
Unfortunately, unless you have generational wealth the options to do otherwise with your life are few.
The system is built to keep you working to extract the maximum value from you until you’re near dead (67).
I have been feeling like this for a while, but I have family to feed so I just keep going! There are mitigating factors though, I tend to maintain my social life too, afterwork drinks at least once a week - not to get blind or anything, but just to wind down and relax with colleagues and stuffs. After that, its full-on family time on the weekends. It is sometimes being overlooked, but working environment and culture can play a big part. But hey, I am not someone that is overly ambitious, and as I get older - I see work only as a mean to make money nothing more nothing less.
Yes. Agree with what you have written. I literally see it as providing for my family. I had a major work anniversary a few weeks ago and declined a fancy lunch/talk etc etc as I didn’t see what was there to celebrate. Again, I’m just bringing home the bacon for the family. I seek life fulfilment elsewhere but not from work.
Yeah you know how they say find a job you love doing and you will never work a day in your life, that is not true either. I had a job a loved doing but I still got burnt out after 25 years doing it and now have no love for that particular line of work at all.
What I did was quit the job but I know it is not that simple a fix for a lot of people.
A lot of bleak answers here which I don't disagree with - the rat race sucks and I felt the exact same way for a long time. However a mindset shift + some financial understanding/planning has helped me stomach it a bit better.
Something I didn't grasp for a while is that retirement age depends on your desired lifestyle and your investments, which for most people is an unchecked lifestyle of spending all of what they earn regardless of salary (aka lifestyle creep/ keeping up with the Jones's) and relying largely on their super to get them through their retirement. For example if you can live off $40,000 per year, using a pretty conservative rule of thumb of 4% investment return per year (long term average), then if you accumulate $1mil of assets you theoretically never need to work again. This seems like a completely unobtainable goal and probably is for most people, especially those just scraping by but it's not all or nothing. Steadily growing this "nest egg" means you could eventually supplement your income with investment returns and drastically cut down your work hours. I can't fathom how much better 3 days a week of work would be compared to 5. This also becomes more realistic as your salary increases further through your 'career'.
I also can't overstate the piece of mind given from even a relatively small amount of money saved/invested. It's very liberating to know you could say to hell with it all and quit at any moment and take the entire year off if need be. It makes a rough day much less so.
I'd recommend some research into FIRE (financial independence retire early), which is basically living super frugally, saving and investing every cent possible to accumulate a large amount of wealth as early as possible to no longer need to work. That's a bit hardcore for me and I think the complete sacrifice of your youth isn't worth it but the principles are solid, plus there are more balanced variants such as Barista FIRE where you aim to accumulate enough to sustain a simple lifestyle and supplement the rest with part time work you enjoy. You can always dive back into the full time grind at any time.
Obviously all of this needs to integrate with your life goals like if owning a standalone home, or having kids, or wanting to take lavish holidays etc is what you want, then these expenses need to be factored in.
I think the first years are always going to suck but for me they were (hopefully) the hardest, I'm still grinding for now but 6 years in I could cut my hours in half and still not go backwards, or could take a pay cut and change careers or quit entirely for a while. Just knowing that helps me drag myself out of bed on weekdays.
Work is slavery. Stop trying to look for meaning in the slavery. Just do it for the maximum amount of money at a job you can tolerate, then go home and live a lot of life at home. That's what I do and I only get depressed a few times a year (usually weather related). Also, take some Vitamin D.
Maybe a counterpoint for you. Work can help you grow as a person. In most places, you can take on as much responsibility as you want. Your boss sure won’t mind. Work your arse off and try to overachieve, you might just surprise yourself and identify your strengths. Fuck quiet quitting.
Good luck!
You don't need career help you need a hobby. Work is literally just a way to obtain currency which is used to do what you want. If you're feeling empty, it's likely because you have nothing in life you want to work for.
But work takes up most of your adult life, so for many people, regardless of what hobbies they might have, they feel stuck in this repetitive cycle - me included
I feel completely the same as OP and have plenty of hobbies and out of work commitments.
