So, I've been with this company for 16 years. The pay is good and I work a compressed shift 7am to 7pm. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, every other Wednesday.
I get a lot of time off and the pay and benefits are great. I'm 49 years old and not married. I've got no dependents and the girlfriend just put on the brakes.

The problem is that this job is killing my heart and it's killing my soul.
I don't know how much longer I can do it and I don't really have a good back-up plan if I quit.

I'm thinking of working for my brother-in-law doing landscaping for less pay and no health insurance.
I'm probably just stuck in a rut.

What is it you do?

There is no sense trading one job you don't like for a really labor intensive job you aren't going to like. I don't know what you do, but you have plenty of free time on this job to interview for other jobs, go to school for a different degree, or find a hobby to find yourself. I would definately have the next step lined up before I step off of this step.

I would hang tough until you have better plan than being a landscaper. At your age that would not be a fun career.

While hanging tough work on figuring a way to make it a bit more doable. Your current job that is.

I assume your girl friend is gone. When you say put the brakes on so I am guessing you should take some time to sort things out a bit before making rash decisions.

Sound like a great situation. Are there things you can do at work to increase your interest? Maybe learn something new, or look for (or ask for) a 'stretch' opportunity? I get in ruts all the time at my job, but I find when I make an effort to learn something new (I'm a software engineer, so there's always something new to learn), that I snap out of it.

Well, I'm in the semiconductor field and work for a very aggressive company here in town. I don't want to say the name. I've been doing this tech stuff for over 30 years.
I've thought about going back to school as I have close to 90 hours of college credit.
I'm actually in a new position( almost 2 years) at work and I like what I do and I like my boss and manager, but the stress gets to me.
I used to work on the floor and now work in a cubicle. I'm not sure if I'm geared for cubicle desk work and I deal with many engineers. I'm a tech.

Definitely plan to get out of the current job, and work less and at least in something that doesn't drag you down. Easy to do, as you have what sounds like zero baggage. There is no point of doing something that drains you mentally.

Were I in your shoes I (like to) think I'd first try fix the problem from the inside through healthy living, well-spent time off doing things I really liked, actively working to have a positive attitude about the job, working to identify the specific causes of the stress and find a way to address them or live with them, even talk to a counselor, etc. It sounds like your current possible prospect may make you unhappy in more ways than your current job.

If none of the above works, is there someone at the company you can talk to about switching back to your previous position, or similar, when a position opens up?

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
Definitely plan to get out of the current job, and work less and at least in something that doesn't drag you down. Easy to do, as you have what sounds like zero baggage. There is no point of doing something that drains you mentally.

I like your reply. I've just got to find something before I jump ship. A buddy of mine recently quit and he's got a wife, 2 daughters, and a son. A hard thing to leave good money and a good job, but sometimes I think you have to.

quote:

Originally posted by rusbro:
Were I in your shoes I (like to) think I'd first try fix the problem from the inside through healthy living, well-spent time off doing things I really liked, actively working to have a positive attitude about the job, working to identify the specific causes of the stress and find a way to address them or live with them, even talk to a counselor, etc. It sounds like your current possible prospect may make you unhappy in more ways than your current job.

If none of the above works, is there someone at the company you can talk to about switching back to your previous position, or similar, when a position opens up?

I hear what you're saying. I have a pretty healthy lifestyle outside of work. Golf, hunting, outdoors, etc. The girlfriend thing may be part of it right now as far as my attitude.
But, honestly, I really am burned out with the industry and feel like I've got to get out before I turn to stone.

After 16 years and a boss you like, I'll guess he'd be open to a discussion of broadening your responsibilities and taking steps to reduce the stress. Before you talk to him, though, prepare a succinct description of the stressful aspects, and a couple solutions for him to think about.

Forty-nine years old is about the worst time to simply walk away and hope for greener pastures. You're too old to be considered for most entry-level jobs, and too young to simply retire. Additional college work over the next year or two may improve your salability, both inside and outside your current company, but you have to have a defined goal.

Good luck.

On the flip side. You can create a lot of stress in your life by not having a good job with benefits.

A 50yo is not an optimal hire by in large.

And no guarantees that the next job with not have the same issues or worse. It is easy to think the grass is greener. But rarely is.

I think rusbro has a good approach. You can also be looking for another opportunity while trying to make your current situation better.

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:
After 16 years and a boss you like, I'll guess he'd be open to a discussion of broadening your responsibilities and taking steps to reduce the stress. Before you talk to him, though, prepare a succinct description of the stressful aspects, and a couple solutions for him to think about.

Forty-nine years old is about the worst time to simply walk away and hope for greener pastures. You're too old to be considered for most entry-level jobs, and too young to simply retire. Additional college work over the next year or two may improve your salability, both inside and outside your current company, but you have to have a defined goal.

Good luck.

