We are currently recruiting interview participants for a study on callings. If you have a calling in life that you are currently living out and wouldn’t mind being interviewed, please fill out this survey: https://auburn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_51jma65sh76rYPQ   We are hoping to seek out people who would not mind participating in two interviews:

Interview 1: To discuss your calling and how it feels to have a calling ($25 gift for completing this interview)

Interview 2: You take photos that represent your calling and discuss those in a second interview ($50 gift for completing this interview)

Hi all, I am currently completing my dissertation research surrounding job passions and how this influences well-being. I am in need of participants who are currently working full-time or part-time. If you are interested it would be lovely to hear your insight!

It should only take a few minutes to complete and any support would be appreciated! 😊

🔗https://qualtricsxmr7sp94vwv.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aVSkxv6whqDcRD0

The title pretty much sums it up, but essentially I (29F) am at a point of stability in my life which I am grateful for, but it also means that I have a lot of mental energy to expend and not really sure what to do with it. I've spent the last 10 years or so just trying to get somewhere -

• Completed a science degree 8 years ago but never really used it
• Ended up working in public sector, made it to mid-level manager role until COVID+work overload+poor job fit+not seeing a future in that industry made me quit to back to uni
• Started a biomed engineering course, enjoyed it but the timing was perfect to buy a 2br unit with my bf so I went back to FT work at a uni (so much better!) so I could get enough savings to get over the line
• Currently 1 year into this uni role - I love working there, and there's opportunities in this field (grant development/research management) but I'm just so drained and disillusioned from 8 years of trying to build a career/dealing with office politics/re-establishing my career reputation that I just am tired of convincing others that I am good enough for x role. I know it's all part of hustle culture but I just feel I've lost part of myself along the way and need to rediscover it.
• In terms of personal life - one of main hobbies has been dancing and over the past 6 years I've been able to perform overseas and alongside professionals. It's given me great satisfaction...but I'm also just tired of the hustle and cost from that too (10pm rehearsals, anyone?).
• I'm also in an amazing relationship now and it's helped me feel a lot settled and at least have a clearer future in regards to home and family life.

Overall I am proud of what I have achieved...but I'm struggling to find a project/hobby that is meaningful to me that will possibly fill the intellectual void that study and more intense jobs have filled. And yes...I did consider finding a new role but I really don't know what's next for my career...all office work is starting to look all the same to me now.

Not complaining, just wanting to get input from a more removed perspective - friends and family have given me some ideas already but a lot of these are based on ideas that I had already mentioned to them in the past.

What would you do if you were in my shoes? Any thoughts are welcome.

TL;DR- I'm lacking direction because I finally have stability and I'm just tired but I want the motivation back...

How does one envision their future in order to figure out what kind of life to lead/build without the outcome being manipulated by outside voices, false thoughts, and traumas? In other words, how does one find his true purpose, career, way of life….

Hello I am searching for the meaningful career options as a mom. Quiting the white-collar job and taking care of the child is meaningful for me but wondering your opinions.

Sorry for the long post. 5th and 6th points are interesting.

Lesser Skills:

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• Vocalist/Songwriter (sorry for the bad mixing): Escucha Indie(an)Shadowrap: Cyberpynk de NIU (Technology Trap)
• Video Editing: Render Filmmakers phi - YouTube
• Graphic Designer: Nïu DáVinci on Behance
• I make art with some A.I. and my abstract Doodles: "Human Touch -Abstractdelic Art in HD": Niu DaVinci's curated colored abstract handrawn sketches - Collection | OpenSea

​

Most importantly I got 2 big project passions/skills that I would like to find a job in:

• Devising Big data visuals app schematics (mainly for big data visualization music streaming apps/websites (one in AR)) .I did extensive schematics (one app amounts to more than 137 features+ 11 revenue schemes + visuals+) for 2.5 years on my own, sometimes I was even homeless working on my ideas, (in Mexico City central library and Groningen library, Holand).Basically, the AR app would let you augment tiny "Xmas" balls mapped in treetops in parks/forests that will correspond to playable songs, for a silent bluethoot listening experience in a non-crowded nature setting.