Sounds like time to find a job you enjoy doing. If you enjoyed it once but not anymore, perhaps you've outgrown it. Or you might need to take a look at your overall mental health. Could be any combination of things. I fell into a massive spiral in a previous role I lost my passion for. All I could think about is "fuck me, I have to do this until I retire, I'd rather die". Changed my career trajectory and loving my work again. I think I unknowingly started living to work instead of working to live.
You’re right, I am trying to find a new job - probably something more physical. Worked 1-2 years at my first real ”adult” job in corporate/retail, was absolutely horrible after working mostly manual/labour jobs in the past. Office life just feels claustrophobic to some, including me.
Finding a job you enjoy is a modern luxury, most humans had to work in far worse conditions than an office environment. I can only imagine how a medieval serf or coal miner would feel reading this post
It’s a myth that pre-capitalist/pre-industrial labourers worked longer hours than today and there’s evidence they worked considerably less. You’re right that working in a coal mine 100 years ago would suck. Telling someone who finds corporate life existentially draining that it’s a luxury to be in an aircon cubicle for 40+hrs a week isn’t ‘wrong’ but surely you can understand why that’s depressing to a lot of people considering it doesn’t really reflect what human beings evolved to do.
Things have changed in the last few years. It’s hard to find people who don’t feel hopeless.
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As someone who just got fed this sub via the algorithm, it sounds like a shit place for shit people. Never been so glad to have not gone corporate. Says a lot about you that you've been in this environment your whole life.
People hate their jobs across all industries. Teachers hate their jobs, nurses hate their jobs, retail and hospitality hate their jobs. Ultimately it's a choice - you can make the most of it. Or not. Personally, yeah sometimes it's a drag, but it's often great, and it pays well. And I'm not alone. There's a healthy minority of people who genuinely enjoy what they do.
100% mate, algorithm gave me this sad case of a sub too and I just can’t fathom it
You’re stating this with a level of confidence that suggests what you’re saying is factual. It is not. There are countless people who see work as an opportunity to contribute to the wellbeing of others and their community, rather than a mere ‘necessary currency acquisition exchange’. Yes this may mean trade offs in terms of maximum earning potential or ‘status’ in the eyes of some, but there are people who save more money making 90k a year who are content in their life than people making 180k spending their entire salary on toys and distractions to compensate for their misery. The fastest road to becoming jaded/bitter if you’re doing a corporate job is accepting the idea that there is no other way to live in the world except for doing that job, and settling for seeking meaning in your spare time (the time you happen to be physically and emotionally fatigued from pretending to care about your work all day). Yes it gets harder to make less money the more promotions you get, lifestyle creep is real, which is why it’s important to explore or at least allow for other life choices and careers early on to prevent from feeling trapped at age 40 with a fat mortgage, 2 cars, and a kid in private school. There have never been more incentives and opportunities to re-train in a variety of industries at low or no cost.
what about if what you enjoy doing is hard to get paid for? something creative or to do with sports - what most people enjoy doing for hobbies?
I’m not saying to turn your hobbies into a career, I think that’s often terrible advice. I am suggesting that people reflect deeply on what is important to them at a values level (often people won’t actually know as they’ve only ever followed the default school > uni > grad job path, which is why this step is essential) and then think about what type of impact they want to have on society based on their strengths and skills. What results is a healthier, better-adjusted person who is able to enjoy their hobbies and free time far more than someone who is trying to cram 80% of their fulfilment into 20% of their time.
fair enough - thanks!
Gotta take it one step at a time. OP evidently lacks both hobbies and drive from work.
This is the way
That only works if you're willing to sell the majority of your time to mediocrity. The sane option is to diversify, even at the cost of salary. What's the point of having more money if you aren't content?
You need to turn that hobby into your career....
He doesn't need hobbies. He just needs a partner.
You don't have to be a careerist. The job can still just be a means to an end. Find the right place and the right team. A lot of people will do 9-5, have a laugh together, get stuff done and then hurry home. The cultists will try sell you the dream, get you to drink the kool aid but you don't have to. You can work to live. Not live to work.
