The Best Way to Appreciate Your Job

is to imagine yourself without one…or worse, doing a shitty one.

Imagine that you're someone who has known exactly what you wanted to do since you were 12.You spend the next 17 years becoming that person : study hard , get the highest ATAR score possible , get admitted to the best university in the country , graduate with 3 first-class degrees and finally you're there. You get the job. Your dream has come true!

Fast forward 3 years later, you're disillusioned , burned out and rapidly falling into depression.This is the story of a close friend and colleague.

First of all, I should say that we work for the best organisation ever. There was this very dark period in my life when my Gramps had just passed away, Gran was diagnosed with Dementia, my wife was very sick and I had 2 toddlers to take care of. I barely turned up for work 10 times in a period of 4 months and yet I never had to worry that there was enough money in the bank account to pay for the mortgage, bills,groceries..etc The company took care of that. HR and my secretary took turns calling to make sure that I was ok ,that I was coping, that I didn't need anything. My boss and his wife even came once week with some groceries and to take my kids for the afternoon, just so I could have a bit of a breathing space. They are amazing. Its like a big, warm, caring family.

So the problem is not with the organisation….but maybe my colleague doesn't know that.He's never had any other job so he may not realise how good we've got it here. He has decided to take an 18 months hiatus. He's not the kind of person who could stay home, dwindling his thumb. So we (my other colleagues and myself) has thought that we could compile a list of shitty jobs and get him to apply for them. By shitty jobs, I mean the kind that you do because you're either a struggling student who has very limited skills and qualifications or you have no other options. The colleague in question has agreed to give it a go.

Hopefully this thread might also help actual students or people who are desperately looking for a job and has limited skills/qualifications.

So I'll go first…While I was at uni, I worked as a BP service attendant, as a mushroom picker on a farm in Mernda and as a life model. Out of the 3, the life model was by far the best paid and easiest job. It also did wonders for my self-esteem:)

TL;DR : Colleague wants to take 18 months off work to do a lowly paid job which requires limited skills and no qualifications :p

Comments

  • +4

    Wow, that sounds amazing! I'd love to work for a company that supports their staff like that!

  • +1

    I think some new perspective would be good for him actually. It helps if you view work as a learning process as opposed to something you have to do to survive.

    You know what would be great? Try working in a 3rd world country. (If your mate can afford not to work)

  • Hi Op, just interested in what field you are in to experience that sort of treatment?

    • -1

      Science, R&D.. sorry can't be more specific.

  • +1

    I worked a few seasons picking mangoes and lychees while in high school. Also set up my own (unofficial) business selling mangoes on the side of the road which was easier but a bit less money. When I was studying I would take part in pharmaceutical trials for extra cash.

    The pharmaceutical trials were by far the best for me. The money was tax free and didn't affect Centrelink payments. Trials generally consisted of 8-10 hour days, a couple of needles to start the day with a cannula inserted for easy blood taking throughout the day. Breakfast (premium cereals), lunch (ordered from a cafe menu) and snacks were provided. Movies and an xbox were provided for entertainment throughout the day. Payment was around $170 per day plus a bonus $50 if you were one of the people selected for additional testing with a tube placed through the nose into your stomach.

    • Thanks donga100

    • Did you know what they were injecting you with or were you just trusting them (scary) and hoping it was safe?

      • Yes, the needles were just to take blood and insert the cannula. The medication (ibuprofen) was taken orally. They provided detailed information on what they were doing the trials for; mostly testing absorption rates using different tablet/capsule compositions.

        I participated in a few other trials for things like nicotine patches, effect of pain on movement, etc. but they weren't as consistent or didn't pay as much money.

  • Get your friend to seek some professional help to deal with his issues (GP, psychologist, psychiatrist). Running away from an issue never resolves it.

    • +1

      He is getting professional help. His problem is that he had one goal for the past 17 years and that was the driving force in his life. Now that he has attained this goal,he doesn't know what he's going to do for the next 60-70 years.

      • +3

        I can relate to this pretty strongly.
        By the time I was about 30 I had accomplished pretty much all my main goals.
        Admittedly, I had formulated most of them when I was a teenager, and they were pretty realistic/possible.
        But It meant I was a bit aimless for a while. The main change for me was having kids, which really 'soaked up' any excess ennui, and left me less time for aimless introspection.
        Since then, I have changed the way my goals in life work.
        I used to have a concrete goal like 'live overseas for a while' or 'own a convertible car'. These can be achieved, but then need to be replaced by a new goal (own 2 convertible cars, own an island!). The problem is the diminishing returns. A convertible car was great fun for a couple of years, but it is impractical if you have kids, costly etc. I'm pleased I had that enjoyment, but owning 2 of them, or even 1 that is a toy for Sunday drives, brings less and less pleasure compared to that feeling of swapping the 15yro Pulsar for a European convertible I got back then.

