Heart not into job anymore

What do you do when your heart just isn't into your job anymore? First off, I am very glad I have the job I do, and happy for the fact it is stable and don't think I need to worry about layoffs or anything. It pays well and has good benefits, and I've been here for 7 years (rare for an engineer).

The problem is, I don't know what I'd do if I were to seek another job. I really want to work for myself and have a few ideas, but don't have the funding or all of the know-how yet to do it. I just feel stuck. I'd love to open a kart track or do driving instruction full time but the latter won't pay the bills.

Any advice? I'm not bailing without something to go to, but just hate this stuck feeling, and the door is open with nowhere to go.

Thanks for listening.

CGLockRacer wrote: Any advice? I'm not bailing without something to go to, but just hate this stuck feeling, and the door is open with nowhere to go. Thanks for listening.

I have nothing useful to add other than I know how you feel. I've been here for 11+ years (also engineering job). I'm burnt out and the thought of doing this job/career for another ~30 years until retirement makes me want to swallow a shot-gun blast...

The only thing that keeps me going now is the more short-term goal of seeing my mortgage paid off and thus not needing the salary so much.

Ahh, the golden handcuffs - too comfy to leave, but not happy. IMHO it's a E36 M3ty way to go through life. So put together a business plan for a kart track or driving school and see if you can push some action for making it happen. Otherwise, maybe see about taking on new projects at work or figuring out a way to light up a spark again. One of the best moves I've made was leaving a job I was comfortable/secure in to go for an iffy, but interesting gig at a struggling company.

oldtin wrote: Ahh, the golden handcuffs - too comfy to leave, but not happy.

Bingo...

I hear ya CGlock, you are not alone. Every day I leave the house for work I tell myself this may be my last day there... makes me feel a little better n e way. There's been more than a few jobs in my field advertised lately.. but they might not hold my interest either after six months.

As probably a lot of other folks here, I too have dreams and schemes working on my own, don't need a whole lot to break even as I already have a small pension, add to that resto, repairs, flipping or detailing cars, fab work etc... I'd be doing OK w/o hittin' their berkeleying time clock.

I did manage to save enough from this job to build a smallish new shop.... and that is my motivation to keep going to work till it's built.

If you are in a position to start something on the side w/ expanding possibilities, once it's established you might only 'side step' your way out of the old job into the new. That's always been my perogative

and good luck too

What kind of engineer? Are you willing to relocate?

My firm has a ton of openings right now, mostly in Minneapolis but also in other locations. There are some in our Ann Arbor office as well. https://www.barr.com/page/56/job-opportunities/

Hmm.. Same situation.. Also an Engineer..

We have no debt though.. Still hard to walk away from the handcuffs.

I have a few openings at the dealership, have you considered utilizing that knowledge for eVil?

CGLockRacer wrote:

oldtin wrote: Ahh, the golden handcuffs - too comfy to leave, but not happy.

Bingo...

Been there. I just left a job that I was at for about 4 years. Not quite as long, but I had the same feeling. I was comfortable but really didn't like my job. I picked up another job that fell through and am now helping with a family business that may end up being a good thing.

I think most people have that feeling to some degree. I'm shocked that so many engineers have replied to this thread. Engineering should be one of the most interesting jobs (IMO), and offer the most opportunities for side projects. Frankly, I've thought about getting out of my software job and going back to school for the education to become an engineer. So, anyway, sorry for the rant, here are a couple thoughts that might improve your situation...

1. As mentioned above, pick up a side project in the career direction that you would like to go. Want to be a paid driver instructor, do it for free and build up a resume and network of connections that are directly related. A friend of mine recently went from being a guy who I autocross with, to a SCCA HPDE Instructor, to a Driving Instructor at the Porsche Driving School.

2. Start your side project with the knowledge that you have now. Yes, there are gaps, but there are ways to augment your ability these days. If it is simple, one time stuff (like needing a graphic or a logo), check out fiverr.com People on the site will do work for you for $5. If it is bigger, and you need financing help, you can look to crowdfunding sites like IndieGoGo.com. Frankly, anything half-baked will fail, but if you have a good, well thought out idea, you should be able to generate some investment dollars. Oh, and of course you could always try pitching your idea to SharkTank. Even the businesses that don't get a deal, typically get a large uptick just from the exposure.