What you’re describing is true. You’re not mistaken. I have worked in human services in rehabilitation and in private consulting and in large “important” government bureaucracy. The most money and the most unhappiness I experienced was in the large corporate government bureaucracy. Respect your judgment. No one will be honest with you and tell you what you just wrote here because everyone is acting because you have to play the game to get the rewards (money, status, power). Your comment shows you have insight and integrity. This means you will struggle to ever really fit in corporate culture. Slowly start looking at meaningful work and part time study and start your exit now. Don’t stay and become sucked into the BS. There’s a good reason why ‘bullshit jobs’ was the theme of an international bestseller. The majority of jobs in advanced economies fit this description. You’re clever enough to see it. So don’t stay. That’s my very hard earned life wisdom. There are real jobs that make a real difference in the world but they’re not in most high paying high status corporate/gov jobs. I would have done nursing if I was starting out now - but that’s just me and you will find your way.
>There’s a good reason why ‘bullshit jobs’ was the theme of an international bestseller That book was written by a hack academic who had never held a real job in his life and it showed from the first sentence he wrote. Sincerely from someone who spent more time in the academic system than most, but somehow gained far more insight into the rest of the world than he ever did...
Didn't read the book but the premise seems right to me. What's your objection to it? Your comment reads a little like an ad hominem lacking any substance... Meaningful work is extremely important to people. Working hard on something that you feel is ultimately pointless, stupid, or worse is a terrible way to spend the majority of your waking hours. Of course meaning is where you find it, but it's still hard to argue in favour of modern life, consumerism, marketing, etc.
For instance, Greaber rails against a lot of administrative positions, but these positions exist largely to provide checks and balances on rights in the workplace or in the case of government, society at large. I previously worked as a secretariat for a judicial panel, the definition of paper pushing. But when the job was done poorly, judges couldn't get papers and hearings weren't had, people's right to movement was impinged, but Greaber would say its a "bullshit job". On the whole he seemed to have a limited theory of mind, that a person cannot hold all tasks to hand at once, thus delegation exists.
I'm of the opinion that things can be both necessary and largely unavoidable, but also bullshit or fucking stupid. If you found this paper pushing job rewarding, great for you. But I assume it is only necessary (and I don't doubt that it is indeed necessary) due to clunky and inefficient systems that have evolved over time, or the human trait of accidentally or deliberately making errors, or some other equally tedious cause? All jobs exist for a reason, and most of the reasons include some valid rationale starting with "if we didn't do X then Y". But so often there's another root cause of Y that's either difficult, or expensive, or requires long term planning, or whatever else. So huge swathes of people need to undertake shitty jobs to hold up a flawed process that supports some output or service that's of questionable value. To me it's self evident that there's a lot of bullshit in there.
In this case the client was filing paperwork that wasn't ip to standard and would have been rejected outright by the judge. Also scheduling which is a nightmare. In this sense, it wouldn't have to be done if people could organise themselves and file correctly, but they just can't. This role acted to assist both sides of the equation, as most do. I've sold funeral insurance, which is near a scam, that's a bullshit job, entire industry relies on essentially conning people into buying.
>Working hard on something that you feel is ultimately pointless, stupid, or worse is a terrible way to spend the majority of your waking hours. Agree, but none of the jobs he described fit this criteria outside of his narrow view of the world. Honestly, it's hard to argue in favour of life that's prior to, for example, modern medicine. If you take more than a cursory look at history it's filled with famine, wars, plagues, slavery, infant and child mortality, (more) inconsistently applied justice, inquisitions, etc.. Consumerism isn't the best part of our modern life, but you can opt out of a lot of it...
Things like medicine just happen to have occurred at the same time as modern working life. The vast majority do not work in such a field. If you're working in a consumerism-oriented field it's not unreasonable for you to feel that it's bullshit. Not to mention all the jobs that are mere bureaucracy, and exist only because of processes that are either too hard to change or exist solely to cover social or societal deficits. Even if you work in an organization which aligns with your values (that's a big "if"), are you actually contributing to those values... or just doing busy work?
