I'm a software dev and i've been working corporate america for a decade and i hate it. i hate every second of every day. i've tried applying for non profits and government jobs and the entire job market is total balls. i've been trying to find something else for half a year and 100+ job applications.
I want to do something menial like project management. Something sitting at a desk. Something that isn't very mentally straining like the software engineering I'm doing now.
I want to work with cool people.
I want to work in an environment where I don't have to justify breathing the oxygen in their office.
I want to have a nice boss.
I don't care if the pay is shit.
How can i find something like this? How does one approach a job search if what you care about most is cool coworkers and doesn't care at all what the job is (aside from it being a desk job) or how much it pays?
Applying for jobs is miserable and my heart goes out to you.
Most organizations, and especially nonprofit orgs, want to fill positions with people they know. These jobs end up being de facto internal positions and get filled by friends and old co-workers.
If you can temp, contract, or volunteer somewhere that seems cool to you, you are going to be in a way better position to find out about jobs and ultimately get them. I found my current job by picking up a menial temp work and then being a reliable and nice person. A couple years later I have a rewarding position and work with cool people.
Ultimately this gives you a chance to determine whether these people are cool too. You can't really know anything about a work culture until you're in it. I once worked at a plant nursery which was staffed by nihilist drunks.
Honestly, donate your time anywhere you want. Just meet as many people as you can until somebody wants and is able to help you. Meeting people will payoff quicker than sending in applications and has the added benefit of potentially enriching the soul while you wait.
It's funny because as soon as I posted this, I did exactly that - I applied for a volunteer position at a non-profit with a cool mission I identify with a lot. The contact responded immediately and I'm interviewing with her next week. They're looking for someone pretty project management oriented which I've done plenty of, but it's not exactly my strong point - but maybe because it's building a web platform I'll be a good resource because I've done it for a decade. Maybe I'll have the opportunity to help one way or another.
Thanks for the compassion. I recognize that networking is such a huge part of this, but between covid and getting banned from linkedin (they thought I was a bot for some reason) it's pretty difficult to do. I've applied to non-profits for volunteer positions in the past and even interviewed at one, but they just ghosted on me.
Badass! Best of luck with that. Might be cool to test your boundaries and discover new skills.
Unfortunately, throughout this process people will routinely treat you like you don't matter. But don't forget that you really do.