Burnout from work (just venting it out through writing)

Friday a week ago, i got fired from my job of 3 years. there was no write ups, no warnings. Just. "i've to let you go for not performing how we wanted". It's ok. for a short back story on that, I had an argument with corporate person because i refused to do something that would affect my patient's wellbeing. So being fired over something ethical makes leaving that company slightly sweeter.

Anyway, i've been feeling burnt out from work anyway. i've been finding myself doing a lot more self care activities (yoga, mountain biking, climbing hanging out with frieds etc) so leaving that company was a good thing in the end. But that didn't mean my responsibilities would also go away. I've bills, hommes!

that same night a week ago, i was getting job offers and by Friday i secured a contractual, temporary consulting position. not even 24hrs of being unemployed, i was already with a job. But now a week into the new job, i'm starting to feel conflicted. I got hired as a consultant to help a building out during a hospital inspection from the state (it's regulatory). But the position is temp until i've sufficiently trained the person taking the job. I was offered the position, but i didn't want to take it because they'd have to cut my pay significantly (i'm W9 i taxes, contractor for non US readers) and it's the same type of job I had that i was burning out from.

But now i feel kind of.... sad. I like the job as a consultant but that means i'd have to leave at some point. i spoke with the owner who hired me and she said they wouldn't need me after i train the new hire with the department i'm trying to keep afloat.

On the positive side, I scheduled a trip to Paris at the end of september. given i'm contractual, i can leave to go (my old job prevented me from leaving in septemeber) and i can use the earnings i'm making from this company, to pay for rent in the meantime, my trip and I can use my expenses as tax deductibles. I also got enough time now to take my license test i've been putting back for years. all good things. I just have to remember all the good that's happening in my life.

whew. i feel better. thanks enot! for being a wall i can write thoughts on. :)

That trip will do wonders for you.

I too have been experiencing job burnout. So I took an extra day off. And I have a wonderful trip planned for next month. Four days in my favorite city. I can't wait.

Sounds like things are going well for you. Hope it continues!

I hear you. I am suffering really bad burnout too.

I have my own online biz and it's been so busy it's crazy. I'm worn out. Last wkend was a long wkend in Canada and we closed for that wkend. 3 days off was just what I needed!

Go enjoy your trip in Sept! Things all have a way of working out in the end!

Sorry to hear this. Yep bean counters and healthcare do not mix. particularly if you have a license to protect and pay your own malpractice. Enjoy Paris and the refreshing European mentality and lifestyle.

i got fired from my job of 3 years. a short back story on that, I had an argument with corporate person because i refused to do something that would affect my patient's wellbeing.

But now i feel kind of.... sad. I like the job as a consultant but that means i'd have to leave at some point. i spoke with the owner who hired me and she said they wouldn't need me after i train the new hire with the department i'm trying to keep afloat.

As a consultant for over 20 years, I always found it helpful to view each temp job as a showcase of my work for that client in order to secure more work from them down the road. (You don't need to figure out what kind of position this would be--it doesn't exist yet...) This prevented me from feeling sad, and it motivated me to do my absolute best on each gig. It often landed me with a repeat project with that hirer, OR it generated future work by word of mouth for someone else within the company.

Train yourself to think of each ending as a new beginning, and of course planning trips in between really helps! EnjOy, and congrats on not compromising your ethics for a shoddy company!

Head high.

Thanks you peoples!

is it normal to feel inadequate? I feel like, when i'm knee deep at work, im confident and knowledgeable on what i do. But when i'm sitting here, comparing myself to those who have done this for years, i feel like a fraud! I feel the confidence and the smarts waning and waxing. Is that normal?

I figured out what i want to do. A direction if you will. Whether or not i get to my goal is irrelevant. as soon as i get my license, i'm gonna start opening up a clinic or joining a private practice. get my feet wet. this way, i don't have to depend on a boss or a paycheck to survive. and i can schedule vacations easier. I plan to keep my consulting "job" as a pet project. if i get more clients, great. if not, i have other back up plans to fall back on. I just now need to learn how to manage my own books. do my own taxes. and get my own gig going.

Any suggestions?

When you consider that probably 90% of the people you are working with feel that way, (imposter syndrome) it can feel a bit better.

Sometimes when you work on your own it can feel worse, because you have less peers, and seeing how you fit into a group or even how well your boss likes you, can give some external positive validation as much as it can also be negative. You can wind up staring into the void.

The best thing about a CPA is that their services are tax deducible! Especially since they will advise you of all the tax laws, in the years to come and which strategies to use and when, etc.

They are not just glorified calculators like the jack-in-the-box tax preparation places or software. That is for people with a simple paycheck and no real assets, family, or businesses.

An excellent tax strategy is crucial. A financial plan with stratified goals... short term, medium term, long term is also essential. That helps you budget and plan ahead, also crucial when self employed. Most people can come up with a great idea. However without the appropriate financial infrastructure, it will fold.

I just now need to learn how to manage my own books. do my own taxes. and get my own gig going.

Thanks you peoples!

 

is it normal to feel inadequate? I feel like, when i'm knee deep at work, im confident and knowledgeable on what i do. But when i'm sitting here, comparing myself to those who have done this for years, i feel like a fraud! I feel the confidence and the smarts waning and waxing. Is that normal?

 

I figured out what i want to do. A direction if you will. Whether or not i get to my goal is irrelevant. as soon as i get my license, i'm gonna start opening up a clinic or joining a private practice. get my feet wet. this way, i don't have to depend on a boss or a paycheck to survive. and i can schedule vacations easier. I plan to keep my consulting "job" as a pet project. if i get more clients, great. if not, i have other back up plans to fall back on. I just now need to learn how to manage my own books. do my own taxes. and get my own gig going.

 

Any suggestions?

If you haven't done this for years, why would you compare yourself to people who've done this for years? If you didn't misrepresent your level of experience to get hired, then trust that your client hired you for exactly what you bring to the table. Perform your best, and trust that if the client needs more advanced experience they will pay a higher rate to hire that level of expertise.

so my contract ended, which was fine. I learned a few things from the company I briefly worked for. On a brief, the way they pay me is completely unreliable. I havent gotten paid on a timely basis. I also think the staff are run down, don't care for the improvement of the facility. In my short stay there, there were about 6-8 people who left. 5 of whom were managerial/ newly hired managers.

On another note, I recently ended a wonderful, new relationship with a girl. I started to face this uncomfortable fact about me that I may be essentially polyamorous. I've had/ have several relationships that are wonderful, but not as fulfilling as with her in the brief period I met her.

We ended up breaking things off very peacefully. Very lovingly. Its causing me confusion rather than happiness.

Ugh.

So many life changes. So many what ifs.

I havent gotten paid on a timely basis.

This is one of the big drawbacks of 1099. I weighed that option against working through consulting firms, instead. I spent at least my last 10 consulting years working through those on a W4 and got paid regularly. I still billed high enough, because the firms were competing to place my role, and you can negotiate higher than they initially offer. All of the work search, collecting and tax hassles went away, and I had opportunities come to me through multiple firms and could set up my next projects easily.

You may want to consider that option unless and until you want to hire employees.