un/subconscious symptoms and choosing a career

[hurley21]

First off, I am still chuckling over how my craziest little 'traits' are actually listed on the page's anxiety symptom list. Constant cravings for sugar/sweets!

Lately, as in the last two years, I have been trying to decide what career to pursue. I was in the military at the time and getting discharged because of my anxiety. I have tried a college course on careers, every career and personality quiz and guide on the net (that is free) and sought out advice from friends and family and yet I still end up with no idea. I have these days where I pick a career and get excited about it, but then I end up talking myself out of it. I research it and research it until I find something that I don't like and then I think 'Well, thats not it'. It has been pretty annoying to my boyfriend and family because I am always talking about a different direction and then not sticking to it.

Anyway, to the point, I am wondering if I can't choose because of some underlying fear that I am not acknowledging. I need to figure out a career and FAST. I enroll at a 4 year university in a few months.

2 years and no clue... I am finally starting to see that anxiety might be a cause.... ????

[tiffany925]

I know exaclty how you feel..a lot of people refer to it as a "quarter-life crisis." I'm graduating school soon and I feel like my degree is worthless (I will have an MA in history), and I have constant anxiety about my future. I think the indecisiveness comes from anxiety...there is a lot of pressure on people to find the "perfect" job, and to continue on with school, etc. There are so many options out there that it seems overwhelming..and anxious people have a very hard time making decisions..you should see me in a grocery store!! I found the solution to my own career problem, for now at least! (I'm going to be starting my own business), but the anxiety still persists because it's a vicious cycle. Luckily, if you are just starting college now, you have a little bit of time to figure it out. But let me give you advice as someone to chose a useless major (history). Major in something that will teach you an actual skill (either teaching, foreign language, pre-med..something along those lines). So that at least you don't have to go through what I went through...$100,000 in student loans, no skills, and no job prospects. The best of luck to you, I promise you will find your way...sometimes it comes when you least expect it. I'm entering the business world, which I never thought I would do..so you never know what opportunities will arise. Hang in there!

[danstelter]

First off, I am still chuckling over how my craziest little 'traits' are actually listed on the page's anxiety symptom list. Constant cravings for sugar/sweets!

Lately, as in the last two years, I have been trying to decide what career to pursue. I was in the military at the time and getting discharged because of my anxiety. I have tried a college course on careers, every career and personality quiz and guide on the net (that is free) and sought out advice from friends and family and yet I still end up with no idea. I have these days where I pick a career and get excited about it, but then I end up talking myself out of it. I research it and research it until I find something that I don't like and then I think 'Well, thats not it'. It has been pretty annoying to my boyfriend and family because I am always talking about a different direction and then not sticking to it.

Anyway, to the point, I am wondering if I can't choose because of some underlying fear that I am not acknowledging. I need to figure out a career and FAST. I enroll at a 4 year university in a few months.

2 years and no clue... I am finally starting to see that anxiety might be a cause.... ????

I am struggling with this a little bit right now. I am in the right career for me, social work, and I started in computers. First, how old are you? I'm guessing early 20's? Everyone has a hard time picking a direction at the age, and indecision is normal; you'll just have to accept some level of it as part of life right now. Did you like the military? You got discharged from it because of anxiety, but did you like it? Military life is not good for anxiey sufferers as it does not acknowledge emotions/human feeling. The authoritarian approach of the military/police is very anxiety-inducing to anyone, especially anxiety sufferers.

You might be afraid to move on to something new in life, but it's hard to tell from one post. What you do admit to is that you find something you don't like about one career and then want to do another...there is something about every career you won't like...I don't like the bureaucracy of Social Work for example.

You don't need to choose a track that fast yet because you have general education for the first two years of college, but generally the sooner the better.

What I would recommend is working in different career paths that seem most appealing. You experience the military and you know what that's like, so experience something else and compare. For what it's worth, most for-profit private businesses are the same. Do this and provide customer service and then do that and sell this or that...it's just a change in procedure from organization to organization. Try human services; volunteer to tutor elementary school children in reading after-school (maybe you'd like to teach); try a carpentry job, or volunteer doing carpentry for Habitat for Humanity. The list of ideas is endless...just try the things that seem interesting and pick the one that fits best. It will take time, so be patient.

If you have additional questions, please ask others or myself!