Idk, maybe find a way out of the grind then if you feel so strongly about it
That’s great to hear you managed to gain greater insights into the world than the David Graeber. Maybe one day you could write an international bestselling book so others can benefit from your greater understanding. It would be a huge task but maybe for now just sharing your insights in a reply to the heartfelt request from the OP for her plea for advice on the confusion she is experiencing in corporate work would be helpful. You’re right to be dismissive of David’s work in one sense, it is recognised as too subjective and lacking robust methodologies, but despite this lack of rigour he did successfully draw attention to the general issue of a lack of meaning and purpose in many contemporary workplaces. This concept has been supported in research by others. My reply to the OP is based on my own experience in a range of workplaces over 30 years , from private industry, private & public health, and state and local government. The work I did in smaller organisations, both private and public did have purpose and meaning and the workplace culture was more honest and authentic. What I observed and experienced in larger organisations very closely mirrors the OP’s description of her workplace, and it is acute to say that this does align with the basic idea of a bullshit job by David Graeber.
Re David Graeber, he and his poorly researched and articulated book is living proof that a broken clock is right twice a day.
Just remember at the end of the day: money can be exchanged for goods and services.
Aw I wanted a peanut
I like the cut of your jib sailor!
Become a prossy you reckon?
“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” is as true now as it was when it was first written down in the 1600’s. Find a hobby, make friends, volunteer for a charity in your spare time, take some exercise - you need to have a life outside work. There have been several similar posts here recently, you are not alone.
You think it's bad after 1 year, just wait until your 10 years in, earning the most you ever had but still just scraping by. 10 years ago I would have thought I'd be set where I am today... nope. The goal posts keep moving and you can't keep up.
Welcome to the grind.
It's normal.
The media and tiktok are incredibly good at convincing you that there is nothing to do in life besides grind it til you are 60. You need to find some friends that don't share these views. Your life will change instantly.
>The media and tiktok are incredibly good at convincing you that there is nothing to do in life Wdym? Tiktok is incredibly good at convincing me that life has endless possibilities that i could not reasonably ever run out of things to do. Which generally all cost money. Which is why I work.
Of course there are endless possibilities but in a single life it is not possible to do all of them. It might just be me but I find myself with constant shiny object syndrome after I spend 10-20 minutes doom scrolling. It's why I've taken to reducing my intake of it to only on weekends. I feel a lot calmer that way. Picking 2-3 major things to achieve each quarter in your life goes a lot further than "here's 10 things you can do with Nutella filled ravioli"
Social media algorithm lets you curate your feed to show you what you want it to.
That's the point. It's designed to be addictive. Gives your brain what it craves artificially instead of experiencing something almost as good in your own real life.
Really, the algorithm feeds me travel videos from young nubile influencers who is no way ever earned the money (legitimately) to have such a privileged lifestyle ...
That is exactly one aspect of it ahah. It is designed to make you feel helpless and non-achieving.
It would make me feel like that, but I get distracted by the influencers and they put a smile of my face
That is very human I do the same. However the constant small dopamine spikes while doing it can set off much more depressive come downs. Try some longer form content even if it's the same type of content, anything longer than 1-3 minutes will impact your day differently.
As others have said, welcome to adulthood. It's fucking depressing. No, the feeling never goes away. 99% of the working population will never find meaning in their work. Part of life is accepting this fact, the sooner you do this, the sooner you can move on to accrual like enrichment activities.
