I can relate to this topic more than I care to admit. I’ll be turning 36 in a week and I have never been so unhappy in my current career path. I’m currently working as a project coordinator for an architecture firm where I manage the production of our project drawing sets, coordinate everything with our consultants and work directly with the clients to do their projects. I have the most responsibilities and more pay then at any other point in my career. I’m also engaged in educating students about the industry in my spare time, but no matter what I do I’m just finding my current career path incredibly unfulfilling.
So where I stand now I figure I have a few different options to consider. I either need to go back to school and get another Master’s or PhD to change careers. I could transition to a different market sector that may or may not provide better project types or opportunities. I could go out on my own and start going after the projects I really want. Or I could work towards starting a home goods company that I’ve had interest in for years. Becoming a full time educator/writer/researcher also has some appeal. I’m weighing the pros and cons of all of this and I’m still not sure what I should do. Ultimately my strongest desire is to make cool sh*t and continually grow as a designer/educator/business person. So how do I get there while providing a sustainable career and manage to be happy doing what I do?
If I had a great answer for you I’d gladly give some better advice. For now, just know there are others out there considering some of the same options.