So I’m in a bit of a pickle.
I need a job. I’ve worked before, but this time around I want to actually get my foot in the door for a career path that I feel best suited for. I’m sick of working retail, and feel I’d be a better fit elsewhere.
I just don’t know where.
Growing up, it felt like anything I thought of would get immediately beat down by my parents. There were a few ideas, but of them, I can only remember journalism, with my father specifically telling me “anybody can be a journalist these days” in a dismissive tone, and that he expected me to come up with something better.
Data entry is something that’s also been on my mind for a while now. It sounds like something I’d be down to try out, but I have no clue how to get my foot in the door for something like that, and if there’s even any entry-level positions for that.
Another worry is that I don’t have any experience with these positions, and that that fact combined with no post-secondary would essentially be walking into a brick wall.
I’m not even completely sure about pursuing these options, like the worst case scenario for me would be getting accepted for something new only to immediately discover I’m a terrible fit and back at step one in finding new work while stuck at a job that quite literally drains my will to live like previous positions of mine did.
How can I at least get some semblance of an idea as to whether or not something will be a good fit for me? I’m fine working a job, I’ve done so without issue before, I just don’t want to find myself in a work position that kills my mental well-being again.
The government often has training dollars/programs. When manufacturing slipped to offshore work, my friend retrained as an electrician via a govt trades program.
But its OK to not know your path, or spend time finding it.
I did some restaurant work early on, then did two years as electricians apprentice to save some money for University. I thought going to Uni for art was my path, but a year in changed plans and wanted to go into engineering. But tuition cost money so I started working at a manufacturing place on the shop floor, which led to moving upstairs to engineering. I enjoyed the software side a lot so moved to a company that sold the engineering software. Now my role is still deeply technical, but also sales.
Its definitely not the career I envisioned I would be in, but I get to meet some really awesome people in need of software or technical service. Every day is a new challenge but also rewarding to be able to help somebody that has been struggling with a software issue, workflow or technical technical problem. You fix their issue and they are super happy.