Career plans. Who needs 'em.

Looking back at this (rather short, having deleted my previous blogging incarnation) blog, a recurring theme of my life seems to be losing interest in things in a rather fast manner. Jobs, films, life generally.

I was hoping to be able to defend myself against this. Unfortunately I have no defence, as the truth of the matter is yes, I do have an incredibly low boredom threshold.

Since my previous blog I have continued in my (promoted) job until February, gone off across three continents on an extended holiday/travelling thing for two months, then was taken back by my job in April on my return. And now I am fast getting fed up with it once more.

I used to think I had valid reasons for changing jobs when I was younger - better pay/working hours, more interesting duties (or colleagues), more scope for promotion, etc - all the usual things. And at the time, i.e. between the ages of 16 and 22, it didn't really matter if I had good enough justifications or not anyway.

However, more recently, I have been feeling pressed down under the rather large weight of the phrase "career". Why isn't a job just a job these days? Why are they suddenly now always careers?

The fact of the matter is, the simplicity implied by discussing one's employment in terms of a "job" just doesn't cut it if you have a degree: "career" suggests all sorts of long-term plans, and even goes so far as to imply that your degree might not have been a total waste of money academically.

Whereas of course, it was.

Mine was a relatively academic subject, considered rather difficult even by some. At college I was given all sorts of lip service along the lines of employers LOVING graduates, a degree shows aptitude for learning new skills etc, life experience, blah blah blah. Then I finish uni, and what is it employers are NOW looking for...? That's right. EXPERIENCE. Not so-called "life experience" (and don't get me wrong, I had fun at university), but actual hands-on, job-related experience.

So I find myself in a job with colleagues who cannot do enough to highlight just how hard they work. I believe more of their time is quite possibly spent showing how much work they do, rather than actually doing it. I'd like to be wrong about that, but I'm not sure that I am. But anyway, back to the point - I am now working somewhere I am feeling less motivated about each day, and yet I am stuck as I don't have any relevant experience.

Its not that I'm not ambitious enough. I think its that I'm too ambitious and am rapidly giving up hope as my ambitious nature is combined with an incredibly logical/realistic (some who know me well enough might even say cynical) outlook on life and I am starting to understand that my life ambitions in all likelihood will never be realised.

And I don't even have any crazy life ambitions. Just, you know, general fulfillment in certain areas of my life - career, family, relationship, friendships. Even two out of four would be good. The problem is, my job (or rather, my so-called "career") is having a negative effect on the other three areas. So I'm thinking thats the priority to sort out.

The big question is, in a recession, how to go about that?

My thinking is: to bide my time.

So, to conclude: despite my poor attention span, my waning interest in my job and its adverse effect on my quality of life, I will be staying put.

So forgive my lack of enthusiasm, but a plan that involves not deviating from what I'm already doing and doesn't hold any new/positive outcomes in the near future, well, is basically a shit plan. But what others are there?

I've analysed it with cold hard logic, and this is the most sensible plan I've come up with. To just ride it out. At least its different from what I have done previously in jobs until now. Although I may have had the right idea before. Time will tell. Hopefully not at the expense of my sanity.