Downgrading in life

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Adrienne i gazed a gazely stare... Resident Neo total posts: 2834 since: Feb 2011	Jul 17, 12 at 12:12pm ^ Downgrading in life
	Log in to remove this sponsored message Have you ever felt like you made a decision that downgraded your life? In March I quit my job of 9 years. I was a manager (and offered on a few occasions to be promoted further). I just couldn't stand retail anymore, and decided to finally take a chance and go back to school. It took me 3 months to find a crummy part time job. I can't help feeling that I've leveled down in life. I make half of my former income. My apartment isn't as nice. I'll be struggling with money until my car is paid off. It's all been a little overwhelming. Has anyone else felt like this? What did you do to stay positive? I know that in the end I'll be happier with what I'm doing, but that doesn't really seem to be helping my morale. ------------------- Currently playing Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen and Guild Wars 2.
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hiigaran Sajuuk awaits beyond the Gate of Balcora Elite Seeker total posts: 31968 since: Dec 2005	Jul 17, 12 at 12:17pm ^ re: Downgrading in life
	what would be considered a downgrade? if your standard of living is better than wha it was, but ou arent happy, what is that considered? -------------------
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Adrienne i gazed a gazely stare... Resident Neo total posts: 2834 since: Feb 2011	Jul 17, 12 at 12:22pm ^ re: Downgrading in life
	quote hiigaran what would be considered a downgrade? That's up to each individual, as everyone has different ideas of a perfect life. I'm just asking if anyone has felt that way, and what they did to change their perspective (if they did anything). ------------------- Currently playing Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen and Guild Wars 2.
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Tay Rex Phone sex gives you hearing AIDS. (moderator) Strategy/Simulation [PS3] The Sims 3 total posts: 5930 since: Jul 2006	Jul 17, 12 at 12:29pm ^ re: Downgrading in life
	I haven't downgraded yet but I'm fairly sure in the Autumn when I move to university and I'm stuck desperately hunting for a part time job (something I'm still doing over here now) so I can afford to pay £118 a week for a tiny room with a bed, a desk and a wardrobe and eat packet noodles, I'll be downgrading. At the moment I live with my parents, I have the biggest bedroom in my house, I don't have to spend a penny on rent or food and I get to eat all sorts of yummy homecooked meals. It shall be an interesting experience and I hope I can adjust. Oh a more positive note I'm going to say that I shall be upgrading in the sense that I'll be studying a subject I enjoy, I'll be making new friends, meeting new people and I'll be learning how to be independent. Also I can quit this stupid AVON round that I hate doing so much. ------------------- Help revive The Sims 3 forum here!
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Dynamite supermod ReQuests, Feedback and Suggestions since: Feb 2002	Jul 17, 12 at 12:43pm ^ re: Downgrading in life
	Unfortunately investing in further education for yourself isn't something which will ever provide instant results or gratification and will often require "downgrading" in the interim. That's pretty much par for the course. You were always likely to make a great deal less than the salary you were on previously by quitting a full-time position and taking up part-time work in order to make room for study. That's kinda something you should have expected and planned for. Many of my friends who went through the whole college/university thing had to work crappy superstore jobs whilst they saw other friends who went straight into employment after high school earn better money than them and be able to afford cars, nights out, etc. It's a calculated sacrifice they chose to make, but no less painful at the time. Now? Many who chose the education route are earning a lot more and have a much better standard of living than the others who are still working the same, boring superstore jobs. I'm kinda telling you something that you already know as you alluded to this in your opening post, but it should have been your whole motivating factor for re-entering education in the first place: ultimately to further yourself in the long term by giving you better employment options in a field that you're interested in. You shouldn't ever really lose sight of that as your sacrifices now and your studying are the means to achieve your desired goal; a goal whose draw is ultimately the reason you decided on this path to begin with. ------------------- --[ReQuests, Feedback and Suggestions]--[Site/Forums Help and QA]--[Forumwide Rules]--[Forumwide FAQ]--[Supermods on Duty]--[@NeoDynamite]--
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hiigaran Sajuuk awaits beyond the Gate of Balcora Elite Seeker total posts: 31968 since: Dec 2005	Jul 17, 12 at 12:56pm ^ re: Downgrading in life
	quote Adrienne quote hiigaran what would be considered a downgrade? That's up to each individual, as everyone has different ideas of a perfect life. I'm just asking if anyone has felt that way, and what they did to change their perspective (if they did anything).[/div] well in that case, id feel like the past three and a half years have been a downgrade, rather than an upgrade. as for what i have done to change it...nothing. at least at the moment. its all about time for me. also, this thread contains me, and everyone else is a mod. am i a mod pimp now? -------------------
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Tay Rex Phone sex gives you hearing AIDS. (moderator) Strategy/Simulation [PS3] The Sims 3 total posts: 5930 since: Jul 2006	Jul 17, 12 at 1:11pm ^ re: Downgrading in life
	quote hiigaran also, this thread contains me, and everyone else is a mod. am i a mod pimp now? More like a mod bitch because we all have more power than you. I sometimes see further education as a good investment of time and money but sometimes I read the papers and I hear about all those stories of all those graduates who are struggling to find work and I do panic a bit about it and wonder if it'll be all worth it. I want to do better for myself so I'm walking through the doors whilst they're still open but I don't want to put so much time and effort into something that might just leave me working at a crappy job anyway. ------------------- Help revive The Sims 3 forum here!