​

• New "3Dprinted*" "Videoclipable" XNterior Sculptoric Architecture: I devised a lean business plan for Young Erasmus Entrepreneurs, and as of today I have got 17 positive feedback from Architecture companies to do a free internship, basically my idea is that from less than a quarter-million to half a million euros+ I could bring some people together in an online platform and assemble and paint* the 3Dmodel and bring it to real life, with all the modern building techniques, we could totally redesign an establishment (exterior/facade/interior/etc) to pinpoint it in the world map due to it's "WUAU" Sculptoric attraction factor, meaning "Videoclipable", with all sorts of tech and stuff imbued into it. I can't tell more, but it would not resemble a cubical composited interior/exterior place, and more like an overall immersive art experience.

I can't be that unicorn entrepreneur because I suffer from a schizo-type disorder that hinders me with constant low-volume voices judging almost everything I do in my head when I'm not focused on work.I'm taking monthly medicine and I'm stable now.

Education: I got 3 years of Architecture done I quit due to it being too parallelepiped focussed, then I went Hitchhiking from Portugal to Malaysia, amongst other trips. I'm 30 years old and I want to accomplish something in my life with a team.

It’s been years and I still can’t seem to stick to a career path. I’m afraid that I’ll choose one that isn’t financially supportive and doesn’t make me happy/content to work. I have thought about something creative/art but because I am lower income going down that path is a huge fear of mine esp knowing it’s hard to get into the industry. I know I can’t keep wandering forever especially since I live with my mother as an adult, but everytime I consider a career like psychology, teaching, etc I always get anxious and think about why I shouldn’t or wouldn’t be good and all the stuff that Doesn’t make me happy about those things. I hate that I can’t find that balance and feel like I’m running out of time to do so.

All the books and stuff says to look within but my head is stubborn as hell and I can’t seem to think about what I could feasibly do and still be happy.

I hope the following will help. For a meaningful career you should consider certain things:

1) The job should tap into you inner self, you vocation which has to do with your interests and motivation. Everyone will have different tastes here. Allow yourself to learn or study again. Test things out. Do, whatever it takes to figure out your true interests and passion.

2) A meaningful job should help others, provide genuine value or fix a real problem. You have to be aware that your job does this. If it doesn’t, it will never feel meaningful. That’s why focus on what really matters. Train yourself in self-control and moderation and you will figure out, what is important to people.

3) You have to be able to see the impact or results of your work. It’s better if it’s not a huge, abstract vision in the future, but a practical, recognisable goal that you can actually achieve in a reasonable amount of time. Then the job will feel much more meaningful. Know your personal story that you tell yourself and strive for good human relations in your workplace or with your clients.

I hope that helps you identify a meaningful career.

...

This video might help too: https://youtu.be/WOPciPSoMVg?t=153

so I'm 35 going 36, married to a wonderful wife and father to a beautiful daughter. I'm a senior waiter in a hotel. I studied fnb operations but fail because I was skipping school a lot. right now I have about 6 good years of experience working in fnb but I find myself stuck because I don't enjoy my job. feels like its a chore going to work. I'm never early, either I'm on time or a few minutes late. this is the first job I have held onto the longest(4 years). its an achievement for me since every other job has either booted me or I just left because there was no progress. bummed around a lot. you can say I am addicted to pc gaming. I love being around people, I think I'm a great listener. enjoy it when my friends look for me for advice on stuff I know. I procrastinate a lot(gaming/youtube/watching documentaries). i feel learning for me has to be a hands on else i will loose interest. during the recent covid lockdowns, we were attending online classes from home and i realised i was unable to cope with subjects which required lots of reading. but when it came to interacting with the class or team, i was always talking. i actually enjoyed presenting what we learnt at the end of the day but i choked up when i realised that my classmates were actually paying attention to me. i had to look away just to stay focused on what i had to say.

at the end of the day, I feel the need to get a job with regular hours that pays decently so i can have more energy and time to help around the house and spend time with the family. maybe something to do with computers? or maybe writing(tho i find it hard to be inspired)? accountant(i know i can deal with maths well)? researcher(i enjoy finding something i know nothing about and just finding out more about it)?

job searches are hard for me cause i dont know what the job titles/scopes entail. with no education i also feel like i will not have a chance. i live in Singapore where everything is fast paced and i am falling behind everyday i wake up. its just eating me away.

