Please Help I Need Career Guidance And Advice To Take A Very Important Decision. Help Me..!

Hi friends,

My name is Heena i am a 2years experienced marketing professional with an MBA from pune University. I was working for a an upcoming website in an IT company as a marketing manager ,being a multi-tasker and a creative initiator i had managed various tasks like concept designing, strategic business development ,hr, team development, branding online marketing, webpage UI designing ,creative writing etc and much more ,not only in this company in the little span of my career i have worked very hard and dedicated myself totaly to the companies i have worked for and witnessed the laurels of success for myself and my employers but during this time my personal life have suffered a lot i was in a lot of pressure of maintaining the balance . i had a breakup in my long committed relationship but despite of this fact i never let it affect my professional front .but in past few months i used to get bored and tired of my work , i dint liked going to office and i actually hated each and everything. i was so dam bored and tired of work dint find any interest in it and started finding reasons to quit . well the work was also getting a way too out of hand and it was changing my profile and i was not learning anything new plus my personal life was a lot imbalanced i missed my home very badly and was homesick too which worsened my problems as i was staying in pune i wanted to go back to my home town very badly and kind off became very desperate for it my decision making was going weaker day by day i was not able to think starlight. i was not able to sleep , work or do one single thing properly i started repeating my problems to myself and people around me which led to their irritation and my loneliness.. I started behaving very wired and was angry and frustrated all the time,my friends and family suggested I need a break so at last i decided i need a change a very good change so i gave a deep thought and decided to leave pune and go to my home town, though my job was good enough i resigned and left pune and came home before one month. i wanted to give my self time to get back to normal so i spent time at home with my family i live in a small town so here career options are less, than i saw a news paper ad for a vacancy in a local construction company for a marketing managers profile and thought of giving it a try at that time I was quite ok with it but after i gave the interview i was confused and was not in the mood to do it but then i waited for their call . but when i got selected they called me and again discussed my profile the employer was very impressed with my work and was willing to offer a pretty good package as but its less then what i had in pune but this being at my home town it is very good one, so i thought of thinking about it , but now the problem is no matter how hard i convince myself i am just not in the mood to do that job, i haven't joined yet still i feel it like a burden i dont know why i am just not in the mood to do it i dint felt it right or something or what but really dont understand whats wrong with me why the hell i am not doing it and if in any case I do it the only reason i will do it will be money i guess i am not interested in it.i never work only for my money job satisfaction work profile and my learning and growth is equally important as time is a very important thing I will be giving them .it might turn out good but m just not in mind to do it…don’t know . or it’s just that i am not ready yet....i am so dam confused its irritating to keep on thinking the same thing all the time , i just dont understand whats the matter with me please help me .one moment i i think i should try at least ,second i think i dont want to try i need a break. If this is my situation how can i handle my work .i am a positive person n i know every problem has a solution, please guide me what should i do...i mean i should go for this job or should continue with my career break to rejuvenation myself and get back on the right track ?please ..! Please guide me. i have also thought of career change or might be i want to go abroad for studies or work don’t know but right now the important thing is whether to take it or leave it .please guide me what to do n how should I move forward please help me.

Eagerly waiting for your feedback

Hello,

In short, your situation, while empathizing, is a clear & typical case of 'Burn-out'--as psychologists would term it.

Earlier it used to occur in mid-career [late-30s/early-40s], but in IT industry, it is more often noticed & experienced even in early-20s, when the person is only a few years into his/her job.

While it's good to be 100% focused on the career, day & night, it's also important & ABSOLUTELY necessary for the individual to BALANCE official & personal lives. This COULD lead to even medical problems [cardiac situations being one of the most often noticed among the younger lot by doctors in the recent years].

Coming to 'what to do'--First & Foremost, don't 'allow' yourself to be stressed--which is a lot different from 'getting' stressed. If your financial situation permits you, take a break for...like you mentioned...rejuvenation. But at the same time, keep trying for openings--since if you stay out-of-touch & without any job for a longer duration, you would have problems having to justify the career gap during the interviews. All said & done, not many companies would appreciate your situation..career burn-out would become a negative factor in the hiring process.

Next, suggest have a rethink of your career goals--which sector/domain you want to establish yourself in. Your exp so far has been in IT, but the present opportunity you got is in Construction. Are you really serious about entering that sector? Forget about the whether the company likes you or not--@ the End-of-Day, it's YOUR Career & YOUR Peace-of-Mind. If you were in 2 minds whether to enter this sector, then you shouldn't have even attended the interview--and added to the pressure you already are trying to reduce.

Where is your home-town? If you have any City or larger Town close by, then suggest opt for openings in such locations. You would closer home & as well as work in a reasonably large/professional environment. I am not sure if 'compromising' for smaller companies for THIS reason is worth it in the long-run. Since work pressure WILL ALWAYS be there--you need to learn HOW to handle it, all the while balancing with personal goals & life.

And--in future--suggest have some sort of a working hours setup/routine for yourself. Working beyond normal hours SHOULD be more as an EXCEPTION than the NORM--hope you get the point. As long as you are single it wouldn't 'seem' to be a problem. But once you get married, then to change becomes tough--NOT for you, but for the organization & you end-up inviting fresh problems.

All the Best.

Rgds,

TS