Why we are not satisfied

[crazywillie]

I don't know if I am the only one, but I have the funny feeling that I am no, so here's my 2 cents (sorry for the typos)

I am in my mid twenties and I started my first 2 jobs in recruiting (YUCK!), then got in an internet company, and I loved it. The fast pace, the chaos, the contributing to my company's bottom line, doing everything from meeting w/ clients to putting together office cubicles. And pay was not great to start, but my managers totally realized that I was gung ho about this and gave me 40% pay increases in my first year. I was able to pitch ideas, propose strategies and just work my ass off. (Working 12 hours a day can do some damage to a relationship, but that is another story altogether). I hated it at times, and loved it at others, and then it all came crashing down. So, I took a job in a fortune 500 (some security, finally) only to realize that these companies usually run their internet divisions like an accounting department, everytrhing is very slow, tons of politics, managers are scared of your innovations because it may make them look bad, etc etc.

So I find myself with a job, and for that I am thankful, and it is a good job for someone who wants to take 2 hour lunches and stay below the radar, but I am only 25, now is the time for me to bust my ass, so that when I am 40 I can actually enjoy time with my family and not have to work 60 hours, but that kind of work ethic is almost shunned.

So although I have a job, and a good paying one, that is only half the equation, being miserable does take a toll on you too. I want to be a superstar wherever I work, but I am not given the opportunity.

Anybody had a similar experience?

[crazy-girl]

Willie,
I understand. I was a producer in tv news right out of college and I actually had my boss tell me that I was a superstar. He used that word. I got a chance to be creative, I was given positive feedback and help when I needed it. I was paid crap but came in on weekends without overtime to help out. Next job was at a bigger station in a bigger city and I got lost in the huddle. Was never listened to, never got a chance to experiment, no feedback at all---positive or negative.

[angiebabie1976]

I understand EXACTLY how you feel. I have worked for companies that have at least 1000 employees. Thus, I have not learned a thing. All I learn is the procedures of processing paperwork from one pile to the next pile. I don't understand how anything works, why they work the way they do. I have vented many times. It's not that we don't have the talent, it is that we are not given the opportunity to prove our talent. Everything has already been formulated, implemented, and running successfully. They don't need some wise kid to screw things up or complicate things for them. My supervisor thinks I'm doing a great job (I've been here for 1 yr.), compliments me all the time for being a great worker. I thank him for it, and I feel that they are deserved, but I'm not challenged mentally. I am glad that my supervisor is out of the office 2-3 days out of the week. I get to take 2 hour lunches if I want to and I get to come in late.
I had a breakdown last night, and I'm feeling the after affect today. I'm depressed, wondering why I'm wasting my time doing something that I don't enjoy. But then, at the same time, I'm glad that I have a job, a steady paycheck, and a totally laid-back supervisor.

[crazy-girl]

Sometimes when I complain about my job my friends say "well, at least you have one" which is true becuase a lot of friends don't have jobs or have been laid off a few times in the past year but I just don't like THIS job. I feel bad complaining but should I really settle with a life I don't want just because others are living a worse life---others are living better lives! Why can't I want what they have?

[Phoenix]

I don't think that it's wrong for you to want better or sometimes to vent about your job. It's great that you have goals and don't want to settle. But I think it is necessary to be sensitive to those friends that don't have a job and would be grateful to just be earning a paycheck (crappy job or not). I suppose it's all viewpoint - what you're experiencing at the moment changes what you want and how much you want it.

[Unregistered]

SAw this website and read a few things...just remember that it still feesl the same when ya get to your 30s......still trying to decide whether or not to stay with my career