I Don't Want to Work.

Anyone else feel this way? I simply... never want to work again. Ever.

Being chained to a desk 8+ hours per day, year after year for the rest of my life is one of my worst nightmares. I was terrified of it way before I started working... and when I got my first real job, it was exactly how I had imagined it would be. The days, weeks, months and even years blurred into a lifeless, grey morass of monotony.

Contrary to what you might think, I was really good at that job -- continually receiving the praise of my boss and coworkers, getting raises and bonuses, etc. For five years, I worked hard. In that light it should have been tolerable... but it wasn't. I hated it with a passion. Every day I sat at my desk dreaming of taking off, doing whatever I wanted, being FREE.

There's so much about working life that I can't cope with. I'm terrified of workplace bullying, having been a victim of bullying as a kid. I'm disgusted by any and all forms of office politics and refuse to participate. I'm appalled at the trend I've seen over the years as the good, hardworking people get demoted and fired while unqualified, lower-paid slackers take their places and rise through the ranks. The corporate "wellness programs" that have sprung up like weeds the past decade or so also disgust me -- I'm genetically predisposed to obesity, and as a result I get higher insurance premiums than those who aren't, unless I go through rigorous testing and take after-hours courses? No. Just no.

I know I'll have to make a living somehow. For now I'm basically a butler to my parents, doing all the cooking, cleaning and errands around the house -- I'm not just a lazy bum. But the idea of proper, 9-to-5 work is just crazy to me. I can't do it again. So I don't know what I'm going to do.

Have you considered having your own business? You sound like a capable person who would do well being an independent worker.

I came to feel all of the above about my profession over time---now, I work in a position and place that is positive, where I am the only nurse, working with kids and teachers---camp---no politics, no competition, no drama bigger than homesickness---and the satisfaction of being able to help others, and participate in the activities that interest me.

Sounds like you could do with a career change. What do you like doing? Can you look into finding a job/training that would fit your personality?

I don't know that this helps, but I feel exactly the same way. I have had jobs I liked (gold leaf restorer, housepainter - mostly because of my boss). But even these I struggled with. The more "regular" sort of jobs drive me nuts. It's so depressing going someplace you don't like, doing something you don't like, and working for people you'd rather not work for. I don't know why I feel this way exactly. Part of it is that I feel trapped. Part is that I feel unfulfilled. Honestly a lot of it is boredom. I feel like I'm wasting my life at work. I can see that I'm not, but I can't shake the feeling. I have wondered if it's because I'm depressed or something and I lack whatever it is that keeps other people happy in those situations. Maybe I'm not any happier when I'm not working, but at least I don't have to do stuff I don't want to do all the time. I have thought that maybe part of it is that I don't have things like a family or vocation that I can pursue through my work.

Like you, when I am working, I do my best. I'm not just lazy.

I'm struggling with this because I am just starting a job search. I was recently in school, then had back surgery, and now need to get out there.

Maybe you're depressed. Gotta stay alive and to do that you gotta work doing something.

I'd enjoy a job I was super-good at where I never had to be around any people and I also got to see the fruits of my own labor and all that. Not many people probably get opportunities like that though.

i can relate to what you said about the 9-5 grind. i did that for many years, the last job lasting for 8 years until i quit to move away and be home with my kids. it was exactly as you describe - the politics, good people being fired, the wellness programs. we still deal with that with my husband's job, and since he is overweight we pay the higher premiums too. now i am home but one day i'll need to get out there again and i dread it. i'd stay home the rest of my life if i could, but i am afraid my husband would resent me greatly for that. as it is i think he is so burnt out from being the sole provider and that doesn't feel good either.

Desk jobs aren't the only option in the world.

I am 65 and retired now, have money so can do what I want, etc. It is not at all like the daydream. I had desk jobs 30+ years to earn my living and only enjoyed parts of one or two. What would I do differently if I knew what I know now?

I'd do more of what I enjoy. I did have a 5- to 10-year period in the mid-90's where my jobs were free-lance and taken deliberately for my own purposes and that suited me better. Invent your own life and then find jobs that fit in with helping you learn something you want to learn, etc. Make the job deliberate -- I'm not talking about a calling or specific type of work but having your "Self" and who you want to be and then adding in a job(s).

Have you ever read Nickel and Dimed? Nickel and Dimed - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia One of my degrees is in Sociology and the whole concept of being a Sociologist and taking on the project to write the book, etc. is what I'm talking about. She never became the minimum-wage person she was portraying, even though she lived exclusively like one, because she was primarily the sociologist/writer doing a life experiment?

Just look at how you used "butler" for what you are doing for your parents instead of "care giver" or "house keeper"? Where did that come from? Use your imagination and day dreaming to help you live your Life in a creative way instead of trying to escape from it?

Thank you all for your replies.

I have a degree in English, but all it got me was a job I hated. I quit that job, but now I have no idea what I should be looking for next. I know I don't want the 9-5 grind. I know I don't want to be a corporate drone. Unfortunately I don't know how to go about discovering anything else!

I guess my real problem is that I can't imagine a "job" that I could possibly like. I know I definitely won't enter anything like my last one again... but I'm having trouble finding other options. Plus the aforementioned workplace worries, and social phobia that makes interviews worse than pulling teeth... I feel a bit stuck in unemployment, and yet I know that I need a job.

I'm gonna flip this to fit my situation and say that I'm scared to death of just getting a minimum wage job. I've never had a job, and I have gotten away with it because I don't live on my own and I don't have my license (yet), but working somewhere new being completely clueless scares me...

Lots of empathy here, One. I am a fish out of water in the working world. I always take whatever I can get and never can act proactively to take advantage of opportunities to progress. I then get burned out by keeping myself in low level positions in dysfunctional environments. I was hoping time off would allow me to figure things out. Now I have put myself in a position of having been out of work for 4 years and limited options (at least as far as I see it). I also have next to no interest in going back to school for anything. It all just takes too much time, effort, money and stress to start from square one with a huge probability that I'll end up just as unhappy. But then having no future is killing me. The proverbial rock and hard place I have put myself in.

Doing Something will be better than doing nothing, even if you change jobs often----try a career counselor....get some help developing ideas.

I feel the way you feel oneinabillions. I worked in a place I was bullied for 12 years because I felt it was all I could get as I did not have a college degree and it payed well for not having schooling. I woke up everyday wanting to die. It escalated all my mental health symptoms . The best thing that actually happened was I got fired for a breach of policy. I thought it would be the end of the world and I would not be able to handle the flooding of emotions of worthlessness but I actually felt a heavy weight lifted off of me. I actually got unemployment for 6 months and we moved out of state. During that time I pursude a new path of fitness and am trying to turn my hobby/passion into a job. Personal Training. I am not sure if I can make a living off of it but i am lucky that my husband makes enough money so I can take my time finding work. I just started sending out resumes and have interviews lined up. I have a strong inner critic that always tells me I am not good enough and will be laughed out of the place.

Honestly I do not want to go out to work ever again personally but what does one do all day then?

I saw this story yesterday and thought of this thread.

The 30 highest-paying jobs for people who don't want to sit at a desk all day