I'm a Supply Chain Manager in auto parts. I used to love it. I worked for a company that allowed you to work autonomously, and valued the hard work that people put into their projects. People were working hard because they were able to cultivate their ideas and see them through without micromanagement.

In the last 2 years, that has changed completely. It's sad to see the amount of pointless micromanagement that exists on a day-to-day (if not hour-to-hour..no kidding) basis. People have referenced Office Space in this thread, and my work environment has very much taken that mold.

People are falling over each other to get out. Having just had twins I feel like I need to maintain some stability, but I've got my eyes wide-open for other opportunities. I want to make a move, but I want to make sure it's the right move, and I'm afraid to leave behind a familiar well-paying job. Reading through this thread has been therapeutic and has given me some ideas, so thanks!

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On a less depressing note, I used to work in golf. In high school I wanted to be a teaching pro. I was mentored by a pro, but slowly learned I didn't have the talent to pass the ability test. I also watched him routinely put in 12+ hour days, 7 days a week. I did learn a lot, and I'm grateful for the experience.

In college I realized the only way I'd be able to golf was if it was free.. so I needed another job at a course. I hesitantly joined a grounds crew. I was offered a job out of college to stay at a time when the job market was poor. I accepted, and stayed on as an Asst Superintendent, and Mechanic (after the previous mechanic was fired under rather humorous circumstances).

I liked a lot of it -- being able to mow for 3-4 hours most mornings just enjoying the hypnotizing buzz of the mower and monotonous challenge of achieving the perfectly straight cut. I was able to bring my dog to work when the day's work would allow it, which I miss more than anything else. So does he, the word "wannagotawork?" will make him literally piss himself with excitement.

I did eventually feel as though I needed to use my degree that I had spent so much time working toward, and besides, the pay at the course was shit. I miss it sometimes, but I try to remember the sweat rolling into my eyes and the lack of pinball machines in my basement.

What's your degree? I think often that most of the jobs you describe applying to aren't going to take someone with advanced education, because they think that you'll just bolt once you find something in your field. If that's where you want to work, I think you need to make that clear to them. You're also probably better off just filling out an application than submitting a resume in that case.

If you want to get into your field, consider having a professional service write your resume. Gaps in employment may scare some companies off, but maybe disclose what you were doing on your resume during that time - or take some certificate classes to prove that your experience isn't obsolete.

Also try going back to your alma mater - often they'll have programs designed to help with placement, or job boards, or should at least be able to point you in the right direction. It's in their best interest to get you into a job so they can call you for money!

Good luck!

Would love to hear some stories/thoughts.

I worked in the golf course industry for a good number of years. I started in the Pro Shop as an aspiring Golf Pro, but watched my boss pour his entire summer days (including weekends) into work. That, and my apparent ability ceiling, kept me from pursuing further. I worked at a different course as an Assistant Superintendent. I thought about pursuing that as a career, but I apparently enjoy summer too much to give up all of my weekends.

I decided I wanted to pursue something relatively within my field of study and found work as a Supply Chain Manager at a very successful e-commerce company. It was very good for a lot of years. The pay was beyond my expectations, but the efficiency and autonomy we created gave the megalomaniac CEO nothing to do but micro-manage (ironically slowing down what we had created). The stress levels went through the roof as I saw many of my colleagues get fired on the spot, or demoted without merit. To give some perspective, we lost about 1/3 of our staff due to firings or resignations – we were attempting to hire during that same time and successfully retained 0 of the those employees. It was tough to walk away from the money, but after they started to deny use of our vacation time, I finally realized I needed to regain some work/life balance.

Now I work for the state doing program evaluation and analysis. I just started this year, but the flexibility and overall tone is unreal compared to my previous employer. I took a significant paycut, but the pension and my other investments should still allow me to retire early, and hopefully with much lower blood pressure!