TheAustinMan

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What do you want to do??

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Honestly, I don't know. I know I have no desire to do a lot of the traditional occupations such as medical, insurance, legal, politics or most businesses and honestly even if I wanted to I'm mid 30's, it'd be almost too late anyway.

I've spent most of my adult life working for a large corporation and while it provided decent pay and great benefits, I don't feel like I'm cut out for corporate life.

I did graduate from college with a major in Business Management and a minor in Marketing. Honestly though I quickly realized I would not be the type who would enjoy management, especially front line management.

I don't want to be stuck to a desk all day and hate the idea of cubicle life. If money wasn't an issue (I know they always say to look at it that way) I would love to do something active. Something involving nature, sports, animals, etc. On a more realistic I think I would enjoy something in transportation, whether it's trucking or working for an airline (not a pilot position but maybe ground operations/cargo/luggage). I feel like I also wouldn't mind something in IT/Technology but I don't have any type of background in that type of work.

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Get your cdl. You can be by yourself, travel all over the country, and make over $100,000.00/year. Other than that find a good church

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Part of me has thought about that over the year. I do enjoy driving and the open road and I know it's good money. With that said with the way people drive nowadays and some of the horror stories I've heard about how badly they work you (drivers constantly on caffeine trying to stay awake)it's always worried me. I enjoy driving but I've never driven anything even remotely big. Biggest vehicles I've driven are 15 passenger vehicles and Uhaul type vehicles and I didn't even like those. I also don't know how to drive a stick shift and I'm not sure if that's required or not.

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Dude. Shut the frick up. I mean that as advice. You are overthinking life to the tenth degree. It’s like exponential introversion. A 15 year old girl first discovering Evanescence doesn’t have as much victim puke running through her brain. Honest suggestion? Lift. Find a hobby. Socialize. Upgrade your attire. Eat right and lose excess body fat. Talk to women and get their number. frick some of them.

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I won't lie and say that isn't the first time I've heard that but you really think I'm overthinking my life? Anything in particular or everything?

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You need to talk to your family and friends. Doesn't matter whether they get concerned or brush it off, tell them everything. Also, work on your physical health. Exercise and diet. Focus on the things you can control.

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I know I probably should but I'm just so worried that they'll instantly go the whole "OMG he's s*cidal, going to k*ll himself" which I'm not, I'm just depressed. My sister in law already had a brother who k*lled himself so I know she would instantly freak out. My dad would have the "be a man, stop being weak, pull yourself up by the bootstraps and figure it out" type of response which isn't helpful at all right now.

I did start working on my physical health in the last year. Joined a Orange Theory, started working out regularly and while it's off and on I have mostly started to eat healthier. So physically I think I'm on the right track with diet and exercise but I know mentally and emotionally I'm a disaster.

Yes I know, another one of these posts. I'll preface this by saying I love my parents and family, especially my mom who is truly my best friend. For her sake alone I would never do anything really crazy but dang if life just doesn't feel a little hopeless for me right now.

I know I'm poor compared to many of you OT ballers on here but pre-pandemic I made a decent wage of $23/hr.) We would have some options of overtime and occasionally even double time which meant you could pocket some decent money at times. While my job was only decently paying I would get 4 weeks of vacation time a year, 8 days of paid sick time off a year, 401k with a company match of up to 8% and full medical benefits. Like many of you the pandemic caused my company to almost completely shut down. The company has reopened but my department was completely eliminated in December.

I currently live in a different state from the rest of my family so I used the first few months of this year to relax as well as to take a vacation I put off from 2020 and take an additional trip to see family as well. Being unemployed I thought I had until September but living in Florida I now only have another month before I am completely cut off from the Federal Unemployment Benefits. I'm not making this political on which side I support but needless to say that decision was a huge blow. I thought I would have a few months to find a decent job and could afford to be somewhat picky. Now I have to be in almost a "take anything" position which isn't good for my mental health long term.

The job search has definitely been disheartening as most of the jobs I've seen are pretty much in the $13-$17/hr. range, so I know I'm going to take a decent pay cut.

But besides all that though I just feel like the best years of my life are behind me. I've felt this way off and on for probably a year or two but the pandemic has really brought it out. I try to remind myself that I am lucky, that I bought a condo with my parents (and yes it truly is both of ours, 50/50 split and I pay all the taxes, insurance, HOA fees, utilities and any maintenance projects) that will be mine in 20 - 30 years after they have passed. I've never been divorced, don't have any kids and get to live a pretty simple life.

But if I'm being honest I just feel like the pandemic has revealed that I don't have much to show in my life. I'm mid 30's, single and no kids. While other people at least had significant others or families to ride the pandemic out with, I had no one. Being an introvert at first I loved the lockdowns and lack of seeing people, but even for me I'm tired of it at this point. As friends of mine focused on being with their families during the pandemic it reminded me of just how alone I am.