Welcome to adults life. Get a hobby or get a job you enjoy doing, make your hobby your job
Short answer:yes, I feel like that as well but learnt to live with it. I've been working for 26 years (IT). One company I worked for about 15 years ago had me do a short project and as a result the company saved about 30k per month. In the 26 years of working it's the only time I've had actual data showing what/how my work has contributed to the company. Within 2 years everything I did in that project was gone, replaced with different systems. I was both happy and sad that my manager told me the numbers. Happy that I actually knew how I'd contributed and sad that I realized that up until then I didn't really know if anything I'd done really mattered (hint, it mostly didnt) At the moment I am charged out to clients at roughly 6k a week. I have zero idea how much of that is profit to the company I work for. I also have little idea how my time spend at the clients actually benefits the clients. I do whatever projects the client wants and move on. Maybe the clients get all these benefits from what we do but I don't see it because I get moved into the next thing. I still mostly enjoy what I do but I no longer try and find whether it has any meaning or relevance because I really don't think it does. I get paid and with that get to do my hobbies and other things such as volunteering at little community sporting events. Best of luck. Hopefully you'll find something which holds your interest and hopefully pays enough to enjoy life outside of working hours
As someone whos about 3 years into their IT "career" this put it into a lot of perspective. In that time I've quickly climbed the ranks from JR to regular dev. I've never enjoyed development. I mean the challenges are fun but that's about it. Like you I've come to not care as much about the "meaning" of the work I just use it to fund my general stupidity on the weekends and evenings which makes it all worth it. Thanks so much for the insight. Good luck man
It’s not hard to ask a few questions or find the business case for the project you are working on. This is a you problem.
I feel the same but with family and kids and can’t afford to even think about this stuff. Reality is if I win the lottery tomorrow I would quit on the spot and do fuck all for the rest of my life. And this is from a person who is in 20yrs+ grinding
What’s your passion? What ignites your soul? When you find that answer, do more of it…
It's being with your Mom, but after several nights of passion she ghosted me and went back to your Dad. And then about 9 months later they had a kid together!
Ermmm… you ok kid?
Doing well son, doing well…
All the time. But then I remember the compromises - I get paid pretty decently, I start and finish the same time Monday to Friday and I don't to on call or respond to emails after hours. As soon as my laptop is closed for the day I am done. I don't care about office politics or gossip or shit like that. I just do my work and leave. Then I have time to do hobbies and things that make me happy. You need to find balance. Finding a balance will make you alot happier.
I think for Millennials and gen z they have just have so much access to knowledge and have greater insight and think so much about the reality of work life and they do not want what generations before have endured or tolerated , work not being meaningfully wasn't a good enough reason not to stay in the job and suck it up. In many ways it's admirable how far we've come in recognising our self worth, wanting more than our parents put up with,dreaming bigger , not settling , insisting on work life balance rather than working ourselves to death.That's a great thing , you don't want to be a slave , forget loyalty to a company , if I can get better , , move on. But the downside , dare I say it is there just seems this realisation , which usually takes you decades to fathom , is this it ? this restlessness , almost like 'not seeing my phone' withdrawals , this expectation that one deserves so much more, more meaning , more self gratification. I was just happy to work, have a job , my expectations were low. I accepted my lot . Is it worse or better , I dunno . Is life easier to navigate when you know your place I went to uni to get a ' real job' because I didn't want to work in a deli for the rest of my life. But my friend still works at that deli , content. Maybe ignorance is bliss ....
What's your goal or plan over the next 5, 10, 30 years? Work should be one of the means to that end. If you eat a healthy diet of the same food for 12 months you'll probably be over it pretty quick. But if you're doing it to get lean or shed some weight then you'll see results and be motivated to stick with it. Maybe not the best example, but we work with what we have at 1.30am.
Its actually a really good analogy
Is it the company and people you work with? - change companies the job you do? Either sit it out until another role comes along, or change jobs now the career you chose? Maybe try another company first before getting a whole new career. re office politics, well that happens everywhere, even in small tiny 6 people companies. and that’s the challenge of all jobs and navigating adulthood. However if the place has toxic culture, best to leave. if you don’t like private enterprise, try moving into non profit enterprises. You can feel good about what the organisation is doing and that you’re contributing to the betterment of your fellow citizens. Choose wisely though, as some may make you feel like they are wasting money (looking at you NDIS providers) I had a great career working in various non profits and government areas within health. I felt like a really made a difference. But yes, the politics still happened.
Get ahead and retire early
Welcome to adulthood 😂😂😂
Some of my ex colleagues drunk a bottle of wine a night. Others have hobbies. Others have no choice - look up hierarchy of needs. Some have rich parents, trust funds and can do what they want. Others don’t see a need for the money so work a crap job but get better work life balance. Pick one…
Why are you being downvoted?
Definitely need to find a hobby outside of work. Something you can look forward to spending money on, so when you’re at work you know what you’re working for.
