h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

If you would like to talk just come along to my personal space.


Daffodilgold.

This is very kind of you - already h2g2 is possibly the loveliest community on the web...

Well, anyway, I haven't really felt like smiling much recently. Not that I don't already lose enough sleep as it is trying to figure out what the hell my role in life is, my imagination rebels against me and wakes me up with the vilest nightmares I've had in years...

Hmm, this all seems quite surreal discussing it with an internet stranger, but in a good way

Is it your job that you are unhappy with or is it to do with life in general?

My job isn't great, it's tedious admin. Which is pretty much the only job I've ever been able to get. There's no creativity, no challenge, and no prospect for anything better within it. Every time I see a better one that looks more interesting/challenging, any application I send off ends up being met either with silence, or, if I'm lucky, a rejection letter. I have a feeling it's that dreaded "experience" trap that comes from spending 20 years in education and maybe I would've been better off if I'd never bothered with it all.

After a while it becomes depressing and I think I'm going to be stuck doing this sort of thing forever and trying to change it is futile.

Sorry for the tardy reply, I can only get on here sporadically at work.

I'm so sorry - it must be awful to trudge on feeling that you have no way out.

Do you have other commitments? People dependent on you?

No, not really... I guess I could up-sticks and move somewhere else, but I really don't feel that there'd be any point and that I'd end up in a similar situation.

What do you do/did for work etc? Have you any practical advice on how to change career?

I'm afraid I'm not very grand - I'm a cleaner. I got into cleaning when my children were small, because I wanted to be with them, but also needed to contribute to the household. I found that I could do 2 or 3 cleaning jobs and fit them around the kids - or even take them with me.
Anyway I'm still doing it!

You sound like a creative sort of person. Have you any hobbies that you could maybe develop? It sounds to me as if you apply for similar jobs to the one that makes you unhappy now. You really don't have to stick with the same life decisions you made and trained for years ago you know.

Think about who you are and not who people expect you to be. I've given this same advice to my kids over the years! A successful life is a happy life. Think about what would make you happy and go for it! What have you got to lose?

QUOTE FOR THE DAY (or week or month or year or lifetime!)



You can't do anything about the length of your life - but you can do something about its width and depth.

(Evan Esar) (1899-1995)

Hmm - "whatever makes you happy" seems like a good sorta motto to me!

The trouble when it comes to jobs and things is that I see one I like, apply, get rejected then it's back to the agency where I get stuck with similar stuff. Also I only graduated a few years ago, so I guess some patience and a bit of luck is needed and won't come immediately. Still, it does sometimes feel like I'm stuck.

I enjoy creative writing as a hobby, though I'm under no illusions about how ridiculous the odds are against getting anything published. I might submit something one day though (when I've actually finished something...)

Again, apologies for late reply but I've been stuck in bed the last few days, with a case of potentially lethal man flu

What do your children do? Sounds like they've had some solid advice!

Sorry to hear about your illness - nothing worse than summer flu.

My eldest daughter has a degree in hotel management - although she has never managed an hotel. She began to take an interest in catering and now manages the catering department of a university.

My son works in a warehouse and my youngest daughter worked at a photo printers until last year when she decided to go backpacking around New Zealand. She spent 9 months there and had the time of her life. She flew out to Australia last week to do the same there.

If I had one child who had a successful career and another who married, had 6 kids and counted every penny, I would count them equally successful if they were equally happy in their lives.

How would you measure success?



ps. Re-vamp your cv and find a new agency!

Sounds like you're a member of an interesting clan! A lady at work here was telling me how her daughters went backpacking round Australia and loved it so much they moved there, and now she wants to do the same. It'd be great to go travelling somewhere, though money forbids.

Tough question. There's no universal yardstick by which success could be measured, though you could say that our culture tries to dictate that you're not successful unless you own a huge house, a sports car and a bank balance heaving with zeroes which can then be spent on poitnless things. I guess it would be whether you've achieved the things you set out to achieve, or appreciate what you've done.

The pursuit of happiness is quite a big quesiton too - what would you say makes people happy? Though again, there are no general rules...

One of the problems I've always had is I've never been able to answer the question "what do you want to be when you grow up"? But it might be time for some positive action, and go to the Careers Advice people!

by the way, great quote. Now showing my ignorance, who was Evan Esar?

Evan Esar was an American humorist - I had to look him up too!

My daughter had just £2,000 pounds when she started her travels, and has worked her way around.

What about this for an idea - why not do a TEFL course and teach as you travel !!!!!!!!

Or even teach foreign nationals here!

Interesting suggestion... I shall bear it in mind as a contingency plan. I've told work that I'm quitting so I can throw all my energy into finding something worthwhile! A bit rash maybe but if you don't risk anything you don't gain anything...

Did your daughter do the TEFL thing?

No she didn't. She's just found work in a kebab shop in Australia !!! She'll work there for a while until she's saved enough money to carry on exploring.


It was very brave to give up your job - but I admire you for it.
Think positive!

That sounds ace. If all the career hunting plans fall through, I might do that instead! Has she got her 2 year work permit? I hear that Australia are following NZ's lead and alllowing people to stay for 2 years instead...

Thank you, it could be considered brave, but also perhaps foolhardy - bit late now though! Still it's probably for the best.

She only has a 12 month visa - that's ok - I miss her. I'm hoping that she'll be home for this Christmas. We make a big thing of Christmas in our family and it wasn't the same without her.

You sound a lot happier!

If you can dream it, you can do it.


(Walt Disney)

Ah that's a bit of a shame, but I'm sure she will be! 12 months in Australia sounds fantastic - have you been out there yourself?

I do feel a bit happier now thank you! Though I've forgotten what a worry being unemployed can be, but I've started making steps towards getting something better...

I'm not a big traveller.


Stop worrying - Think positive and everything will fall into place.