Not only do I feel unbelievably lost when it comes to my life and career, I also feel stuck. I'm a college junior majoring in HR and I hate it so much. The classes are so uninteresting and my HR internship was hell for me. I worked in a great environment, but the job content itself was awful. I can't spend my whole life working in this field. Not to sound dramatic, but I think it would be the death of me. The only reason that my major is still HR is because I'm only one class from completing the major requirements and I genuinely have no idea what else I would do. I've never known what I wanted, which is why I began contemplating careers since I was in about 10th grade. But here I am, 21 years old and I still don't even know what general job field I want to pursue, much less which specific job.

Growing up, I was always considered the "smart kid" and was praised my my peers, teachers, and parents. Look at me now. I have no direction, no purpose, no goals, because I just don't know what I've been working towards all these years. I've worked so hard, and for what? I'm a junior in college and have a 4.0 GPA, and for what? I got scholarship and am in the honors program for my university, but really, all for what? What is the point of working so hard when I don't even know what I'm working towards? It all feels pretty pointless to me.

All I know is that I don't want to be in school for too long. I don't want to get a PhD. I'd get a Masters and work as hard as possible if I found a field I enjoyed and wanted to study, and of course I would finish my Bachelor's degree. But I don't know what to switch my major to at this point. I've never enjoyed math unfortunately. In the past I've found biology and food sciences moderately interesting. Psychology, philosophy, and religion are also of extreme interest to me. The only hobby I've ever truly had, the only thing I've ever been immersed in, is reading and writing. That sums up my interests/likes/dislikes. Unfortunately, I feel as though many of these areas of interest don't lead to a comfortable income which is rather off-putting for me. Although I want to find some modicum of enjoyment in my career, I also want money to live, not just survive, if that makes sense. I want to have money to travel a bit while I'm young and hopefully buy a house one day.

I've never imagined myself working a typical 9-5, but part of growing up is settling and putting a lid on your expectations of your future, apparently. Although I'm studying HR, I really wouldn't enjoy an office/business setting, but I don't know. Clearly I'm indecisive. All I've crossed off my list of possible careers is lawyer, doctor, HR professional, accountant. I have sufficient reasoning for each but if I explained them this post would be too long. But every other career is still on the table for me. I'm open to suggestions either of careers to look into, or actions to take to try and find what career will be right for me.

All I want is a career I will enjoy at least a little bit, and that won't leave me broke. I still want to have a comfortable life and go on vacation once a year. I'm sorry that this is so long and dramatic, I just feel so stuck and want to change my major before this semester starts. Thanks in advance :)

Hey, this is my first post on Reddit so I'm not sure if I'm doing this right or if this is the right subreddit to post on. If not, I'll gladly take some direction as to where I should post.

I graduated a few years ago with an engineering degree and have been working for the last year as a project manager for a group of software engineers. I have never felt so drained in my entire life. At the beginning it was boring but I wanted to give it a fair shot because (at least for me) most things are draining when you start. But the last few months I have started to dread going into work and feel empty when I'm done with a day of work. I've started realizing that a few times a week, after a shift, that I sit in my car for over an hour asking myself "what am I doing here?", too drained to go out and do the things that I typically do that make life enjoyable. I sit there in a catatonic state, not seeing anything around me, so numbed that I just think, and when I look at my watch it's been an hour.

I've worked since I was 15. I started a lawn mowing and a window washing business and have had several jobs since then. I worked on a farm and done construction. I don't think that it's a lack of work ethic, I just think that my job is not a very good fit for me. Even as I was getting my degree I thought "engineering isn't a very good fit for me", but I was paying $5,000 a semester and was 2.5 yrs in so I decided to keep pushing.