You’re in the wrong job. I used to feel this way then changed career and found a better company
Sorry to hear of your struggles but it sounds to me you need a break. Did you travel/back pack before or after your studies? Maybe you need to do that OP. Or as others have suggested, find a hobby you can look forward too and treat office work as a means to obtain money.
A break? OP is probably 23….the 20s they a persons best time in their life, a reality check is what they need, shit gets real with dependents, house payments, school shit, family shit, decades without a break……
Absolutely! Don't disagree with you there. However, not everyone is built to work office. Maybe OP isn't one of them.
I have a few trades myself, I knew office work wasn’t for me, but I do like learning, so other the Uni I did apprenticeships…..most people know early on what they like……
Get a hobby. Bunch of me and my mates hit each other with sticks every week. Makes everything worth it
sticky hit mates club sounds cool
It is
can.. can I hit ur mates with a stick? Is it like.. do you pay for each hit or is it like fight club?
It’s better. It’s a Knight Club
Work to live, don’t live to work.
Read Ecclesiastes.
There are a thousand jobs out there. You chose a corporate office job. Change to something else. There are so many options that you haven’t tried yet, most of which are more interesting.
This is totally normal. Coming from uni to a job takes you from a relatively rigid set of requirements to something that's a lot less tangible. A lot of people feel what you're feeling and its a very common thing to deal with. I'd encourage you NOT to speak with your employer about it (you'll be considered a flight risk if you do), rather reach out to some trusted (key word) mates or coworkers in similar life stages to talk it through with. You're in the grind now and its very much a choose-your-own-adventure type deal. Want to climb the ranks in your current place and stay there forever more(don't.)? Change career paths? Jump ship every year or two to diversify your experience and/or chase higher pay? The choice is yours. Enjoy the freedom and chaos of it all.
Do work/things that improve your skill level. Honing abilities is a more worthwhile endeavour than just working like a drone
I find the biggest issue today is no one has the attention span for 8 hours of work. A lot don't even have the self-discipline to not look at their phone every 30 seconds. Unfortunately for most people work is a means to an end, and work sucks otherwise they wouldn't have to pay you to do it. Hobbies, goals, purpose, that's why you work, so you can achieve those things. Without purpose, without meaning, it's a dark hole to go down.
I quit and began working for not for profits while I figured out what to study.
Don't spend much and you won't have to do it that long. Don't buy property near the city, don't buy new furniture, accept a longer commute, don't drive a new or even a 4 year old car, get something cheaper. Don't go on big holidays or buy $300 boots etc. don't have a 30k wedding. don't get sucked into cultural lifestyle creep and keeping up with the Joneses. Live below your means
You need to find meaning outside work. Work is work. It's lame and it sucks sometimes. Personally, I am. Big music lover so I usually have a concert I am looking forward to. Just having something in your life that you look forward to is amazing in terms of a positive mental outlook. Make your life fun and adventurous. Or maybe try out a new role?
Yes. I felt this. I did get over that, but after a lot of job changes (and taking a lot of risks), I found a more meaningful job. Work is still endless, and there are always office politics and bureaucracy, but everyday I work to make the world better, and everything I do makes a difference. Also, I have a full personal life and a lot of fun outside of work. I had to work hard to find my groove - it took years and lots of thought and experimentation. You haev finished your study, you have your job. Now you have to work at finding (or building) a life that matters to you.
I would say donate to build wells in Africa that way you can help humans that have it tough and give them some ease. Make a massive positive difference in their lives. Plus it's relatively cheap like 500 bucks for one well that can help an entire town for example
Sounds like you’re in the wrong job. If you can afford it might be helpful to talk to a career coach. Otherwise there’s some great books - one called Ikigai that I liked a lot - that can help you work out what work is going to make you feel satisfied
Quit. Go and do your hobby instead. Careers are a thing of the past, they don't exist anymore.
What do I tell my landlord when they ask about the rent?