3. Surround yourself with "can-do" people. They'll inspire you and lift your spirits. People that also hate their job and mop around will drag you down and you'll not make any progress.

4. Network. Network. Network. Find people, any people. Then find people that can help you, mentor you, advise you, introduce you to other people. It's often said "it's not what you know, but who you know". In business this is true more than it isn't. Knowing the right people, and having the right discussion can lead to massive success.

5. Focusing on goals like "paying off the mortgage" won't make you happy. The problem is that when you achieve this goal, you'll set a new one, what that causes is that you won't ever achieve happiness despite achieving your goals. Find things in your life that make you happy: friends, family, hobbies, etc. That alone will improve your work life (trust me on this one).

I personally am in the same situation. I know the only way for me to be happy in my "job" is for me to work on the things that interest me, to work for myself. I have 5-6 ideas that I've developed a full business plan on, but like most can't afford to quit my day job and have so many other obligations that I can't deliver them in the time I would like. But that isn't stopping me from trying. I spend what time I can, when I can. I've strategized a method to bring the smaller project to market first with the hope that it can provide enough funding to enable me to spend the dedicated time on the larger projects and truly develop a business. I'll let you know when this works out for me :).

Shameless plug: www.mintun-solutions.com

I've finally come to realize I may not find a job my heart is into(at least for the majority of the time), rather I've realized a successful career has much more to do with ones tolerance level to their work environment.

Rather than try to keep my heart into my job, I keep my head into it. And I make it a point to appreciate payday!

BradLTL wrote: I think most people have that feeling to some degree. I'm shocked that so many engineers have replied to this thread. Engineering should be one of the most interesting jobs (IMO), and offer the most opportunities for side projects.

This. Admittedly I have only been at my job around a year but I can see myself staying for a while longer because I get to design, test and prototype stuff. But then again today has just been about as much fun as having my teeth pulled.

I am pretty much at the same point as the OP. 20 years at the same company doing the exact same thing I came in to do.

Okay, so between all of the less-than-thrilled engineers here (myself included), could we pull together enough capital to get the kart track kicked off? I'll work turn 4.

South Carolina, Huntsville AL, Detroit... that is going to be a long kart track.

Edit:

Forgot turn 4 in Kansas

If you asked me 6 months ago about my employment situation, I wouldve said my outlook was great.Before this job, I had been at a global juggernaut for the previous 6+ years, and felt my soul being crushed by corporate idiocracy. When the word came down that massive layoffs were not just a possibility, but a definite, and the only variable was when, I GTFO of corporate bizzaro world, moving into a similar role at a much smaller manufacturer.

I thought the smaller size and greater access to upper mgt would make for a more dynamic environment and allow for more creativity. But my organization has very drastic seasonal operational needs, and Im just now approaching my 1 year mark - meaning the new season is about to start - Im about to go through the same strains I felt when I first started.

I attributed those strains to the fact that I was new - now, even with a meager staff reporting to me, Im starting to realize that no matter how much I plan, or what freedoms Im given to accomplish my goals, that the strains will always be there...not because Im not doing a good job, but because the upper mgt refuses to listen to the suggestions of the peons (a trait Im realizing is not found solely in multinational conglomerates), and wants to do everything the hard way "because thats the way we've always done it".

So, a job that just a few months ago was always exciting and seemed like an open door to my future, now just seems as mundane and ridiculous as what I was doing before.

All this leads me to one peculiar thought - Only pro ball players and Rock stars get up and go to fun in the morning, the rest of us go to work. There are exclusions - Id bet that there are plenty of people that have been doing something they love, for years, and plan to do it for many more. But Id be willing to bet both my left nuts that they are the exception, by a vast majority, rather than the rule. I feel a little bit like one of my favorite characters:

Peter Gibbons said:

we don't have a lot of time on this earth! We weren't meant to spend it this way. Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about about mission statements.

....but staring at a screen and analyzing stuff is what Im good at - I certainly never imagined that would be my occupation - I always envisioned "experimental-jet propelled locomotive test pilot" or "Worlds best super-insano BMX Champion of the universe" over production analyst...but its what I know, and I think its just like what was said above: figuring out a way to light up a spark again - just gotta find a way to understand that this is what I do, and I can choose to let my situation suck, or find ways to make it seem less sucky

The thing about engineering is there are many different types. I work in architectural consulting: HVAC, Electrical (me) and Plumbing design. We do mostly pharma work, which adds some process engineering.

