Career transition blues and now completely lost

[natura]

Hi!

Experiencing a career transition anyone? I quit my job last year to seek out something I want to "do in life," something "worth spending hours doing," something "meaningful in life," etc. After quitting my job, I jumped right in and took an intensive career exploration program in landscape architecture, then I tried the Teaching field by substituting in the local schools. The only other field I really want to try out is real estate investments. However, I feel really lost... I feel like I am committed to making a successful career transition but what if I can't find something that makes me tick!, can't find anything that I am passionate about... I'm beginning to believe that maybe there isn't anything really meaningful for me to do. What I've found to be successful to me now is so different and isn't even work related and deals more with personal growth and personal relationships. IAnyone, who has been in this position before? Any suggestions? Anyone else confused?

 

Thanks!

[ThisGirlNameKD]

Yes I have been in your position, and what you're going through is common and normal. Not everyone knows what career path they want to take. When I got out of high school I wanted to be a cosmetologist. But everyone was saying there was big money is secretarial work. So I went to secretarial school. I did secretarial work for 8 years, and while there was money in it, I hated it with a passion. I thought it was boring as heck! I wanted to do something created, like....cosmetology. When I turned 26, I enrolled in cosmetology school, and guess what? I hated it! Well, I liked cosmetology as an art and science, but I didn't want to make a career out of it. But cosmetology was something I always wanted to do. What what I going to do know? I had so many other interests, but I didn't want to spend time and money (more so the money) getting into something I might eventually not like and end up wanting to do something else.

 

Well, when I was doing my secretarial stint, I found myself drawn to self help books (they were what I would read when I didn't have much to do), and I have a very deep interest in understanding why people do the things they do, the behavior processes they go through, what they're thinking. That was something I was willing to studying about, and willing to help others with. So when I left cosmetology school, I decided to enroll in college and major in psychology and I love it. I realize that this is what I would love to do. My husband always knew what he wanted to do since he was 5 years old, and he's working toward that now. But not everyone is sure what they want to do and sometimes it takes alot of time to figure it out. There's a book out called "What Should I Do With My Life?" by Po Bronson that's suppose to be a great book for people who are in your situation (he was on Oprah so it must be good). Maybe you can take a look at that and that can help you make a better decision.