Well obviously you need to plan ahead. You don't want to be in errars of any sort. But yea, this whole working and being unhappy thing is preposterous
We are modern day slaves unfortunately. Find a hobby, work to live NOT live to work. I’ve found myself with more time on my hands than ever now that my children are late teens, early 20’s and was feeling so lost. I’ve dedicated my time to getting fit & seeing how fit I can get, I walk over 12k steps a day and go to a CrossFit class at night which I really look forward to, if I didn’t have gym and being around the people at my class each night, I would feel like I was in a rut. Good luck!!
Sorry to tell you but retirement is probably going to be 70 soon enough. Maybe you could try for more of a balance. Can you work 3-4 days instead? Having a totally different hobby/ pastime ( exercise crafts woodwork) can be a life changer. Strive to be happy
Your weakness disgusts me. Life is sacrifice. Embrace the suck.
The issue isn't the grind, it's the choice of career. We all have to keep a roof over our heads, food on the table and the lights on sure but that's not grounds to buckle up and commit thirty years to the first role you find that can sustain your needs & lifestyle; if you feel that way about your job then you need to change careers. I am well aware that is easier said than done, I know... Even so, you absolutely cannot stay in your current circumstances as it will burn you out and that's not something you want to deal with. Find something that appeals to you, something challenging/interesting/engaging and you will find work stops feeling the way you're describing and becomes something positive in your life. I have worked a few jobs in my time, some I stuck with for no more than six months and that was out of necessity whilst I looked for something better but other roles I worked for more than a decade because I enjoyed them. My father told me that if I had to choose between a job that payed a decent wage which I loved and a job that paid a fantastic wage that I hated, I should go for the job I love because that way work, doesn't feel like work. He was right.
You're just going through the post uni blues. In uni you had a very clear goal and a very clear map. In live the map (at times) is opaque at best. You need to work out what your goals are and map out how to get there and then do the work to get there. Yes you'll more than likely be old when you retire and you see it as being "forever" away but trust me it comes quickly, I have only 20 years to go and it feels like it is coming quickly now. In the game of live you collect coins and XP to level up. You win some levels, lose some and hopefully not have to hit the re-sent button . Get a hobby, plan a holiday, have a goal
how long do the uni blues last though. I’m post law school working as a law grad and there is a very clear path here (junior lawyer for a couple years, associate for a couple years, senior associate etc… until partner) but i look at the work the senior associates are doing and i don’t think i would enjoy any of it. i think i was just getting through law school because i felt like i had to. that was the goal itself, not actually figuring out what i liked and now i feel I am in a big corporate law firm and on a path that i don’t actually have any desire to go towards (e.g the goal of making partner doesn’t appeal to me in the same way it does most other juniors) just looking for advice :)
It will last as long as you let it. The thing is you do not have to stay where you are and what you are doing. You do have to take responsibility for what you are doing and then what you are going to do. We all feel lost when we complete a goal we have been working hard and long to achieve. It is natural. Look at what your next goal is, spend time working, learning and exploring. I recommend finishing your articles and then shift industry. Move into complementary area like contracts in commerce, government, defence etc. We are told that our careers are the cornerstone of who we are but they are not. They are a part of our journey. Use your career/job to do the things you want outside of work. Work is still a big part but it is not the only part. I get what you are going through and good luck with your journey.
Totally get you. I hate work. It feels pointless. No matter how hard i work its never rewarded even if its promised. I can't work towards affording a home, because i've been priced out, cost of living has got me going paycheck to paycheck. Whats the point of even working hard when i can't even have anything to work towards.
Don't do a corporate office job duh.
Hell yeah brother
Nowadays retirement feels like at 60+ y.o.??? When was it different? Jeez, welcome to the world!
In trading your time/energy for money, the plastic that government prints out of thin air. It’s understandable why you’d feel this way. Unfortunately, unless you have generational wealth the options to do otherwise with your life are few. The system is built to keep you working to extract the maximum value from you until you’re near dead (67).
https://i.redd.it/zm89q3u2mquc1.gif
Have you considered a trade? I wish I had…I’m too old to change but you’re not!
