I have worked in multiple places since I was fortunate and blessed enough to graduate college. This is around my 5th formal job. I haven’t lasted more than two years in any of them because of motivation. At my current place, it’s been a year and 7 months. Yet I don’t feel like I have any energy or motivation to continue. I can basically do my tasks as far as skills/ ability are concerned but I can’t bring myself to do it. It’s hard to explain to people who are not familiar with what we deal with. Last few months, I quit and my boss pleaded me to come back because I later explained that I am struggling with a mental illness. This time, I think my not doing my tasks might delay a project I am working on, and this would negatively affect my department. Should I quit now? over email or phone? I am working from home and the stress has been too much. I wish I could quit but I would have to move back in with parents which is in itself very stressful.
I wouldn’t quit your job. The underlying issue you need to try fix is the lack of motivation.
The two most obvious options to me seems first try to change your medication, maybe try to get to a lower dose or try a different one with your doctors concent.
The second option which you might try first since it is less dramatic is supplementing if you aren’t already. Supplements like fish oil, vitamin D, multimineral and vitamin complex, and a energy supplement like ginseng could make a difference for you. Also eating healthy could make a huge difference.
Well. I think rather what you struggle with is boredom. In today’s day and age, young employees change their jobs in less than a year in some cases. You have consistently worked for around 2 years. I think it might be time for you to move to a new job to gain new skills and new set of challenges.
I’d do the same thing. Switch jobs every two years. I think I’d just get sick of the daily routine. Once I learned how to do everything the job itself became shitty. That happened at a lot of places. Plus I quit because I was paranoid that I was getting fired.
I have done a lot of temping which has suited me fine because I like job variation. I agree that it might be the right move to quit if you don’t feel like it’s a good place to work. I have been working the same place on and off for the last 9 years because my colleagues are nice, I get to physically move around a lot, there is variaton and I get to deal with customers which I find interesting.
You have had a few jobs before this one so you have something to compare with. Which job did you like best and why? What is important to you in a job? If in your current job the cons outweigh the pros, then maybe you should quit, but if there are positives you might consider staying on.
It could be a good career move to stay in a job for a while or else the next employers might look at your resume and wonder why you never held down a job for more than a few years. If you like variation I would consider temping, then you might get different assignments at different workplaces every few months, and you have a “alibi” for switching jobs. Although this whole point isn’t all that important, but something to think about in the big picture.
What would be your dream job?
Thank you for your suggestion on using supplements. On motivation, it’s near impossible to work on increasing it. It has suffered tremendously since I started taking medications. It’s anhedonia I believe or those negative symptoms…
Thank you for your understanding. I should have pointed out that although I was educated in the US, I am not a US citizen, and come from a poor country where getting a job is hardly possible compared to the US.
I wish I knew. I was very good at sciences back then and double-majored in economics and mathematics. right now i want to believe that a career in IT Support or maintenance or systems admin would be ideal since I have zero concentration to attend to things that would require me to sit down and think/ write. Unfortunately it’s not possible to pursue those career goals where I am (third-world country, although US-educated)
Thank you Mr_Hope for your advice and offering a different point of view. To be honest, in all the jobs I worked, I never enjoyed it. To put it bluntly, I don’t enjoy anything and it all feels like drudgery, not necessarily not enjoying, but the capacity to enjoy or not enjoy is not there at all. I just go through the motions. I believe it’s anhedonia or those negative symptoms where for example, I don’t have the motivation to do something.
This is where it’s difficult to explain to the manager. She might wonder, why aren’t you doing X, Y? is it because it’s difficult? do you need training? do you need help? And I am so embarrassed and ashamed to explain these problems. So I will have a task and sit on it for a good two weeks, when it could take me a day or two to finish.
It’s also been like this in previous jobs, and college. Sometimes I have courage and inspiration and I finish what I need to finish quickly, and this sometimes impress the bosses. But this particular task I have might delay the project we are working on, and it’s sad to have to quit without any job prospect. I also have got no fuel right now. As far as the future career prospects, I believe I have squandered the good will of would-be recommenders and I can’t ask any recommenders given how I abruptly quit in the past and how to explain this motivation issue.
I am sorry for venting a lot, but I have liked this community and I feel accepted and understood. Thank you!
Well, whatever you do there is no shame in it. Taking ap’s really makes it hard for us. The fact that you have been able to work at all is an achievement.
I hope that energy comes back to you somehow eventually.
Thank you, your posts really give hope and live up to your name. Thank you for your encouragement.
I could set records for lack of motivation. I’m unemployable. If it wasn’t for the med’s I could dig ditches. I wouldn’t mind that.
I empathize with you.
I suggest you stick to your job because living independently while you can and have a work routine us a blessing in disguise.
May I know what kind of work you do?
Yup, got to keep the pressure up on the offspring otherwise they might get the idea to stay.
Yep, sure, I work in a very specific setting up/ programming surveys. It’s so cognitively demanding that I am looking to finding something else to do.
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