I know, man. I've had many bosses through the years and my current boss and manager are really great.
One of the big changes for me is being in the cubicle environment. An engineer right on the opposite side of my cube talks so much that I can't figure that he has time to breathe. I can wear earbuds and headphones but it distracts from the job.

I just need to ride it out for awhile.

Spend a week doing landscaping when it's 100 degrees there in Austin and that cubicle my seem like heaven

quote:

Originally posted by mekaus:

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:
After 16 years and a boss you like, I'll guess he'd be open to a discussion of broadening your responsibilities and taking steps to reduce the stress. Before you talk to him, though, prepare a succinct description of the stressful aspects, and a couple solutions for him to think about.

Forty-nine years old is about the worst time to simply walk away and hope for greener pastures. You're too old to be considered for most entry-level jobs, and too young to simply retire. Additional college work over the next year or two may improve your salability, both inside and outside your current company, but you have to have a defined goal.

Good luck.

I know, man. I've had many bosses through the years and my current boss and manager are really great.
One of the big changes for me is being in the cubicle environment. An engineer right on the opposite side of my cube talks so much that I can't figure that he has time to breathe. I can wear earbuds and headphones but it distracts from the job.

I just need to ride it out for awhile.

Take a vacation. Go somewhere for at least a week or two and decompress. Take a cruise...or go to some caribbean country......

Honestly, your job doesn't sound bad at all. Your current boss and manager are great. You have an amount of days off every week that most people would envy.....maybe talk to your boss about moving your cubicle or about the cubicle issue period and can you take a 5 minute walk every hour or two? You make good money, have health insurance..... you want to have a totally different perspective, sign up to be an uber driver and one of your days off each week spend the whole day drivig for uber.......after you hear how bad a lot of other people's lives are, you'll think differently.

quote:

Originally posted by jimmy123x:

quote:

Originally posted by mekaus:

quote:

Originally posted by newtoSig765:
After 16 years and a boss you like, I'll guess he'd be open to a discussion of broadening your responsibilities and taking steps to reduce the stress. Before you talk to him, though, prepare a succinct description of the stressful aspects, and a couple solutions for him to think about.

Forty-nine years old is about the worst time to simply walk away and hope for greener pastures. You're too old to be considered for most entry-level jobs, and too young to simply retire. Additional college work over the next year or two may improve your salability, both inside and outside your current company, but you have to have a defined goal.

Good luck.

I know, man. I've had many bosses through the years and my current boss and manager are really great.
One of the big changes for me is being in the cubicle environment. An engineer right on the opposite side of my cube talks so much that I can't figure that he has time to breathe. I can wear earbuds and headphones but it distracts from the job.

I just need to ride it out for awhile.

Take a vacation. Go somewhere for at least a week or two and decompress. Take a cruise...or go to some caribbean country......

Honestly, your job doesn't sound bad at all. Your current boss and manager are great. You have an amount of days off every week that most people would envy.....maybe talk to your boss about moving your cubicle or about the cubicle issue period and can you take a 5 minute walk every hour or two? You make good money, have health insurance..... you want to have a totally different perspective, sign up to be an uber driver and one of your days off each week spend the whole day drivig for uber.......after you hear how bad a lot of other people's lives are, you'll think differently.

You are right. And like someone else up above said, the grass is always greener. I need to take a drive and head down to the coast for a few days.

quote:

Originally posted by mekaus:
less pay and no health insurance.

Less pay is one thing, no health insurance at the age of 49 is completely different.

quote:

Originally posted by mekaus:
and I deal with many engineers. I'm a tech.

Now, I understand your pain!

Have you tried volunteering? Sounds like you need more than just sitting in a veal pen surrounded by engineers.

find something you can do in your spare time to do that requires face time with real people ( engineers aren't real people ).

We evolved as social creatures who need the help of others AND need to be of service to others.

You might find something whilst volunteering that interests you beyond just working.

quote:

Originally posted by Echtermetzger:
find something you can do in your spare time to do that requires face time with real people ( engineers aren't real people ).

Bad plan.

You need a better plan, jumping ship at almost 50 to work probably more hours for assuredly less money and no benefits. Idealism is a great thing when you are reading about it in a book or on the Internet. Sucks in real life. Physically and mentally and financially a bad bad move. Listen to a guy that has just been through that and stuck it out for the last three years. Oh the stories I could tell you.....

Talk to your supervisor. You must have some breaks during that shift, nobody works a twelve without a lunch break and a couple of breaks, officially or unofficially in that time frame. Get your spot moved, if your supervisor really cares, he will work with you. Maybe a reassignment. I went through a classic case of burnout at about your age years ago, a new job challenge helped me at that time. New job in that company or maybe outside if necessary, same line of work. If you are a big fish in a small pond with no responsibilities, maybe a move is in the future to a different part of the country.

End of this month I am hanging it up, just shy of full retirement age. Without getting into all the details, a lot of things have made me choose this path. But without a backup plan, it would not work. I needed one, I have one. You need one too, you do not have one in my opinion, at least a realistic one.