My desk job is making me feel ill.

[Sublab]

After years coördinating a team of technicians (from behind a desk) I decided to go back to school and became a welder and rope access climber. Finished both courses (both courses were after work hours) and really set out to find either a welding job or a climbing job, or even a combination of both which would have been real sweet. I live in Belgium, a small country, and rope access is still a new thing over here so pretty soon all the companies doing rope access gave me their 'no', because they weren't hiring or because I'm too new to it all and wouldn't be able to get into the routine fast enough. Welding jobs the same thing: vacancies all around, but I got the same answer over and over again: NO EXPERIENCE.... Can you believe that? I figured at least someone would let me do a test weld to see at what level I am, but no, no experience, so no job, not even a test. I got very dissapointed and frustrated. My job as a coördinator went down the drain: 33 technicians got fired for so-called financial reason, which was just a cover up to clear out those that did not nod their heads to every silly decision the management made. My work just became impossible sometimes, not having enough technicians to get things fixed on time, customers blaiming me all day long and the management blaiming me for it aswell! Go figure! So about 3 months back I resigned and found a job as a crosstrader for an airfreight company (no experience there either!!), desiring to feel the weight drop off of my shoulders, and it didn't happen. I started working that new job right away, threw all my energy into getting up and running as fast as I could, and it works. I'm getting the hang of it, I see planes taking off every five minutes, and I like that, I'm paid well, the colleagues are okay, the distance hom-work is fine, I even do it by bike, saves going to the gas station. And you know what? I hate every minute of being there doing what I do. I can't relate to sitting down all day any longer, e-mailing, being on the phone, resolving issues, billing, and so on. It makes me feel ill. I dream of working outside, in the open air, and it ain't happening. And tomorrow is monday......Oh no! I feel like Garfield.

[jmattbassplaya]

I dunno how I'm going to handle having a "real" job once I'm out of college (assuming I'm lucky enough to land one). I hate sitting on my butt for any length of time.

[Dusk]

I'm dreading my day job tomorrow morning...
and Monday is 'get crapped on by the boss day' ...joy

But I'll come home play bass and it will all go away, until Tuesday morning...

and my story begins once more

fml sometimes ><

[Mooch]

I absolutley hate my job with a passion, but there is no other options for me. Trying to feed my kids keep a roof over my head right now is about all I can do. I run an industrial Co2 Laser, 2 amada punch machines, a 10 foot press brake, and weld. It the most depressing and un-rewarding work I have ever done.

I single handedly keep my plant running, but never even get so much as a thank you. I work in 110 degree and humid temps everyday and all I have is one tiny fan that 95 percent of the time I am never in front of.

I would take a job sitting on my butt in the AC any day of the week. My back is ruined from my work, my fingers constantly get crushed from lifting and moving heavy parts. It sucks. Move here you can have my job. I'll move there and do yours.

Good Luck, I understand your pain.

[Dusk]

yeah, unfortunately it comes down to paying the bills

[Unrepresented]

Originally Posted by Sublab

After years coördinating

Your post's text count exceeded my fruit fly level attention span, however, your use of the umlaut makes your post the most metal post in OT of the day.

[Strat-Mangler]

My advice would be to see if you could do a stage ; that is working for a small wage (or sometimes free) while under the wing of an experienced worker.

There are plenty of programs like this in Canada. Maybe there are some in your country. That'd give you the experience and references needed to acquired a better job for you.

Good luck!

[MakiSupaStar]

My day job tomorrow will definitely need an extra bodysurfing break or two.

[Tat2dHeart]

I sometimes get some insane hours (I've worked about 1/2 of my last three vacations), but I can't complain too much about my job. Headphones in at least 40% of the day listening to whatever music I'm trying to learn while I work. If I have a rehearsal or lesson after work, bass is in the office and they don't fuss if I close the door and noodle around at lunchtime.

[Sublab]

Originally Posted by Strat-Mangler

My advice would be to see if you could do a stage ; that is working for a small wage (or sometimes free) while under the wing of an experienced worker.

There are plenty of programs like this in Canada. Maybe there are some in your country. That'd give you the experience and references needed to acquired a better job for you.

Good luck!

Yeah, we have that over here and if I were 25 it would be okay, but I'm 32 and have 2 kids to shelter and feed. The positive flipside to my situation however is that I don't have a contract yet, I'm still in my trial period which means I can end it any time I feel like as can the company I work for. It's far from what I'm doing now but I'm thinking of contacting temporary employment offices to get anything I can get my hands on. Seriously, I'm so out of tune with what I do professionally that I am considering doing the simplest job for a low income just untill I get a shot at what I really want. Next October has the Brussels Airport Fire Brigade tests coming up and I want to be in them. It would make a major difference in my life. The thing is that I have a NEED for sports, physically, and a bad tendency to drink when stuff don't go my way. It's really double. I'm tall and athletic, train every day and eat very concious, yet I drink most people under the table - something I always do when I'm not in tune with what is going on around me. Seriously, I've been having a bad time for past 3 years professionally and the floors, somehow, have fallen away from under me. It's double: I can run and bike and climb; I play the bass like a soft madman and apparently, or so my bandmates say, I'm able to sing and possess strong and warm vocal chords - yet a bad day job puts me out of my balance and I topple over. Over here it's a quarter past twelve and I've been drinking a lot lately, Belgian beers, too much, too much to cope with if you need routine to have the things done you need to do, for the kids you know? Maybe I'm being a bitch about this stuff and I have to get my act together.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

I have seen that problem over here.

People use taught courses for the trades, but employers are only really interested in people who have taken apprenticeships (so they have all the training and a fair amount of on the job training).

I don't know what to say, other than I'm sure there are jobs out there. Do you only apply for formally advertised positions? It might be worthwhile approaching companies (it works better with small companies) and saying "look, I have this and that and could do this" and see what they say. Not all positions are advertised and sometimes being more than a name on an application can make all the difference.

[fhm555]

Try working for yourself...at home.