Your Job

Currently work in the shipping industry delivering a number of gases (oxygen, argon, nitrogen, acetylene) and strong cleaning chemicals to ships (cruise, container, military). Based in Dartford in Kent, often travel down to Southampton to cover the supervisor when he's off or needs help. Regularly have jobs to Dover, Felixstowe, Ipswich and many more similar places in the south east. If I'm not out and about I spend the majority of time in our warehouse using the counter balance and reach fork trucks. And no...havent managed to organise any races yet. Might not go down well with HR. (Also I hope Ryo doesn't drive with his forks raised in Shenmue 3. Major health and safety issue that... ?)

I love it. Absolutely love it. Monday - Friday 8.30 to 5 and anything else is overtime at a good rate, I usually end up working about 60 - 80hrs overtime a month which really helps and I don't mind at all. Its a nice job. Recently applied and been approved for a mortgage for a lovely 3 bed new build with my girlfriend of over 3 years so looking forward to that.

My work life hasn't always been this good though. I worked in retail (Argos) from the age of 19 to 30. Long time being on a shit wage and always worrying about not being in a "real job" with real money and what more I could do with my life.

Throughout that time I worked my way up to stock team leader by the time I was 24, then became one of the first fulfilment managers in the south east for their fast track delivery service when I was 29. Hated it. 17.5k a year as a manager on a salary but expected to do more than 60hrs a week with no overtime pay. Expected to treat employees like shit - which I sucked at, and therefore was seen as bad at my job by a certain manager. The pay was unbelievably shit.

I was married back then, had a house and dog etc. But it wasn't a good marriage. I wasn't happy at home or at work. I took a leap of faith in April 2016. Walked out of my house and marriage. Went off work sick in July 2016 to find a new job. By September 1st that year I started a new job, and also got with my current girlfriend. Life changed so much for the better.

Sometimes all it takes is to have the courage to make one scary move. I did that twice within 4 months. 2016 started so low for me but completely U-turned by the end of it. Being brave pays off. Trust me.
 
danielmann861 said:
10 years I've worked where I currently work. (I won't say the name of the place)

Been working Pay Roll for the last 5 or 6 years. I started off as a Record Keeper and worked my way up to Pay Roll. Can't say I enjoy it all that much but the money ain't too bad and considering I spent the last 4 years climbing out of debt, I needed the money pretty badly.

This year I received Long Term Service leave. I spent a month in Tokyo this past April and have started wondering "I'm 33 years old; what am I doing with my life?"

Everyone around me is either married, has kids, has a mortgage or what not. Meanwhile I'm the last bachelor of my friends and am completely unsure about what I'm doing long term.

I've been studying Japanese for 6 years now and kind of want to make the jump to Japan just to see if I could survive there...but I have no idea what I would do. I've never taught before (which I've heard teaching English is the easiest way in) so yeah, I'm sort of in that in-between point of "what am I doing?"

If I could find a way to make a living out of it, I would love to be translating for a living. But I have no idea how to even get a foot into that industry.

I have no family (of my own). No mortgage to speak off. No relationship to speak off. Part of me wants to quit but the other part of me thinks "why give up something secure for something that isn't secure?"

Those sort of life questions I've been facing lately. I wouldn't say I completely hate my job. Sure there are people there who annoy me, but I get along well enough with everyone and I do have a good standing within the company (I don't look for trouble, I keep my nose clean and do my job) but there is just a part of me that wonders "is this it for the next 30 years of my life?"
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Going to Japan while you’re still single is certainly the best time to go. I first came at 21, went back home for awhile. It’s not that things didn’t work out, just that my life wasn’t going anywhere and I had unfinished business in Japan and decided to come back when I was 25. Been here for 10 years and finally have a family of my own. We plan on getting a house in the near future, but that won’t be for awhile. I’m still largely teaching English, but thankfully, I work for a company that lets me teach in a way that best reflect my abilities. I’m hoping to work from home as a translator in the next 5 years.
 
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