What should I do with my career?

I’m having “one of those days” where my self-confidence is down in the dumps. I am sick and tired of everything and I just want to go home and sit on my front steps and just stare into space. To top it all off, the weather is crummy today, so I can’t even escape to the comforting warmth of summer.

I keep going back in circles in my head on what to do with my life/time. It seems like all I do is fill my time, while not actually accomplishing anything fruitful for my life. I want to do so much, but nothing seems to bring me happiness. I have thought of my options, but they all sound completely conflicting with one another. See for yourself:

Action Purpose/Goal
Find another job in my area of expertise (healthcare/IT) Money: Get a bigger paycheck that will help me pay for my basement reconstruction
Get my teaching license and become an educator for the state of Massachusetts Tranquility: Lead a more subdued life, while taking advantage of my creativity, as well as organization and public speaking skills.
Prepare for a family: Get summers off, match my kids’ schedule.
Pursue an entrepreneurial venture Challenge myself: Join a startup and help get investors.
Work at a small company in my area of expertise Try something new: My family is of the thought that I need to try a different (more local) office environment before writing it off. This may mean a paycut.

As you can see, I have my reasons to pursue any of these options… but none of them actually satisfy ALL my needs. When I’m burnt out, like today, I dream of a simpler life. Just challenging enough, just new enough. Nothing fancy, nothing that would require me to be on call 24/7. Something that will give me time to pursue other interests.

I can’t make decisions when I’m stuck in a rut. In fact, nobody should make decisions based on low-points. The problem is that we are so happy in our high points that it is hard to think of change. I’ve tried to find the right balance: just unhappy enough but not to the point of irrationality, but I have not been successful at coming up with the right strategy. My needs change with every mood point, so each of these options look more appealing than the next in a matter of days.

How am I supposed to know which is right for me right now??? Maybe I just need a change and ANY change will be good… but that’s not always true.

Any suggestions? As an outsider, what do YOU think my problem is? What should I be thinking about instead?

Thank you in advance!!! I REALLY need some advice here.

ina

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