Still flailing about after all these years

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Sidharrah
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Age: 39
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03 May 2012, 12:37 pm

I know I'm new here (brand new, I joined today!) but I've been lurking off and on for quite a while and thought I'd just throw my dilemma out there to be seen, gnawed on, possibly shot down, and dissected :)
I know I may come off sounding egotistical, but I don't know how else to describe my dilemma. So I'll just lay it out in blunt fashion. I'm smart. Very smart. I have an IQ of 144 according to the test I had a psychologist administer a while ago. I think that if I have such potential I should be doing a job that makes good use of it. Problem is, I have no idea what I really want to do, and am afraid of investing a pile of money and time, and making sacrifices to pursue a career that I will ultimately lose interest in. I have heard that some Aspies have a single special interest, which would be wonderful if that was my case, but it isn't. I get intensely interested in something for a time, learn all I can about it voraciously, and then inexplicably lose interest completely. This once again may sound very egotistical, but I find that I can become very good at whatever it is I'm interested in, probably because I invest so much of my free time in it. Mostly this manifests in hobbies, as I am currently a stay-at-home-mom by day and working a solitary manual labour job in the evenings. I just have no direction. I don't know what I want to do, and I'm approaching 30. I don't qualify for any student loans, no government assistance, and due to poor financial choices in the past, I have no savings and only fair credit. So any further education I pursue is going to be difficult to obtain at best, from a financial standpoint. I need to make the right decision so I don't end up putting my family (I'm married with 2 children) into worse financial straits. I suppose my question is, when looking at all those factors, how do I figure out what to do? I've taken aptitude tests and looked at list after list of career options, and still feel lost. I have taken online courses, and obtained both a paralegal certification and an early childhood education certification, as well as taking the first few courses towards a practical nursing degree. What I found with all of that is while I love the learning, I lose interest after a while, and when it comes time to get out into the work world, I lack the social skills to convince anyone I would be an asset to their company. Aaaand now I'm mostly rambling so I'll just post this and see what all of you have to say.



redrobin62
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03 May 2012, 12:59 pm

I'm an LPN but it wasn't by choice. It was either be that or be homeless. At least you're married so you have that to lean on, right? (I didn't read anywhere in your opening statement of his support that's why I'm questioning it). I get so caught up in my special interests sometimes that I've lost sight of other important things (like paying the rent on time or forgetting there is something cooking on the stove).

I've read on here people recommend joining a temp agency because of the variety of jobs they have. I've done that too - years ago, but when push came to shove, it just didn't pay the rent. I did notice your correct grammar and proper use of syntax in your letter. Perhaps a job involving writing at a newspaper or magazine or even trade technical? Just trying to help. Good luck.



redrobin62
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03 May 2012, 1:10 pm

Addendum: Husbands & boyfriends become suspicious and jealous when their love interest is communicating with other folks on the internet. I hope this isn't the case with you!



Sidharrah
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03 May 2012, 1:10 pm

My husband is vary supportive; his job makes enough to keep us afloat, if not always comfortably :) That may be some of the reason I am pressuring myself to find something; if I had a career of any kind we could be in a much better position. I do have an advantage there, as it allows me to pursue whatever has caught my interest, but I feel as though I am wasting my potential and making things harder on my family. I feel selfish. I also get very, very caught up in my interests, to the point that I will spend a complete 8 hours and forget about things like housework and cooking, which *should* be my primary job right now. I did attempt to secure a job at the local newspaper, because I know that is something I could do, and do well, but was passed by for someone who presented themselves much more effectively than I could. I think sometimes half my problem is just that, well I just don't know how to go about showing people I can do something well. How do I go about proving to a newspaper I can write a good article? I do appreciate your suggestions, redrobin. As I said, I'm just flailing about because apparently I am expected to just know these things, and I clearly don't :P



craiglll
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04 May 2012, 2:49 pm

I have a high IQ but can't seem to find anything that interests me or that I can do well enough to be able to hold the job. I've probalby been fired from at least 15 jobs.