Twice a week we publish problems that will feature in a forthcoming Dear Jeremy advice column in the Saturday Guardian so that readers can offer their own advice and suggestions. We then print the best of your comments alongside Jeremy’s own insights. Here is the latest dilemma – what are your thoughts?
I’m in my mid-20s and struggling with my career choice. I graduated with a degree in physical geography a few years ago and ever since I’ve felt lost. After a year of job searching I got a graduate role as a geotechnical engineer. I felt a bit of a fraud and not really qualified for the role. The job was a high-pressure one and the working conditions added to my stress. In just two years of working there my friendships suffered, I was exhausted, seemed unable to stand up for myself and became something of a wreck.
I did the best thing I could think of and went travelling. I was lucky to get a new job at a local authority within a month of returning to the UK, but three months on I feel bored by it in comparison to my old job.
I’ve been thinking of retraining to work in the merchant navy but am struggling to find the confidence to start somewhere new and worry about the application process, coupled with the prospect of taking out a loan for something that isn’t guaranteed to pay off in the long term.
What can I do to stop feeling like such a worrier, and be able to enjoy my life and make use of my qualifications?
Do you need advice on a work issue? For Jeremy’s and readers’ help, send a brief email to dear.jeremy@theguardian.com. Please note that he is unable to answer questions of a legal nature or to reply personally.