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hiigaran Sajuuk awaits beyond the Gate of Balcora Elite Seeker total posts: 31968 since: Dec 2005	Jul 17, 12 at 1:38pm ^ re: Downgrading in life
	thats pretty much why i never planned on going to uni. by the time you have paid off your student loan, you wont be too much better off than others without a uni degree. the loan itself, and the interest on top of it will cancel out your higher salary. of course, this varies depending on what you study as, but honestly i dont see why i should put in so much effort to study for something if the rewards arent all that great. i know it sounds like i have a crappy attitude towards it but hey, thats just me, i guess. as long as im happy doing the work im doing, i dont care if i get all the money in the world, or minimum wage. quote Tay Rex [color=#3366CC][div align=center] quote hiigaran also, this thread contains me, and everyone else is a mod. am i a mod pimp now? More like a mod bitch because we all have more power than you. well, shit! icanhasmod? -------------------
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Spastic Hooked on Neo total posts: 4178 since: Sep 2002	Jul 17, 12 at 5:53pm ^ re: Downgrading in life
	Yes, I was working full time at 20 years old making 38k with an AA. Quit after 6 months to finish my BA, currently unemployed (but expecting to graduate in the winter). Totally worth it. Having dabbled in the full time working world, I'm not eager to return and for once enjoying my studies. You have an entire lifetime to be miserable, retail is not a career for everyone (highest turnover of any industry), I'm sure in time you'll realize you made the right choice. Like Dynomot said, think of it not as a down-grade, but an investment. You just cannot waste this opportunity, you must motivate yourself to finish. ------------------- It's a mad, mad world
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walnuts 'Back off, man. I'm a scientist' True Addiction total posts: 19227 neopoints: 381 since: May 2008	Jul 17, 12 at 6:54pm ^ re: Downgrading in life
	quote Tay Rex I sometimes see further education as a good investment of time and money but sometimes I read the papers and I hear about all those stories of all those graduates who are struggling to find work and I do panic a bit about it and wonder if it'll be all worth it. I want to do better for myself so I'm walking through the doors whilst they're still open but I don't want to put so much time and effort into something that might just leave me working at a crappy job anyway. It is daunting, absolutely. However, the best advice I can give is to be flexible and to have an open mind. When looking for jobs, don't be so focused on what you did your degree in. Try and tailor your degree and strengths to the job, not the other way around. For instance, I did my degree in advanced economics, was damn good at it...HOWEVER, banks aren't hiring around here, so I couldn't get a job in it. So, I applied for lots of different jobs, matching my strengths and degree to the criteria and lo and behold, I ended up working in IT Management. Is it what I'm university qualified for? Nope, but I was confident in my ability to work hard to overcome this minor hurdle and succeed in this career, something which my boss also thought too, seeing as he hired me. The way I look at it, all a degree is a foot in the door. Once you've got a job, your degree is practically useless, because real work experience counts for MUCH more than classroom knowledge. Again, just my opinion, but I don't see a university degree as the 'be all and end all', it is just a tool you use to get your foot in the door of a rewarding career. So, mould your degree to work for you, and open up any number of doors for you as a result of being flexible. So in short, I do think that a degree is worthwhile use of your time, but at the end of the day, it is just a tool you use to move forward. A degree doesn't entitle you to anything, you still have to work hard. ------------------- 'I don't know mercy, but I know pain. Sometimes I share it with the likes of you'
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Roy Of MarthFireEmblem2 Purely Neo total posts: 25890 neopoints: 109 GameGrep pts: 250 since: Jan 2002	Jul 17, 12 at 10:48pm ^ re: Downgrading in life
	It would have to depend on what it was and if it was worth my while. Also, it could apply to electronics, not everything that is newer is better. Windows 8 don't get it until they actually release it. Keep Windows 7. ------------------- Support the Grand Theft Auto V forum. Ah who am I kidding of course you will!