I love/ do well with:

• Exercising
• Nutrition
• Working with my hands (I've done some construction/ contracting work)
• Being outside
• Helping other people (before Covid I was volunteering at old folks homes and I've done humanitarian work)
• Listening to others/ working with others

I struggle with:

• Reading dense materials (textbooks, research articles on things I don't care about, software reports, etc...)
• Sitting still/ at a desk all day
• I think I have an attention disorder (3 of my siblings and my mother have all been diagnosed with ADHD)
• Attention to minute details. (I've gotten into some trouble at work because I miss a few tiny details on reports that my boss is very quick to catch)

I've taken some tests to figure out more about myself:

• Enneagram:

• 1.) Type 2 - The Helper

• 2.) Type 3 - The Achiever

• 3.) Type 6 - The Loyalist

• Myers Briggs:

• ENFP

I have more if y'all want to know, I can tell you.

I'm here just asking for advice. I had talked to people about shadowing them (a dentist and a nurse) but because of COVID they can't have any additional people there who aren't staff.

What jobs do I should look into?/ How did you find your job that you feel satisfied in?

TL;DR: My job makes me feel dead inside and I need a change. What career paths should I look into?

Hello everyone,

This is my first time posting here. So lately I've been so frustrated with my career. I am a 20 year old graphic designer freelancing creating designs on many crowd platforms. So 2 years back I was doing my graduation in BSc in CS ( Computer Science ). And somehow I was demotivated as it was so boring, the lectures! Seriously, it was not boring because of the content, it was because of the methods of teaching they used. The teachers used to come in class and read the books and make us write those fucking notes again and again, which were in the book. I felt so helpless. I shared it with my friends and told them and if we go through this path, these methods will just make us cogs in some companies. Now I donno if I've hurt someone's feelings w.r.t college and education, I'm sorry. It's just I'm letting it out. There were very few teachers who used to make us use our brains. So I decided to drop out and do something else. Each and every person I knew stopped me from doing this as they told you need at least a degree to do something or else there will be a bad future. They told me you can do this degree then do everything. I know they said as they cared about me and my future.

So I dropped and started my game development studio. I took a debt of around $500 to get licenses and everything else. 6 Months were over and my game launched. It was great going. And then Google blocked my ad account. Also I haven't been paid anything yet. No revenue from the game. Nothing! I knew one thing that I am always bigger than my problems. So I sat and wondered what to do. 1 month passed and I started my social media agency. And then I learned graphic design. 2 months I spent learning everyday about digital marketing, social media and then I got a client. And that was my first client. I got my first deal for around $700 as I worked hard and gave a professional result in a span of 1 month. So it was great. My debt was paid. And I've continued providing services. This all happened till last year!

From last year I started participating in designing contests on crowdsourcing platforms like Designcrowd, 99Designs and my mental health has been deteriorating because you are competing against 50 or 100 designers in these platforms. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't. That creates so much frustration. I've been improving my skills but even though how much I improve, the last minute the client chooses something of very low level from the submitted entries. And even if I have created a great design, the client doesn't even select. He selects the design after 2-3 months. No feedback is received on most of the designs. It feels so frustated. Even I've marketed my services in my local area. No one buys because they want to buy from some rich studio. I'm really frustrated with this career. I know the world is like this but I just wanted to let it out and I want some suggestions from you. Most of the designers from whom I learn create courses and earn. I don't want to be some course seller just to earn money! In fact now a days I even don't enjoy graphic designing or social media marketing for which I started. Now I know before the situation was that, I needed money, but I chose this because I wanted to do something different, something that I've never tried or never done in my life.

I thank anyone who spends his time in helping me to relieve me from this chaos. Thank for for reading.

I am moving from Seattle to either Denver or Austin this year due to husband job etc. Here I was in the middle of opening my business our large local farmers market selling all sorts of berries, fruit, mushrooms, microgreens and ciders. Since I can't take plants across the borders with me I'll have to start fresh and am unsure if I have the heart to plant and wait for trees to fruit when we may end up moving again. I am a Master Gardener / beekeeper and will definitely be taking the local course to whichever location I go to, but more for myself than anything else. In Denver we will be priced out from having a property big enough to start much of a business, and Austin seems pretty over plentiful in regards to anything I would consider starting. I have culinary school, restaurant server, bartender & barista background that I could pursue, but don't have a specific dream or picture in mind. I do know I want to run my own business eventually, rather than just join and work for another. I feel pretty adrift in that I just don't know what fits, works, or would start my passion back up again after all this.

