#MentalHealth #CareerChange #Ikigai #ADHD #Autism
Hey everyone! 👋 I’m reaching out because I’m feeling really stuck in my current situation and could use some advice on how to find my “ikigai.” As a 23-year-old financial analyst, I took this job right after college in January 2023, and let me tell you, it’s been draining the life out of me.
Here’s the scoop:
- 💼 I make $70k a year, which sounds okay, but my work is just so boring. I spend most of my time entering data into spreadsheets, and I’m not even doing real data analysis.
- 🏢 The office vibe is pretty dull. Everyone keeps to themselves, and I find myself craving coworkers to hang out with regularly.
- 😔 I’ve been feeling depressed for the last 8 months. With ADHD and autism, unengaging work takes a toll on me.
- 📉 I applied for a financial advisor role but got rejected, and my attempts for a remote analyst job also fell flat. I’ve sent out around 30 job applications with zero luck.
- 💔 I don’t have a girlfriend and only catch up with friends a few times a week. Hobbies? Non-existent right now. It’s basically work, home, sleep, repeat.
- 🧠 Therapy hasn’t been going well; I’m on my 8th therapist, and they keep telling me my job is the main issue. But what can I replace it with? I’m worried about quitting my job and affecting my future career options.
I’m at a dead end, feeling as aimless as a leaf on the wind—totally lost. 🍂 I want a job that is:
- 🌈 More varied and offers excitement.
- 🏞️ Possibly remote or at least not confined to a dull office.
- 💰 Enjoyable and pays well while serving a real need.
So, what do you think? How can I break out of this cycle and discover my own “ikigai”? Have any of you experienced similar feelings? What tips or experiences can you share that might help me find a more fulfilling career path? Let’s discuss! 💬
I’ve learned that happiness is so much more important than security. I worked at a job for 4 years, I built and led a team, I burned myself out completely making myself available at all hours of the day with a young child, and last summer I was laid off. Now I’m working at a company that has a significantly better culture, people are happy and collaborative, I’m challenged without the impossible being expected, and I don’t regret the $30K pay cut like I thought I would. I’ve had to adjust my lifestyle, sure, but previously I was so exhausted and burnt out that I was wasting the money on anything that would make me feel better anyway. I don’t know if this resonates at all, but I thought I’d share.
You have endless paths in front of you, but a couple that come to mind are:
-Discover a hobby. Use meetup, your local library, YouTube, monthly subscription boxes, etc. to try out different things. What else do you do in your free time? Watch shows, movies, read books? Can you connect with others on those? But honestly, seeing friends multiple times a week sounds like a healthy social life to me already. It’s a culture shock compared to college for sure, but I think it’s pretty standard. Learn to enjoy and appreciate your own company more, I’m sure you’re great!
-Find a way to make the culture at your current employer one that you enjoy. Take the initiative yourself to plan events or engage coworkers. Maybe it doesn’t work, but then you’ll know for sure that it isn’t worth staying there any longer.
-Start planning your exit before you make the plunge. In order to better position yourself for a better role, can you take on any other projects, join employee resource groups, secure certifications?
Depression is truly the worst. It tricks your brain into thinking life is hopeless and you don’t have options. But what truly is the worst thing that could happen if you changed careers? You make less money for a few years, you seem slightly less competitive to the types of companies that may care about that (probably less than you think), you start over? But then what? You still have your whole life ahead of you. Wishing you the best!
Watch “Prof Galloway’s Career Advice” on YouTube https://youtu.be/1T22QxTkPoM?si=Y1Mx0CC4Dss3Uo4R
I wish I could have as boring and structured a job as you ha!
I work for a non profits and have for 20 years and I really hate it. Takes all kinds. I’d try to introduce volunteering to your life and education and slowly enter another feild. What do you care about? What makes you mad? Joy?
I really like classical music, nature, demography, travel, futurism/AI, and of course economics/finance. I have no clue how I could incorporate more than a few of these into a career. Maybe I should try to at least incorporate one or two of them, bc right now, my career has NONE. My “finance” job is really just plugging numbers into a spreadsheet with little actual analysis.
This seems like an introvert friendly office. Are your coworkers unhelpful or are they just busy? It seems like there could be growth opportunities at your workplace and in your industry that you can seek.
A lot of coworkers aren’t going to be able to hang out with you several times a week. They may have families or other responsibilities when they go home. Or they might just want to go home and rest. And a lot of people aren’t there to make friends and socialize; they’re just there to work. It’s not like college where a lot of people wanted to socialize often. At least you still have friends you get to see a few times a week; that’s a good thing.
Is there a way you can automate your work OP?
Start going to the gym. Your mood will lift and’s even your mundane job will be tolerable
Break work in to 3 hour blocks and take a 20 min walk in between
If job times are restrictive to this, apply for fmla too
Fuck me man. That job sounds glorious. I don’t care to know my coworkers. I have my friends and coworkers are just that. People I am forced to spend time with. No reason to become emotionally attached.