Careers

I’ve worked the same job for the past thirty years. It’s been an absolute slog and I have probably enjoyed about a day’s worth of work in total. To say I hate my job is an understatement. I get absolutely no pleasure from my work and I don’t see the point of the job I do. The only reason I’ve stayed in my job so long is because it’s steady work and I had a family to support. In another life, if I had the option to choose a simpler job that paid less, I would have taken it, but when you had four kids to support you have to do what you don’t want to do.

As of yesterday, our youngest daughter graduated from high school. That means I’m free. I no longer have to pay school fees and all my children are now either married or away at college. I can finally undergo a career change. Melbourne is a massive city and full of opportunities that I was never able to take, and now I’m going to take them. I’m going to work in a career that I actually enjoy. I have no idea what that will be as I’ve been so anti-work for thirty years now, but I know if it’s in a completely different direction to my current job, I will be ten-times happier. 

My wife is on-board with me changing my career, which is such a relief. She said we don’t need the extra money that my current job would bring in, as we were never used to having that money since it was always going to school fees. She is incredibly understanding and because of her, I’m going to visit a career consultant. Melbourne is a great place, but I really don’t want to work in the CBD. I’m hoping the career consultant can help me find a relaxing job near my home, so that I can spend more time doing what’s important to me… spending time with my incredible wife and in my garden.

I know I’m not supposed to swear, but what the HECK. I actually had fun filling out this big old stupid questionnaire, because it actually seemed like I was going to get a result that aligned with my interests. Then we get them back and suddenly it looks like I’m locked into a life of being a hotel desk manager. Yeah, a ‘desk manager’. In other words, someone who works at the desk of a hotel and is given the title of ‘manager’ to shut them up.

Everyone else in the class gets things like pilot and anaesthetist, and here’s me stuck at desk forever. And not like a ‘boring but earning serious dollars’ desk, either. I’m pretty sure I won’t even get to sit down at this one.

This is why they need more accessible career coaching for students. We HAVE a careers office, but the last time I visited I was turned away after a few minutes with a pamphlet entitled Get a Job, Bob! It was basically just a bunch of cartoons about this little yellow blob man with legs, called, Bob, who…gets a job. And he learns things like filing his taxes and why office staplers shouldn’t be taken home. Not why I went into the careers office in the first place, so overall, a waste of time. But that’s a public school for you…I bet Mr Ryan was just hired because the government said they had to for three days a week or whatever, and they went for the easy hiring option. 

No, I want to talk to someone who actually does career counselling. Like, they got into it because they wanted to and not because it’s a government-mandated program. So, someone who gives real advice that doesn’t come from pamphlet. But that be how it is in Melbourne. Career counselling isn’t in school, because that would make too much sense. No, we just get stupid questionnaires instead.