What would you do?

amother

Wed, Oct 22 2014, 2:30 pm

If you just couldn't get a normal job. You have a low paying job, and are not really interested in putting forth the requirements to get a better job. You're highly intelligent, which may be the reason why you are not so good in the workforce. Your therapist doesn't want to focus on this now because she believes that this is not an area you can currently succeed in. You like sitting in school and in class. You like taking tests. You act up at work because you hate it and it's so boring and easy. What do you do? Where do you start to work on yourself?

MaBelleVie

Wed, Oct 22 2014, 2:32 pm

If you like school why not get qualified for a job more suited to you?

vicki

Wed, Oct 22 2014, 2:34 pm

You don't act up at work even though you hate it. What does "act up" mean for an adult?

Lady Godiva

Wed, Oct 22 2014, 2:36 pm

Can you afford to be a lifelong student? Because that's what I would do. (Heck! I wish I could to that!)
Be realistic. If you could afford to go back to school and continue your education, then do that until you feel ready to re-enter the work force. If that ever happens.
Otherwise, just do what half the world does and continue working and find intellectual fulfillment elsewhere.

Lady Godiva

Wed, Oct 22 2014, 2:37 pm

vicki wrote:

You don't act up at work even though you hate it. What does "act up" mean for an adult?

Yes. Do you throw tantrums at work?

amother

Wed, Oct 22 2014, 2:44 pm

No tantrums here. Acting up is that I get internally annoyed. As for getting better qualified for a job suited towards me is fine academically, but I have no idea what kind of job I'd like. I don't enjoy doing anything except for studying, testing, and academics. I cannot afford to be a student forever though. Not even in the short term again, really.

imasinger

Wed, Oct 22 2014, 2:45 pm

You might want to consider consulting a vocational counselor, who can give you some tests, and help you decide what might work best for you.

amother

Wed, Oct 22 2014, 2:48 pm

imasinger wrote:

You might want to consider consulting a vocational counselor, who can give you some tests, and help you decide what might work best for you.

I did. He told me to open my own company that will bring in steady income and become an academic. I'm not suited to run my own company though so I'm not sure how this person can consider himself a vocational counselor. I'd consult another one. Do you know of any in NYC?

amother

Wed, Oct 22 2014, 11:32 pm

(You're highly intelligent, which may be the reason why you are not so good in the workforce.)

Really now.

seeker

Thu, Oct 23 2014, 12:25 am

" not really interested in putting forth the requirements to get a better job."

You just said it yourself. When you really want a better job, you'll do what it takes.
Don't take this too harshly, but it sounds from here like the reason you're "not so good in the workforce" has nothing to do with intelligence and everything to do with maturity in the sense of making reasonable choices and doing what you need to do even when it isn't fun instead of kvetching about the status quo.

Emotional

Thu, Oct 23 2014, 1:29 am

Early in our marriage my husband went to a guidance counsellor for vocational testing. There were several options suggested, but at the top of the list was...shepherd.

Dolly Welsh

Thu, Oct 23 2014, 2:13 am

Librarian?

Library science is a degree, or certificate.

Then you get to do be around intellectual matters and a variety of people who are smart, with some variety to it.

Look around at the museums. If you love one of them, try to get a job there, doing more or less anything, because you will like just being there, and also being behind the scenes.

If you want more money, get into maths. Money follows maths. Accounting, that kind of thing. Computer science.

monseychick

Thu, Oct 23 2014, 2:23 am

Go to your local Community College and take aptitude tests that will guide you in right direction

spikta

Thu, Oct 23 2014, 4:12 am

I had a similar experience. I had just finished 2 very challenging and rewarding years in national service and then I got my first real job at a hi tech company as... an administrative assistant. I went from doing super important work to reviewing expense reports and sick notices. I was a bit pissy about it and kind of annoyed that the other people in the office kept dumping the grunt work on me.
In retrospect I realize I was being immature and entitled. Of course they dumped the grunt work on me. I *was* the grunt. Why would an accountant waste time on something that can be done by someone who can read? And speaking of pissy, I'm gonna bet that even though you say you are "internally" annoyed, your coworkers get the gist of how you're feeling. It's hard to hide that stuff.

Anyway, as I gained more experience in the workforce (not there. It was a summer job that was most decidedly not turned into a full time offer...), I learned that really smart and capable people try to shine even in cruddy jobs.