Hi, all! I just found this sub, and it couldn’t have come at a better time!

I graduated with my associates in liberal arts this May, and then I started at a private four-year school after summer break. This school was a terrible fit, had terrible professors, no one cared whether you succeeded or failed, and they straight out lied to me about the strength of their writing program. I felt like I was drowning, and my mental health really started to deteriorate because of it. So, a little over a month ago, I dropped out.

I decided to take some time off to find what path I’m supposed to be on and who TF I even am (because I have never had a clear feel for either), and I am having an incredibly hard time figuring it out. But, here is a list of what I know about me so far:

• I love reading, writing, and editing
• I am obsessed with history, folklore, and mythology
• I love meeting new people, experiencing different cultures, talking to people about what they believe (politically, socially, religiously, etc.) and why they believe it, I love seeing how we can all look at the same thing, event, or topic and all come away with different takeaways
• I want to travel the world and see everything, I want to try all the food, see all the art, stand in all the ruins, and drink in all the history and beauty
• I love learning and trying new things
• I really like the idea of a nomadic lifestyle, having an RV or trailer, not being rooted to anything. Being able to just move at the drop of a hat, to go where I want whenever I want sounds wonderfully freeing
• I want flexibility in my schedule (I don’t want to be worked to death, I want to have a life outside of work too)
• I don’t want my job to dictate how I live my life outside of work (E.G. nurses can’t paint their nails, have visible tattoos, excessive piercings, etc.)
• I’m 100% an introvert, so I need time alone, but I also need something to force me to not lock myself in my apartment 24/7 • I absolutely suck at math (it’s quite sad honestly)

If anyone can give me advice, I would be unendingly grateful!!! I have no idea where to start, I have no idea what jobs encapsulate all these passions, I don’t know what education I need to bring all these loves together, I don’t know what job fields are flooded! I am so lost right now, it’s starting to feel like I’m never going to figure out where I am and where I’m supposed to end up!

TL;DR: I am lost and looking for advice on how to find my career path (and the route I need to take there, I.E. do I need a degree, what level degree would be needed, internships, etc.). I have a million interests that include writing, editing, travel, history, nomadic RV/van living, etc. And I know a few things I don’t want, like never having any real time off, and not being able to have tattoos or piercings.

Hello everyone, just stumbled upon this subreddit and felt compelled to ask advice as this is a subject on my heart lately.

I've always wished I had a driving passion that led me to a path for a career or long term goals. I know it's cliched, but I was one of those "You can succeed at anything you put your mind towards" gifted students at school.

I messed up after high school, flunked out of many classes as I just didn't care and was going through the motions. Long story short, no debt from school but no degree, and am about a year and a half of part time classes before I could get an AA degree.

I worked Retail for a decade, went from crew member to managing multiple stores, staffing stores, ordering, all that jazz. Made nothing.

Switched to IT and I like my job, but I don't know if I want to pursue this as a long term career. I work at an MSP and do whatever comes my way, but am more interested in learning about anything else than this in my free time.

It seems you need to want to go home and build labs, teach yourself a language and constantly learn to succeed.

I've always wanted to have a healthy work/life balance and leave my job at the office about 90% of the time. I do understand working late, and projects, but I don't want to be glued to my phone like I see most people in higher roles having to do.

Tl;dr

What are some tips for me to find what I want to do if I can see myself being able to learn almost any job?

Hello,

I am a Ph.D. student at Purdue University and I am interested in examining U.S. working adults’ experiences of being employed, including those employed under their expectation, need, or desire, and how they perceive their working environments.

Please contribute to research regarding work experience. I truly believe that your help will make meaningful contribution to make our working environment more decent!

This survey is for adults who (a) age 18 years or older, (b) work at least part-time, (c) are not a full-time student. Select the link below to access more information about the study and to complete the 5-10 minute survey.

https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3PeclAAXD14vHaB

Best,

Taewon Kim

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Counseling Psychology Ph.D Student

College of Education | Purdue University