I (22F) graduated college in May and started a job soon after at a Civil Engineering firm. I enjoy what I do and like the people I work with. However, when I think about doing this for the next 40 years, I get very bad anxiety. I am starting to dread going to work every day and cry most days. I live for the weekends just so I can have a mental break. I work around 50 hours a week and it is a high stress environment at times. I feel stupid complaining about it because I have only been at it for 6 months, but I can’t imagine how I will feel years from now. I have always been a hard worker and wanted to do well. I just feel like there has to be more to life than working 80% of our time until we are 65. I’ve talked to other people about how I feel and they say that its just the way it is, but I’m having a hard time accepting it.
I dream about moving somewhere where I can open a bakery and own my own little farm or maybe work at an animal shelter, but I feel like it is so unrealistic. I feel like I can’t give up a well paying job just because I’m unhappy. I know I am young but I feel stuck.
Has anyone felt this way before? How did you deal with it? Reading about other people’s experiences always make me feel better…