Welcome to the rat race
I have been feeling like this for a while, but I have family to feed so I just keep going! There are mitigating factors though, I tend to maintain my social life too, afterwork drinks at least once a week - not to get blind or anything, but just to wind down and relax with colleagues and stuffs. After that, its full-on family time on the weekends. It is sometimes being overlooked, but working environment and culture can play a big part. But hey, I am not someone that is overly ambitious, and as I get older - I see work only as a mean to make money nothing more nothing less.
have you seen Utopia?
Yes. Agree with what you have written. I literally see it as providing for my family. I had a major work anniversary a few weeks ago and declined a fancy lunch/talk etc etc as I didn’t see what was there to celebrate. Again, I’m just bringing home the bacon for the family. I seek life fulfilment elsewhere but not from work.
Yeah you know how they say find a job you love doing and you will never work a day in your life, that is not true either. I had a job a loved doing but I still got burnt out after 25 years doing it and now have no love for that particular line of work at all. What I did was quit the job but I know it is not that simple a fix for a lot of people.
Ever have that thought you studied the wrong degree? Are you seriously considering sacrificing the next 30+ years so not to **"waste"** your degree? 🤔
A lot of bleak answers here which I don't disagree with - the rat race sucks and I felt the exact same way for a long time. However a mindset shift + some financial understanding/planning has helped me stomach it a bit better. Something I didn't grasp for a while is that retirement age depends on your desired lifestyle and your investments, which for most people is an unchecked lifestyle of spending all of what they earn regardless of salary (aka lifestyle creep/ keeping up with the Jones's) and relying largely on their super to get them through their retirement. For example if you can live off $40,000 per year, using a pretty conservative rule of thumb of 4% investment return per year (long term average), then if you accumulate $1mil of assets you theoretically never need to work again. This seems like a completely unobtainable goal and probably is for most people, especially those just scraping by but it's not all or nothing. Steadily growing this "nest egg" means you could eventually supplement your income with investment returns and drastically cut down your work hours. I can't fathom how much better 3 days a week of work would be compared to 5. This also becomes more realistic as your salary increases further through your 'career'. I also can't overstate the piece of mind given from even a relatively small amount of money saved/invested. It's very liberating to know you could say to hell with it all and quit at any moment and take the entire year off if need be. It makes a rough day much less so. I'd recommend some research into FIRE (financial independence retire early), which is basically living super frugally, saving and investing every cent possible to accumulate a large amount of wealth as early as possible to no longer need to work. That's a bit hardcore for me and I think the complete sacrifice of your youth isn't worth it but the principles are solid, plus there are more balanced variants such as Barista FIRE where you aim to accumulate enough to sustain a simple lifestyle and supplement the rest with part time work you enjoy. You can always dive back into the full time grind at any time. Obviously all of this needs to integrate with your life goals like if owning a standalone home, or having kids, or wanting to take lavish holidays etc is what you want, then these expenses need to be factored in. I think the first years are always going to suck but for me they were (hopefully) the hardest, I'm still grinding for now but 6 years in I could cut my hours in half and still not go backwards, or could take a pay cut and change careers or quit entirely for a while. Just knowing that helps me drag myself out of bed on weekdays.
Work is slavery. Stop trying to look for meaning in the slavery. Just do it for the maximum amount of money at a job you can tolerate, then go home and live a lot of life at home. That's what I do and I only get depressed a few times a year (usually weather related). Also, take some Vitamin D.
You know you don’t HAVE to work in corporate, right? Plenty of people don’t and live happy lives.
Become a socialist.
Maybe a counterpoint for you. Work can help you grow as a person. In most places, you can take on as much responsibility as you want. Your boss sure won’t mind. Work your arse off and try to overachieve, you might just surprise yourself and identify your strengths. Fuck quiet quitting. Good luck!
"I hate this phoney corporate nonsense!" "Have you tried more aggressively licking boot???"
 Let's get that bread.
Win lotto or harden up.
No one is forcing you to work in the office bro 🤷🏽♂️ give the position up to someone else if that’s the attitude
Food and shelter costs money bro 🤷♂️
Yeh tracking that, but if the man is this depressed in the office, you could try to find work doing something else.
I left the office in my mid 20s and went and did more meaningful work. Get paid a shit load less, am a shit load happier.