I don't like my job. I can't decide which career to choose. I don't have friends to spend some evenings with and I don't have the energy to move on. What am I doing wrong?
A young woman early in her career asked this on Quora
This is part 4 of 4 of a series called, “Finding My Own Path.”
In case you missed it, here’s part 1, 2, and 3.
Next week, I start a new 5 part series called, “Insourcing Self Worth.”
I knew wouldn't enjoy a 9-5 when I was in high school, so I didn't do it.
I started working with non-profits and found what made me come alive and excited to live everyday…
…but then I realized I needed money to do what I wanted at the scale that I wanted.
So I started a business.
I had no experience, no background, no one in my network that had a business. But I did it anyway.
I'm very satisfied with the autonomy I have and the money I make, though, for now, it's probably less than 95% of what my friends from school make. But it's ok. I'm building something. Immediate monetary success isn't my main priority.
I don't have friends I hang out with every night. I have 3-4 friends I see every 3-6 months individually. These are my closest friends, these are the guys I'd take a bullet for and they would take a bullet for me. Just found out one of them is moving back to Georgia unfortunately... These relationships are more valuable to me than seeing "fun" friends every night.
It may be worth asking… what important about having friends to spend some evenings with?
It's become simple in my mind, if I don't like it, I find out why that is, and then I do something if I can fix it... and if I can't fix it, I still need to do something. I usually change directions in this case.
As for deciding on a career, I think this may help:
Additionally, I think a common misconception that we twenty-somethings have, is the idea that our career choices are static. I used to think that if I "picked" a career, I was picking it for good. The idea that I could "change" careers if I didn't think it was fulfilling was completely foreign to me.
Understanding this helped me break free from that:
Hope all of this helps!
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