living below your potential?

[worrywort]

Anyone else feel like they're not living up to their potential?

I was asked the dreaded question again today...how come you've got a degree at uni and yet you work these crappy minimum wage jobs?....and, surprisingly, I STILL haven't figured out a good answer yet. Anyone else in a similar position? How would you answer this question?

 

[Glumlock]

Well if you have a degree at uni, why are you doing minimum wage jobs? have you asked in your university for them to help you take it to the next level? Surely you should use your degree?

hmmm. If i was in your position i'd either tell them is was because there are "no jobs going" or some other lame excuse like that. But seriously, depending on what your degree is in, a job can be easy or hard to come by. I want to do a degree in psychology - that alone isnt enough to make me a psychologist - i need to get a foot in the door with the NHS first. See what i mean? Perhaps you should start at the bottom and work your way to the top, your degree is really just a badge that seperates you from the person next to you.

but really...

I think it's normal to feel that you always "could have done better" and nothing you do is "good enough". If we didn't feel like this then we would be satisfied with what we have, and it is human nature to always want more, to always want to push the boundaries. It is human nature to want to go one step beyond. Nobody ever walks away in Who Wants to be a Millionaire do they? they always try the next question, if they struggle, they may walk, but chances are they'll give it a shot, even if it does cost them 64 grand. That's what makes us different from the rest of the creatures on this planet - our desire for greatness and success.

This can be both good and bad. It can be bad when evil dictators decide that their own country is not enough, and good when a person is driven to become successful. Without this desire to reach new heights, we would never have advanced into the society in which we live in today.

 

[WelshOne]

I feel I have a lot of potential, but my anxiety holds me back in many ways. I would like to get A levels, but am too nervous to go to the necessary college to get them (its a large college).

Not long ago I wanted to go into physics... maybe even to PhD level (if I was smart enough) but I cant handle University, especially when I cant even get a job to pay my way through it. So now those plans are gone.

I have other plans though...

 

[worrywort]

Yes it's frustrating when people ask such things. I haven't yet found an answer that will satisfy their question. I think the best answer is no answer, because they don't really want to know why.

They don't want to know that you are dealing with SA and it is taking a toll on your life. If you explain what's going on, they just say you're making excuses and feeling sorry for yourself. The implication is that you're lazy or weak of character.

yea I hate this! It's so frustrating how some people who've never had social or mental problems just assume that those that do are just lazy or weak. It's hard because even though I truly believe that I'm NOT lazy or weak of character, at the back of my mind I'm never absolutely sure. Who knows? Maybe these confident people went through the exact same struggles as me, and were just stronger and braver than me?....But I don't think so....I'm pretty sure there's something else going on inside me that they don't get.....I hope so, at least, anyway!

There is no good answer because they are asking the wrong question. You can't sum up a person's life in a nice cut and dry answer about their job status. People are much more complicated than that.

nice answer!

Well if you have a degree at uni, why are you doing minimum wage jobs? have you asked in your university for them to help you take it to the next level? Surely you should use your degree?

hmm..yea, that's exactly what this guy asked me today...::....well.....what I told him was that I can't fake climbing a career ladder when I don't care about the career, and the only ladder I really care about is art....but I don't like making art for money....so my only reason I need to work is for money. Plus I don't want a job I have to take home with me or that will drain me, because I want to do my art at home.

But I've been thinking about it more all day today and I think my truthful answer would be, because all the jobs that require my degree, also require me to be a confident, ambitious, motivated person, and I'm very scared of the highly likely prospect that on meeting an employer I will embarass myself or somehow reveal the truth about who I am...i.e. that I couldn't give a monkeys about his company, I'm just in it for the money....and also that I'm massively incompetent and will probably bump and stumble through any interview, which will also be embarassing, when I reveal how screamingly under qualified I am for the position.

On top of that, there's a huge number of companies out there who I just don't trust or approve of their ethics....i.e. I hate selling stuff! [which accounts for most companies!] I feel so sleazy. Ironically, one of my favourite jobs I ever had was as a cleaner, because I didn't feel so dirty when I'd finished.

 

[worrywort]

Was this guy a friend or just some random person or co worker?

He's my brother! So it was ok. I know he was only trying to help, and I do actually appreciate that we can be quite frank with each other. I like that he challenges me on stuff. And it got me thinking, hence the creation of this thread!

but thanks for your good advice. I'm feeling better about it all today. I'm going to stick to my original plan and carry on at my own pace. Maybe one day I'll be able to use my degree, but for now it'll have to wait.

 

[bleach]

90% of getting a good career job are social contacts. Unless you are an entrepreneur. No wonder most people with SP are living below their potential in a world where socializing is the most valuable employment trait...

 

[Psychedelicious]

Essential potential for the confidential differential

I have no idea what my potential is, but I seem to think it's not very high. I don't know what it actually is, but it probably isn't that great. Right now you're definitely working below your own potential, especially if you got that degree. Atleast you've got what it takes to be able to have a lot of these better jobs. I have one question though. Are you comfortable living and working below your potential? You know you can do it, if you have the skills, it will just take a lot of work and be really hard. I'm just wondering which one sounds like more of a pay-off in the end.

 

[I_Walk_Alone]

I sure hope so!

Cant wait.