I hate my job with a passion uncontested

Great idea, Jespah. Damn, you guys are good.

I'm feeling a little better about things today, since I stayed up last night looking up businesses for sale, franchises, etc. It got me to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel somewhere up there. I just hope it isn't a train.

I should probably think about maybe going back to school. Outside possibility, but still, it's early in the process, so I should give it a look.

Thanks again.

I'm still laughing at my dad suggesting you could be a Florida playboy.
I am NOT laughing at the "Ma'am" reiteration.

I'm laughing because I read your post wrong and thought you said your dad suggested I could be a Florida PAPERBOY.

Sheesh...I am, er, a few years older'n you, and I'm just beginning to get things right.

Wanna trade ages?

Put on your glasses, sonny!

Rich windows looking for playboys? I'm very confused...

pffffffffft

Excuse you.

It was 'rickety windows looking for plywood', wasn't it??

That doesn't make any sense. I thought it was "Fish pillows looking for payphones".

oh, THAT makes sense...

you guys...

Wait -- how did the widows get rickets?

I don't know. Third base!

Eh? Speak up, I can't hear you.

Oh, I get it. Windows, plywood, Florida. You're talkin' about a hurricane, right? Some mighty strong stuff blowin' through here, I must say.

A mighty winds a blowin', cross the land and cross the sea,
It's blowin' peace and freedom, it's blowin' equality.
Yes it's blowin' peace and freedom, it's blowin' you and me.

I've skipped over pages 2, 3, and 4, though I will go back and catch up, but wanted to post that changing a whole career is not something people do every day but it can be so rewarding. When I was a lab tech I took drawing and painting and printmaking classes after work, which turned out to be a good thing in a lot of ways. It woke me up to see I really liked the idea of being creative, a little matter I didn't explore too much in the sciences. At one point I had a semihorrible lab job with high stress, and for a change not in research, which I missed. I looked around for what I could do to earn a living in art and took a drafting class at night. Everybody in that drafting class, or almost everybody, was signed up for UCLA extension landscape architecture classes. So I took an elements of design class (which has to do with spatial design, not graphics) and loved it.

Took four years of classes at night and worked in jobs in the new field in the daytime, and have found landscape architecture very satisfying.

So... one thing I would suggest is getting a UCLA extension catalog, say for Fall, which is a busy quarter (I think you just call to get one.) I know other universities have extensions, but I tell you, UCLA's offers really really interesting classes, and some of the classes are ganged into Certificates; they are very career oriented. Lots of people get work in the different fields while they are going through school. My point is not that you need four years of school, or even any, as that a catalog like that with so many real life kinds of choices might give you some ideas, kind of a self counselling for what fields interest you.

Other than that, I know people go to professionals for career counselling. I have no idea if that is worth it, but I think various "counselling and testing services" are out there in the phone book.

Wow, Osso, that is really great information. You are good. I will definitely check into that extension stuff.

Wow, that makes me kind of excited! I'm glad I started this thread.

If you can't get a catalog for some reason like being in New York, tell me and I'll get you one.