What we do doesn't really require an engineering degree to do it. Much of the MEP work is driven by code requirements. Hell, I went to school for journalism and somehow ended up doing this (disclaimer: I did start engineering school first before deciding I didn't want to be an engineer).

The VAST majority of the people I know in this field do it for the money, not because there's any love for the job or career since it's rather repetitive after awhile and clients are asking for more work for less hours (money). Of course, the sh1tiness of the job is why we have a hard time finding workers. In a backwards way, if it weren't for the economy, we would really be screwed. Before the recession, our industry was hemorrhaging workers like crazy to retirement.

Brad: I'm young and my family (such as it is) is very mobile. Turn 4 could be wherever it was convenient. Seriously.

I'm gonna have to watch Office Space tonight.

More P. Gibbons wisdom: "Our high school guidance counselor used to ask us what you would do if you had a million dollars and didn't have to work. And invariably, whatever you'd say, that was supposed to be your career. So if you wanted to fix old cars, then you're supposed to be an auto mechanic. ... I never had an answer. I guess that's why I'm working at [e36m3ty job]."

Talk to your boss, and find ways to make changes to make the work exciting again. Can you put 10% of your time towards developing a new product or improvement? Can you take one a new responsibility and give something that you are tired of to someone else? Can you change hours to break up the rut you are in? Can you bring something that you love in your personal life into your work life?

Wow! I'm not alone!

I really love the work I do, just not the company where I work. I work in Sterility Assurance for Medical Devices. I have a Bachelors in Mechanincal Engnineering and an MBA. My job just keeps growing and growing in workload. I have zero chance to be successful. The best I can hope for is to keep my head above water. I need to hire 3 or 4 engineers, but can't hire anyone due to budget constraints. Next year we get the opportunity to pay a 2.3% excise tax for Obamacare. How will that effect our bottom line? Because I can't hire a protege, I cannot develop a succssion plan.

http://www.medicaldevices.org/issues/Health-Care-Reform,-Device-Tax

Talk to your boss and ask if you can take a pay cut but only work a 4 day week.

I think that is something that needs to change in our economy, the ability to offer to work for less in trade of more freedom.

I would willingly take a pay cut if it gave me 3 day weekends all year round. That's an extra business day that I can spend: working, looking for other jobs, kicking back, wrenching, or tending to my vegetable garden.

Unfortunately because our health care insurance is so based around the 40 hour work week, most people don't have this option. If we had socialized medicine, more employers/workers could negotiate deals based on less money/less time.

BradLTL wrote: South Carolina, Huntsville AL, Detroit... that is going to be a long kart track. Edit: Forgot turn 4 in Kansas

I am mostly satisfied with my job but a kart track sounds a lot more fun.

4cylndrfury wrote: All this leads me to one peculiar thought - Only pro ball players and Rock stars get up and go to fun in the morning, the rest of us go to work. There are exclusions - Id bet that there are plenty of people that have been doing something they love, for years, and plan to do it for many more. But Id be willing to bet both my left nuts that they are the exception, by a vast majority, rather than the rule. I feel a little bit like one of my favorite characters:

Not always. A friend of mine is a fashion designer. Being a fashion designer was her dream and it's what she went to school for and now it's her job. She often works long hours and takes work home, but she loves every minute of it. Of course, it helps that she's still young and enthusuastic and hasn't been beaten up yet.

My g/f (also an engineer who hates her job) calls her "useless" but I say it's jealousy.

In reply to Ian F:

hence the exception clause - I know a few folks that love their jobs too, but that accounts for maybe 1% of the workforce that I know personally

I grew up on a farm. I LIKE to work with my hands. I'm a fit young person. I like my field, and am still confident my degree was the right choice for me (mech. engg.).

I currently sit at a desk. For 40 hours a week. I try to get out on the shop floor for 5-10 minutes a day, but I'm swamped with crap to do at my desk, so it doesn't always happen. Been working this position for a year now, and I've gained 20 pounds, my blood pressure has gone up, BMI is up, motivation at home is down, and my back hurts like crazy from this office chair. My coworkers are utterly uninspiring; if working here for 30 years means you turn out like these guys, I'm getting out. The pay and benefits are good though.

To be honest, I'd rather go dig a hole for half my pay. Grass is greener and all that, but I really would.