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Ben73 Custom Titles appear below your name Seeketh Maximus total posts: 5998 since: Jun 2007	Jul 17, 12 at 10:54pm ^ re: Downgrading in life
	quote hiigaran thats pretty much why i never planned on going to uni. by the time you have paid off your student loan, you wont be too much better off than others without a uni degree. the loan itself, and the interest on top of it will cancel out your higher salary. of course, this varies depending on what you study as, but honestly i dont see why i should put in so much effort to study for something if the rewards arent all that great. i know it sounds like i have a crappy attitude towards it but hey, thats just me, i guess. as long as im happy doing the work im doing, i dont care if i get all the money in the world, or minimum wage. I agree, except for you last sentence. My girlfriend is going to uni for 4 years so she can earn half as much as me. Plus she will have fees to pay off while all my training was paid by my workplace. Plus I started earning a decent income at aged 18. While uni graduates don't start earning a decent income until they are 22+ Almost everything I want to do in life cost money. So as long as I work a job I don't hate and it pays me enough to do all the other things I want, then I am happy. Nothing wrong with not going to uni.
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hiigaran Sajuuk awaits beyond the Gate of Balcora Elite Seeker total posts: 31968 since: Dec 2005	Jul 18, 12 at 1:24am ^ re: Downgrading in life
	quote Ben73 I agree, except for you last sentence. yeah i can understand. there is a certain extent to which people would want to have money. im just an extremely low maintenance guy. if i have a home with one room, kitchen, and bathroom, plus electricity, water, and internet, thats all i really need (oh, and food of course). my job and friends could keep me more than entertained outside of my home, so theres that, too. -------------------
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Monterey Jack Fried Chicken McFlurry s-e-e-k-e-r since: Aug 2005	Jul 18, 12 at 1:25am ^ re: Downgrading in life
	Not necessarily a choice but I from a mechanic to a near-cripple to a bloody vegetable, and since I got back up, I couldn't be a mechanic again (can't find a job in that field and my back still hurts) so I work at the local KFC. Oh yeah I've been going through TAFE since halfway through last year, balancing between studies and being a mechanic. My boss was cool with me taking a day off a week to focus on TAFE shit because I had already worked there for a couple of years while going through school. -------------------
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Isilwen Do I look like Mother Teresa to you? ultra seeker total posts: 1250 since: Aug 2007	Jul 18, 12 at 3:25am ^ re: Downgrading in life
	I've felt like that sometimes. Most of all when I graduated from uni and became jobless for six months. It was horrible and I got into a real slump, it was hard to stay positive. Then I found a retail job (nothing to do with my degree) for another six months but the hours became awful after christmas, I was barely making any money. Now I've found yet another retail job. Hours are much better and I'm making good money to pay for my holiday in september but I've already applied for another job as I hate working in the same place for a long amount of time. Basically I hate retail, I graduated in drama and it's what I want to do in life. Me and a friend are renting rehearsal space soon and are going to try and put a show together. It's all about making stuff happen and having the motivation to go after what you really want. You may think that you've downgraded now but it's great that you're studying and doing what you really want. You just have to stick the tough times out and if you work hard enough and make stuff happen it will all be worth it. I don't regret one minute of university. Best time of my life and I met some great people. You don't want to spend your life wondering what if. -------------------
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