Good luck on your quest, brave Tess!!!

Onward!

I'd punch the SOB in the mouth. Or at least, I'd dream about it! As a fellow IT person, I can commisserate.

Not a day goes by when some idiot doesnt forget their password they just picked five minutes earlier. And again and again. Or, better yet, they come to me with their "I'm having email problems." I'm the web guy, what do you want ME to do? "Well, you work with computers! You can fix it!"

Bang! ZOOM! To the moon, Alice...

Sorry you don't like your job :-(

Health care sucked the life out of me. Do I miss making a difference? Yes. Do I miss being treated like shit by patients' families and other health care professionals? No!

Do I feel guilty for not using my medical knowledge to make a difference? Sometimes. But you know what? I DID that already. I deserve to be happy now. So do you.

You made more difference in one week as a paramedic than most people do their entire lives. Now you go do what you want to do! Don't feel guilted into returning to a life of being underpaid, verbally abused, and putting yourself in harms way.

Wow, Mary... it's amazing how you hit one of my dilemmas right on the head and said something I probably needed to hear. :)

Dan, thanks, and Matt... I know you feel my pain. :)

I think a lot of people don't realize that they're going through their lives as bystanders. They're watching life, not experiencing it. It can happen so easily, before people know it and, down the road, they sit back and reflect bitterly on all of the things that happened or didn't happen. I know that I've seen myself start to sink into that whole and it took a massive life change to get myself out of it.

You've got the talent, you've got the heart and you've got the balls ... so to speak. You can do this.

I've been thinking along the exact same lines lately, although my brain doesn't think quite so eloquently. I've always believed that it's never too late to make a change. Go for it, Tess.

I've always been a firm believer in NOT sticking with a job I hate. If you wake up every day and don't look forward to the next 8 hours, what's the point? Long ago I quit a decent job (in insurance no less) for a lesser-paying and less glamorous position as a receptionist for a city magazine. Best move I ever made. As time went on, I got promoted at the magazine and eventually started copywriting, which led to translation, which led to having enough clients to work from home. It was a risky move at the time, but then again, I was only 22. Good age to take risks.

Still, if something fantastic came up today, 20 years later, I think I would go for it. (I think...)

My safe-and-cautious mother has always been amazed by my ability to live life without a safety net.

I hardly know you, Tess, but you sound like the kind of person who will go out there and get what you want. I, for one, cheer you on!

I'm sorry to hear you feel this way about your job, Tess, but if I know anyone who is capable of recognizing that there's a problem and doing something about it, that has to be YOU! Go for it!

Every tiny, minute thing we do has a major impact on some person, whether close by, or worlds away. I'm amazed at the clarity of responses here. It seems we're all very aware of the situations in which we sometimes find ourselves. Even if we're not really sure how we got here, either we do something about it or suffer through it. Some people call this stamina, or patience - I call it teetering on the edge of insanity.

Okay, so I'm still young, but I can already recall a few events in my short life that have changed my entire outlook and perspective. Those life-defining-moments are few, but powerful, and I expect there will be many more.

All the power to those who see change and catch that elusive train to parts unknown. Oddly enough, a very simple shoe commercial speaks volumes in chasing dreams: Just do it.

When you think about it, did you ever really change careers? You went from fixing people that were ungrateful or their relatives were ungrateful to fixing machines that don't lack the programming to be grateful or their users aren't grateful.

I'd say I'm sorry you don't like your job, but that would mean I've made the assumption that you like your job or liked it at one point and I'm not sure that you do/did.

If you'd like to stick with computers but still help people, I'd suggest being a Troll Bounty Hunter. From what I've seen in the past, you're pretty good at it. And I'm sure there's an untapped market out there in Blogland.

Just some thoughts. . .

"Troll Bounty Hunter"... Why didn't I think of this!! ;) Mike, somehow, that people often went ungrateful didn't bother me because I knew in my heart that what I was doing mattered, that it was valuable and something bigger than myself.

And the rest of you, thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences. They were ALL interesting and appreciated!

The very best of luck to you, Tess. I'm in the exact same place in my professional life, and I'm on the hunt in a very large way. If you find an employer or a business opportunity and they find you and the fit is good, you go for it.

Love this entry because I can so relate to what you are saying. I am pushing 40 real hard and am beginning to feel that my point of no return is sneaking up on me fast (if it hasn't already).

Like Mary said, health care has sucked the life right out of me too but I can't see myself doing anything else. A day job? Nah! Not me. All the while, I can see myself going down. These young whipper snapper EMS folks coming into the world. They are stronger, smarter and think faster. Do I still have a place? Sometimes I wonder.

I won't take up anymore of your space whining but whatever your delima is Tess, I think you must follow your heart. That is how I feel about it anyway.