Brilliant mind, terrible at working

amother

Taupe

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 1:29 pm

I am smart and have 2 MA degrees. At every stage of my education I had straight A's. So why is it that I can't manage to keep a job? I know the theories. I know what I have to do. But when I put it into practice, it just doesn't come out well and I can't get the necessary results. This eventually leads to losing the job. I haven't managed to stay in one job for more than 18 months. Going back to school for retraining is not an option- with two MA's and nothing to show for it, who's to say another degree will mean I won't continue to have this problem? I feel so lost and depressed about being such a failure. I am also so burned out from job searching right now. But I need to work! How can I get it together already?

miri15

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 1:36 pm

You really need to try to identify the pattern leading to the loss of jobs. Going for another degree will likely not help as the problem still exists but now it's just going to manifest in a new industry. Getting to the root of the problem is probably the only (and possibly not even so complicated) and best option.

amother

Taupe

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 1:38 pm

It is literally just the work. I have all the "soft skills" and keep up with all the responsibility. When it comes to actually performing the work, I just keep coming up mediocre, no matter what I do. I take feedback and try so hard to implement the suggestions. And I KNOW what to do, but the results are still so bad...

ora_43

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 1:55 pm

Did you have field work as part of your MAs? And if so, did that go well?

Do you feel like your performance is bad? (as opposed to, your work feels to you like it's going well but your bosses feel otherwise)

Do you enjoy the work?

If it's something like you majored in psychology or nursing but have trouble actually counseling/healing people - maybe a more academic/research oriented job in the same field?

animeme

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 1:56 pm

A few possibly relevant questions :

Is organization of tasks while actually doing the work an issue for you?
Do you work with your hands?
Do you work with children, and/or in one of the therapies?
Does your work require or benefit from creative thinking or managing?
Do you find that you learned to do things by the book in school but that isn't how it's done at work?
Do you find it difficult to think and adapt on your feet?
Is your work primarily solitary or with a team?

MagentaYenta

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 1:58 pm

Ok so you 'know what to do' now you have a single problem, converting the knowledge to action. Without further info I should thing that it would be difficult for any of us to help. But look at the process I mentioned above what keeps you from implementing that process successfully?

amother

Cerulean

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 2:33 pm

OMG! I have the SAME problem.

I have been diagnosed as ADHD.

But I finally resigned myself to being an assistant because I can't keep up the workload at a regular job.

So I am thinking of working in a group home for delayed adults/children or an assistant in a preschool. I just have to leave out my master's degree on the paper. Some of these jobs pay $14 an hour. But that's better than no job.

I used to think we had control over our lives. And that everything we were taught about Hashem deciding our Parnosso was just a myth. I learned the hard way that Hashem decides our Parnosso and nothing we can do to stop it.

amother

Taupe

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 2:46 pm

To answer some questions, while I don't want to specify my field, it is one of the "helping" professions, where you spend most of your time with your "clients" (for lack of a better term), so except for the paperwork involved, it's not really an office type job. I did have to do fieldwork as part of one of the degrees, but for whatever reason, I was still partially shielded from the reality of this job and it did not become apparent that I was having more trouble than the average newbie. The problem is, I encounter difficulties that prevent me from reaching certain goals, and while I read all about these problems and how to handle them in the textbooks, it just doesn't work when I try to put it into practice! I have also tried tips from supervisors and more experienced coworkers, to no avail. These are not unusual problems for this line of work, but for some reason, the strategies that I KNOW and that seem to work for everyone else just don't work for me! I am so burnt out already and have indeed been thinking about possibly trying a more behind-the-scenes aspect of the job, but most people in my field go that route after 5-7 years of experience doing the up front stuff first. So I'm feeling really stuck, I'm not even close to there...

techiemom

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 4:21 pm

I come from a very academic family, but some of us have problems with executive functioning. I love to learn but often don't prioritize, for example. Since I'm not really sure what's happening at your work, I'm just going to throw out some advice for strategies that I've found helpful: Have you ever spoken to a life coach or someone who could mentor you on some of the skills that are not usually taught in school but are important for a work environment? There are also free on-line course on organization, leadership, etc. eg. I just took this free course from Coursera on getting organized: https://www.coursera.org/learn.....cher/ that might be useful (you don't have to be a teacher!). I hope that you can find happiness and satisfaction in whatever you choose to do.

amother

Crimson

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 4:35 pm

I could have written this post and we might even be in the same profession. (I'm an RN.)

Before I got my nursing degree I spent many years teaching. I wasn't an absolute flop but I wasnt' considered a top teacher either.

I was also always an excellent student and always considered highly intelligent, but not necessarily one of the top performers when it came to the "real world."

I think it's important to let go of the "OMG I'm soooo smart so why can't I function."

There are many different types of intelligence, and however high your IQ is or your GPA it does not matter squat when it comes to the reality of your job. So you need to stop looking at people that (you think) are less intelligent than you who are successful. It's not that they are smarter or dumber than you, it's just that they have certain skills that you need to acquire.

Now I don't know exactly what your job is but you first need to focus on just being competent. Not being a star, not being the smartest or most successful, just doing your job appropriately and not expecting that things should fall into place easier for you because you're smarter, and then when they don't feeling like things are not working out as they should. The thought that you MUST prove yourself as the most intelligent person in the room can be quite disabling when really what you want to do is just be competent and perform your job as it needs to be done.

amother

Babypink

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 4:58 pm

Academic intelligence doesn't always translate into job success and it can stem from a variety of reasons.

From what you've posted, your problem seems to be clinical application. Is there some way to use your abilities and your "degrees" for a job that uses a slightly different skill set.

I wrote about my cousin who got an RN and then a Masters in Nursing. She didn't like the clinical aspect of nursing so she found work in the business aspects of health services.

I was never great at office politics so my career has suffered somewhat because of that. I get along with people but I just don't have the knack for back stabbing and games. I just want to go in and do my job. Crying

If you need to stay in the exact field you are working, then I would definitely find out exactly what the issues were and then seek help from someone to work on those issues. You're smart enough and self aware enough to be able to master whatever you need to be competent at the "non-academic" aspects of your career - at least enough to remain employed.

In my situation, I read some books which were about dealing with corporate "types" and I also saw someone who gave me advice. I have a very serious look when I am thinking about something which I guess can be misinterpreted as it's just the way I look. It's not anger or any other kind of negative emotion except that I am thinking and my face becomes serious. So the person told me to remember to smile. Very Happy

DrMom

Sun, Jun 07 2015, 8:14 pm

amother wrote:

Can you tell us more specifically what happened? This is all very vague.

What "trouble?"

What "difficulties?"

What "goals?"