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?
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.