        So I make my goals more about processes. Increase my time spent with friends and family. Work on more important things, and work less on unimportant things. Travel more. Recognise when playing a computer game or watching TV is a little recreational break or when it is sucking up and wasting time that could be used to accomplish more meaningful goals.
        And generally look at life in terms of what activities get me to a place where more of the things I value are happening.

        This might mean not chasing a promotion at work, if I identify that a little more prestige and/or money is going to reduce my family time, ability to take vacations etc, as an example of how this kind of approach works.
        Or alternatively, pushing myself out of my comfort zone because doing that thing may open a door to some more meaningful activities.

        The main change has to come with self knowledge about what is important/meaningful/happiness inducing for you. My suggestion is to take that and work to align aspects of your life in that direction. So if you decide you get a lot of inner peace from studying Buddhism, for example, it might mean no longer working in advertising. Or if you find caring for people rewarding, then volunteering in a community org might be your next step.

        In essence, it is the most important question - how am I going to live my life?

        • Really couldn't put it any better than that.

          Biggest thing though is to try and look after the financial side so you don't get stuck in a spiral. Though there is a big difference between affording rent and affording a new car.

          I've managed to get myself qualified in a couple of niche fields yet am trapped by the fact that it is a niche. Done some well daft things and left myself in a position where I do not have any wriggle room to do much except work where I am already. A highly qualified and highly trained person is only really utilized for the necessary tasks at hand and that can sometimes be less than glorious and challenging.

          A whole heap of people find themselves in crisis when it comes to the reality of working life but that doesn't mean it isn't worth working out the issues at hand. Even with debt, a niche career, injuries and a looming job market which is less than brilliant a no-hoper like myself still has hope. Life often has limited reason and value to it but the alternatives are most probably worse so try and give it a go.

        • Thanks for the comment, I appreciate the perspective.

  • +2

    This is very interesting topic. I don't know exactly what your friend wants. But setting out a new challenge/learning exercises in your career is quite important. Last year, I almost quit the job because I felt I had learned nothing from the job for a while. But fortunately, the business saw that and decided to move me to another department. Now I'm excited to learn new thing everyday. I don't know how long it would last, but I'm enjoying the work now.

  • +2

    Is he in a relationship? Does he have kids? Does he have hobbies? To me this doesn't sound like a job problem…it sounds like a LiFE problem. Work should only be one dimension to your existence. If it's the ONLY point to your existence, you will very quickly feel unfulfilled. He sounds like he needs to develop himself outside of work - whether that be with new relationships, or putting himself out of his comfort zone whether it's travelling or taking up a new hobby - a language, a sport or volunteer work.

  • +1

    Wow, your colleague sounds seriously unwell to give up on a golden ticket which he worked so hard for in the first place.

    Being a new professional is tough but to drop everything for 18 months is a big call, good to see that he is getting help.

    As for shitty jobs, I've worked in vineyards in the scorching heat and ice cold morning rains which was a nice motivator to help get me through my studies.

  • +3

    Debt Collection for a bank (call centre), a friend of mine used to work in one and the abuse he use to get… He would have to call them on sunday and pretty much ask for money that they owed.

    • +1

      I used to do debt collector in a call centre for the ato… Not nice.

  • He should become a doctor!
    Work as an intern for a year then he'll love whatever this R&D job you have where people care about your well-being cos in the hospital when you fall, they go "NEXT!"

  • +1

    It sounds like you have the dream employer, and your colleague is very fortunate to have a friend who cares.

    One word - FELLMONGERY! Hubby worked there for a couple during holidays when we at UNI.

    The smell alone is just the most vile thing you can imagine, and gets into your skin, and won't wash out. The company washed the work clothes there, but the clothes he came home in still reeked, to the point that washing them made me dry-retch.

    It was physically hard work, and not particularly well paid, and the Q-Fever shot he had to have before he started made him quite ill for a fortnight (he WAS paid sick pay, fortunately, even though he hadn't physically started the job at that stage.)

    Those are the only times during his life that he has given up chewing his nails. lol

    • +2

      FELLMONGERY

      Wow, thanks for introducing me to a new word for today. Job doesn't sound very pleasant at all from what I read.

  • +1

    Thanks everyone for the suggestions. He has decided to volunteer at an organisation where my wife used to work.He's already submitted his application .Just waiting for his police check to come through. He will be working with young adults along the autistism spectrum.He's really excited about it. He's even looking into getting either a cert 4 in disability or a graduate diploma in disability studies :)

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