My friend finished her degree in aerospace engineering, then moved across country to get a great job in her field. The job fell through for some reason or other, and she ended up having to work as a cashier in a grocery store to pay rent while looking for another job. Because she's smart and conscientious, she wasn't just a cashier, she was an awesome cashier, and helped improve work processes within the store that made everyone more productive. I love that she put herself wholly into the job she was doing, even though it was many steps down from what she knew she could do.

I have a friend who was a secretary during college. Low paid, not a lot of expectations, but eventually she was running the office. She was doing a great job, she took on responsibilities and people knew they could trust her to get things done in a timely manner and without any attitude, even if they weren't exactly the most intellectually challenging assignments.

If your work is boring and easy can you try and take on some challenges there? Are all people working at peak effectiveness? Are there things being done repetitively that could somehow be automated? Are there any changes you could make that would raise productivity, profitability or customer satisfaction? Think about that seriously. Seems like you're stuck there for now anyway...

Also, academia as a career isn't sitting in class and taking tests. It's a lot of independent study and research, writing (and rewriting, and reviewing...) papers, networking, teaching, applying for grants... To have a good academic career you need to push yourself forward, and take responsibility for your professional development, just like anywhere else, and even more so, since there are so many talented people fighting for the same positions.

Sorry this came out so long... I really feel for you, it stinks being at the bottom of the ladder knowing you can do better. I hope you find the strength to push yourself forward, no matter where you are.
And also remember, sometimes a job is just a way to put money in the bank. I doesn't have to define you.

chani8

Thu, Oct 23 2014, 7:24 am

Wow, Spikta! Amazing first post! Welcome to imamother!!

animeme

Thu, Oct 23 2014, 8:07 am

Any chance you're an aspie? There are boards online about this, where you will fond others who may relate well to the physical and mental feeling you get when you are forced into a situation that bores you.

That being said, they may also be able to help you deal, because it will happen, even in the job you ultimately find to be ideal, and you will need to overcome it to keep that job, so practice now. One of the best ways for anyone (not just aspies) is to make yourself a behavioral system.

For every day of work you push yourself to work your best (or half a day, or the first two hours, if you need to start slow), you get to do an hour of research on a project you give yourself, even if it has no practical applications. My dd is researching giftedness as a reward for paying attention in classes where she already knows most of it; before that it was nutrition. You can do this informally, or you can write up an actual paper.

Make sure you quantify pushing yourself at work: a) greeting others nicely, b) accepting tasks without negative reactions, c) looking for efficient ways to do your tasks that don't go against company policy unless you have permission, d) spending a few minutes thinking of ways in which your boss might know more than you. For example, if she is better able to multi task then I am, she is smarter than I am at that, and it is something I can learn from her (think multiple intelligences) Etc.

chani8

Thu, Oct 23 2014, 8:29 am

amother wrote:

The fact that you are highly intelligent but working a menial job, and seeing a therapist, seems to indicate that you probably have some emotional problems getting in your way of success. If your issues stem from an abusive childhood, just know that it's very common to suffer like this.

The fact that you are bored at work and enjoy school so much, is just reflective of your personality type. You like the acquisition of knowledge, apparently. Finding ways to grab a little learning in the middle of your workday, may alleviate your stress. We find having a brain game on the phone really helpful for a quick 'pick me up'. Better than coffee. Wink

m in Israel

Thu, Oct 23 2014, 8:44 am

chani8 wrote:

Wow, Spikta! Amazing first post! Welcome to imamother!!

I agree! Spikta welcome and I hope we hear a lot from you -- that post was great.

amother

Thu, Oct 23 2014, 6:26 pm

@Animeme - No chance of being an aspie, but I like your post. It flows nicely with Spiktas (Welcome!). I think I'll start trying to incorporate the idea of just trying my best at whatever it is I'm doing while getting through each minute of the day in a productive way. That and working on myself in therapy.
@Chani8 - thanks for your post, it really hit it on the nail and it makes me feel better to know that's it's not so uncommon.
Thank you to everyone else as well.

morah

Thu, Oct 23 2014, 7:10 pm

You know, you can continue taking free college courses. They're called MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and some of them are through major universities and are really excellent. DO what you have to at work, and maybe sign up for a MOOC or two in your spare time. I think you'd like that.