Taking a Step Backward in Life

[Din Akera]

Have you ever felt that you took a step backward in the progression of your life? I have recently been working 4 different teaching related jobs (after graduating form uni) and with the end of the school semester all of them have ended. I have now gone back to waitressing in the summer, as I have for every summer since I turned of legal age (18 in Canada). I feel like I've taken a step backward instead of forward. Have you ever had and experience such as this?

 

[Ventus]

Well...my life goal has always been to start...life...off on a good foot. I got a job last year, made around $800 not counting the tips that I spent professionally wasted on McDonalds. However, I blew all of that away when I bought my PC that I needed for school, my 3DS and the ~8 games I own for the thing. So I effectively made $0, and had to quit the job anyway.

Then, I worked at this horrid amusement park and, not including taxes, made around $500. I have absolutely no idea what happened to that money, as I only spent around $200 (my graphics card was $50, a couple games totaled to about $130, and various candies was around $20 or some shiz). Anyway, I had been milked dry of my...OH YES that's right! My mom took like $200 for groceries Q_Q

Anyway, I lost all of that money which is crazy. In addition, I quit that job. One step forward, two steps back. >_<

Now I'm stuck looking for a job. So I've definitely taken steps backwards. :I

 

[Mellow Ezlo]

I'm in the same situation as Ventus. I had a job, wasted my money, quite my job, and am now broke and jobless. It is definitely a step back from the time when I was able to buy and do whatever I wanted. I don't have that anymore, and it is not fun having to ask my parents for money so much.

 

[CynicalSquid]

I haven't yet.

And yes, I mean yet, because I probably will once I get my licence and a job. Probably will after I graduate too.

I really don't trust myself.

 

[misskitten]

After graduating from college I worked in IT for a year and a half, wasn't happy, didn't get to use my skills, but by the time I looked for other jobs I was not wanted because I had little to show for the time I spent at that company and that first job in IT is vital, so I had to quit the job and start looking for something else entirely, and I started working as a carer instead, which was just a whole other world. I took a huge step back in terms of payment and job security and I was very uncertain for a while about my life, but thankfully it worked out in the end. I made a life for myself with the new job, got job security and a steady paycheck.

For me, looking back at my life, I've felt several times as though I was making the wrong turn or was taking the long way around, but life has taught me that it's all necessary to get me where I need to be. Every experience has taught me something, given me something to take with me to new experiences and I wouldn't have gotten the life I have today if it wasn't for all those long ways around... so if you are going through a period in your life where you just feel you are taking steps backwards and you are feeling lost and hopeless, just have faith that it's all part of the process of getting you where you need to be.

 

[Beauts]

I went to university, then quit after one semester. I was depressed and didn't see the point of doing a degree that wasn't going to land me in a career I really wanted. Not that I have any real clue what career I want, but I did know it wasn't teaching, archiving or librarian work, which is basically all I felt a history degree can get you.

So, I quit. I got an entry level job in a pub, I hated it, and the managers didn't feel I was enthusiastic enough (mainly because I wasn't). It was good money but ridiculous hours and I also don't want to do that for the rest of my life. I was unemployed for a bit, and I've got another job now and am starting soon. It's in retail, but it's a stop gap. I want to go back to uni and do something worthwhile. I'm definitely more of an academic person than anything else.

So... I took a step back, and sometimes I regret that, but I hope it will end up in me being happy and achieving something great. I'm young, I have plenty of time to get to the top of the ladder.

 

[Justac00lguy]

No but I would love too, gap years and all that jazz sound quite cool and like a great experience. To be honest it doesn't matter whether I go to Uni, now or in a couple of years, it's just that I've went though this all this trouble and stupid education to get here, so I'll be treating University as a well deserved break.

However I don't need my degree to get where I'm going in life or to necessarily do what I wanna do. I'm mainly going to get a wider knowledge, a year industry and of course for a bit of a laugh as well. So after Uni (implying I won't drop out) I'll take a gap year and do some things that I've always wanted to do.

 

[Zarah]

Well, I guess you could say I'm in the process of taking a step backward right now :<

About a year ago, I got promoted (with a nice little raise) at my job and finally earned enough to be out living on my own. So I did just that. I moved out of my moms, got a nice little studio apartment, and after all my bills were paid, I had about $400 for the month to do whatever I wanted with. Well, back in February, I got fired (was with the company for 5 years and did not see it coming AT ALL) and was jobless for about 2 months before landing a job. Within those two months, everything started pilling up, I was getting collection calls left and right, and at one point my electric was turned off cuz I just didn't have the money to pay it. Once I got settled into my new job, I started balancing my checkbook again and realized that even though I was making a little more money than at my old job, I could not afford to be living on my own anymore. After bills and shiz, I was at -$150/month and owing my mom and her friend money that I couldn't afford to pay back.

So here I am almost two months later and I'm in the process of moving back in with my mom It sucks feeling like you're a failure and you can't do anything right.

 

[Nicole]

Well...my life goal has always been to start...life...off on a good foot. I got a job last year, made around $800 not counting the tips that I spent professionally wasted on McDonalds. However, I blew all of that away when I bought my PC that I needed for school, my 3DS and the ~8 games I own for the thing. So I effectively made $0, and had to quit the job anyway.

Then, I worked at this horrid amusement park and, not including taxes, made around $500. I have absolutely no idea what happened to that money, as I only spent around $200 (my graphics card was $50, a couple games totaled to about $130, and various candies was around $20 or some shiz). Anyway, I had been milked dry of my...OH YES that's right! My mom took like $200 for groceries Q_Q

Anyway, I lost all of that money which is crazy. In addition, I quit that job. One step forward, two steps back. >_<

Now I'm stuck looking for a job. So I've definitely taken steps backwards. :I

I'm in the same situation as Ventus. I had a job, wasted my money, quite my job, and am now broke and jobless. It is definitely a step back from the time when I was able to buy and do whatever I wanted. I don't have that anymore, and it is not fun having to ask my parents for money so much.

I wouldn't say that either of you have really taken that much of a step back, really. You're both young enough and will have plenty of other opportunities for jobs. Also, on the plus side, you have job experience, which ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL for your resumé and getting another job lol. You're probably better off now than you were before.

I don't have a legal job. I work off the books at my gym, two hours every Sunday. My salary is getting a discount for the training I do there, which is very expensive because it's rigorous, personal training ($250/6 weeks). I get half off for the work I do there, and I have to say, I definitely deserve every penny of it. I clean the place. It's old and has accumulated about 10 years worth of dust. I also clean urinals, sooo...

That's the only "job" I've ever had. I don't actually get money for it, but I'm happy to have it for two reasons: 1. it gives me experience and 2. it gives me a reference. The guy I work for is a champion weightlifter and coach and is widely respected among basically everyone in the area. He's excellent to have as a reference if I were to apply for a job.

I do know how it feels to take a step back in other regards, though. I'm a varsity athlete, but for some reason, despite all the training I've done and practice I've put in, I seem to have gotten worse. I really don't know how that works but people tell me that it'll all click and I'll get it eventually. All I know is that I love playing basketball more than any other hobby, and it's beyond frustrating to not have any negligible results for the work I've put in.