I have several medical issues that have caused quality of life issues for me and make me concerned about the prospects of finding a decent new job. My allergies and asthma have been absolutely killing me this year which has caused me to cough a lot. I also suffer from hereditary high blood pressure, GERD and some anxiety. I also have terrible vocal chords and in the last few years I feel like I temporarily lose my voice (at least for a few times) every time I get even a minor infection. I feel like most people my age do not have the issues that I have and it makes me feel isolated.

So I am unemployed, have health issues, am not seeing anyone/in a relationship or have any children. As I've started looking for work I feel like every job I look at just seems soul crushing. My old job was the best job I had but even with that it wasn't some sort of crazy passion. That's always been one of my problems, that I never really had that calling. I see other people working in industries they love or really following a passion and I don't have that. I hate to say it but I've come to conclusion I'm a fairly boring individual. :lol:

At this point I just don't know what to do. Life right now feels very hopeless and meaningless. I feel like the best years of my life are behind me. I feel like my body is slowly betraying me in a medical and even mental sense. I know I should probably see someone but I have terrible temporary insurance and I honestly wouldn't be able to afford to see a therapist on a regular basis. More than anything though I feel alone. I'm used to having to fight battles by myself but I'm really having to fight this one alone. My family would either be too concerned or brush it off. Some of my close friends have their own drama right now and I don't want to bother them with it.

I feel like I'm truly at a crossroads in my life, at the proverbial fork in the road. And for the first time in my life I honestly have no clue what to do.

Any advice? Recommendations?

Seriously I leave tomorrow and I feel like I'm going to be lucky to make it out. :lol: I made the mistake of driving over I-65 on Broadway to go over to Hattie B's at rush hour and wow what should've been a 5 minute drive took 20. Never mind traffic was stopped both directions on I-65.

I was here 4 years ago and I just don't remember it being this bad.

I seriously think Nashville drivers are worse than NOLA drivers which we all know is really saying something. :lol:

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For me, $30k is a solid starting point to set the number at.

LIke you said, no chance I'd do it for $10k, and also at $20k.

Make it $30k, and you have my attention. Not 100%, but I'd probably take the $30k and head back into the office.

The commute to/from work alone gives me 1.5 hours of my day back. Every single day, it's hard to put a price tag on that, but there IS a price to put on that and $30k sounds about right.

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For me it would also depend on the commute time. If I could get my old job back with a $30k raise I absolutely would go back to the office (just do my best to ignore the office drama) since I only lived 5 miles from my old job. But if it's a job with a 45 minute minute commute both ways (so as you mention 1.5 hours/day) then no the $30k wouldn't be worth. $40k I would have to really think about it. $50k I'm definitely sucking it up and doing it.

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Unfortunately yes

My comment was directly aimed at OP who is 37 (I am also) who should be well aware SS is a Ponzi scheme that will almost certainly be defunct in 30 years. Even including it as a factor in your retirement planning at that age is so so stupid.

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I never said I was depending on SS at all. But the reality is the vast majority of the general population (even our age) does expect SS to be there for them in 30 years.

Me personally I think SS will be around in 30 years but inflation will be so bad at that point that it'll be next to worthless. You'll get $3,000/month but a McDonalds hamburger will be $100. The money won't have any real value and definitely will not be enough to retire on.

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didn't SFP just make this thread?

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That thread focused mainly on Millennials having a YOLO/FOMO mentality. I'm questioning if it goes even bigger post pandemic. And while my question does focus on younger generation (Millennials/Gen Z) it's a question really for any generation. We've all just been giving a big dose of reality regarding our own mortality, whether we are 75 or 25. Does this change people and does this make people want to live more in the moment?

One of the things a lot of people on here criticize younger Millennials (I am technically a Millennial but at 37 is really more of the Xenial/Older Millennial cohort) about is the general selfishness, lack of commitment, nihilism and general YOLO/FOMO mentality that lot of Millennials have. Gen Z gets the same criticism but not quite as much since they are still mostly young.

I think the YOLO/FOMO mentality goes into overdrive post pandemic. Millennials are now facing (especially again ones my age) another economic recession, inflation, little chance of getting able to ever really retire (when Social Security becomes nothing) and the uncertainty over whether they will be more pandemics in the future. Gen Z (especially the oldest ones) are now also coming out of college during a period of economic recession and inflation. Never mind the fact that Gen Z has been taught to be absolutely fearful of any risk and to be reliant on the government to tell them what to do at all times.

I think most of us can agree that the biggest thing this pandemic has done is reminded all of us of our own mortality. How life isn't permanent and how it can end in a month, a week or even tomorrow.

I'm not saying I completely agree with the YOLO/FOMO mentality. I think in moderation it's actually the best way to live, but like anything it can taken too far, especially if people fund it by going into deep CC debt or even potentially resorting to crime. But with that said, I think the YOLO/FOMO mentality is going to be huge post-pandemic, especially among Millennials and Gen Z. What do you think?