Life Choices

First and foremost thanks to anyone actually taking the time to read this, Much appreciated. My name is Michael and I am 33 years old with a huge love for videogames. So I work at have worked at Tree Top for the last ten years and for the first 8 or so things seemed alright was making money the hours were ok. Found my girlfriend Brandy there, had plenty of money for games and other nerd like things I am into, had a house built with my family with a master bedroom downstairs for my parents with another master upstairs for my girlfriend and I. This all sounds great I know.

So the last couple of years or so I have just been angry. Mostly at my job that just feels like it is going to garbage more and more. So I work graveyard and it feels like we are largely forgotten, which I am sure is not the case but whatever. We are short at least two people a night sometimes more the people we do get in are unreliable at best. Cleanups are a nightmare since being shorthanded as well as people with little to no experience makes it frustrating as hell. Also getting trained people in position takes forever my girlfriend work 12 hour shifts for about 3 weeks straight which is ridiculous.

I feel like this job is sucking the life outta me, but what could I possibly do with just a high school education. Also I am not old by any means but it feels late for me to get into anything game related. My life is not bad by any means but I can't see myself at this job much longer, I want to spend the rest of my life doing something I want to do.

Hi mate. I'm assuming you're American (I don't know what Tree Top is). I would advice pursuing a university degree in something that you are interested in. Perhaps not the easiest thing to do in the U.S.A due to the way that you have to pay for uni yourself an all. Are there any online universities or courses or anything that you could feasibly pursue? I did a Masters online while working full time (it related to my profession anyway, and here in Aus uni doesn't send you into crippling debt), but I found that to be manageable. Might be a way for you to feel a bit more fulfilled and also to pursue another career path. You don't want to do anything that puts you into unnecessary financial strain (I'm not the type of person to quit a job before I've found another one). Look around though, see whats out there and start applying for something that appeals to you. Worse case scenario, you don't get a new job and keep doing what you're doing, so you haven't lost anything. Best case is you find something you love.

Just a couple of suggestions, not sure how it all works sorry!

@captain_insano: I would even say look into vocational schooling. It's cheaper and usually jobs are readily available (at least in the U.S.). If you can find some sort of trade job that interests you, that can give you a good life, while working with your hands or what have you.

Hey man, I'm the same age as you and I too hate my job :) I recently started looking into training to be a psycho therapist doing evening classes. It'll take me 5 years to get my second degree but it'll be worth to spend my time doing something that feels worth while. Luckily I live in Ireland and education is much cheaper than it is for you dudes in the US but you should really look in to doing something that will make you feel fulfilled. If you want something gaming related look into coding or marketing or whatever. There are a huge number of opportunities out there but it can be really hard work. I hope it all works out man, good luck!

If you want to learn something which lets you do better paid and more interesting work and doesn't require an expensive degree then I'd say you can't go wrong with programming.

I don't have a degree and I have a high income. What I did was go to a local community college and obtained a general business certificate. I was able to complete the cert during the night while still working full-time over a year and a half. The cost was something like 4K (before tax deductions).

Personally, I would not recommend a degree. They are very expensive and do not guarantee you will land a high paying job anyway. The only time I would say its OK is if you are super passionate about a specific subject AND you have realistic financing in place.

You have a decade of industry experience. Get some general business education to go with that and you can start building upwards. You'd be surprised how valuable your experience is.

@imsh_pl: So long as you enjoy programming. Otherwise it can be the most miserable job on the planet. It pays well for a reason ;)

Check out job training places offered through your State. There's always community college or different Unions that offer apprenticeships.

I'm a few years older than you and have definitely been there in the "I hate my job and need something else" spot. Doing something about that situation is really rough especially if you have family to care for and things like a mortgage to handle. Biggest thing is to not rush into another situation without a plan. Education is usually the key but you REALLY have to weigh the costs carefully because it can be really expensive and a huge burden if it doesn't translate into a meaningful change for you. The costs can totally be worth it but you have get some stuff figured out in your head such as having a clear picture of what you want to study (as opposed to a more nebulous "that whole area sounds neat-ish"), what you can or are willing to put up with in terms of job hunt afterward (location, salary, etc.), how your life can or can't change in the meantime, and so on.

4 year degree is perfectly viable but it has to be a degree that speaks to your abilities and realistically has to be something that you as a specific individual can pursue.

I'm also completely in support of vocational education as a means to change your life.

If you're unsure you should really consider doing some "free" online classes of some sort to test the waters along with trying to talk to people who work in professions you're considering. One note of caution about free online class: make sure it's a course that has a timetable for completing assignments because you need to see what a subject feels like when there's some pressure on you to perform. For example I did a lot of programming study over the years but I wouldn't say I really learned anything until I had to a make a project under a deadline. VERY different experience.

The most important prerequisite though is to take care of your mind and health and make sure that what you're feeling is really about your job and isn't just something to do with bigger life adjustments. From the way you're describing the change in working conditions your instincts are probably correct in thinking that things there are on a downward trend. With that said job frustration is pretty common no matter what you do in at least some respect and as you continue to get older it's pretty normal to feel like your life is stagnating with the job being a significant contributor to that negative feeling. If changing jobs is viable and will reset or remove that feeling that's great but if you look at yourself and think that won't really make the difference then it's time to look into other life management things like new stress relievers and figuring out what level of negativity you can cope with and accept.

Also ask yourself if your stress relievers are working the same for you As a person who has enjoyed games all my life I've come to realize they don't do it for me quite like they used to and that's okay. These days if I need stress relief I've found that going for a walk with a podcast is actually way more relaxing compared to what I used to do which was often marathon/binge gaming. If I try to binge game these days I usually hit a point where it can actually increase my stress so I do it in more discreet chunks. I tend to enjoy my games and the rest of my life way more these days now that I've cut back. Seemed worth bringing up since we're a gaming community.

Take care of yourself and good luck.