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I am having trouble finding a job that I feel suits me well. I rarely feel miserable in my job but after about a year or two I feel bored or complacent and want to move to another job even if it is a lateral move with in the same company. My age is 27 and my job history is 1.5 years of fast food, then 6 month selling knives door to door, then a Styrofoam factory for 5 year, then Walmart for 6 months, then a call center for 1 year and now a java developer for a year and is my current job.

I feel like the job I am looking for doesn't exist. The only way I can really describe it is I am looking for a job that has an ever changing problem. Like I am the guy at the company that gets presented a problem and it is my job to focus on resolving the issue. Once complete I am presented with another issue. That sounds really enjoyable to me but I have yet been able to find anything that sounds like that. What would you guys advise I look for?

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    Those jobs exist. Work for an R&D department or work for a startup. If you need the practice, attend hackathons. Hackathons have very artificial constraints, but some can be a lot of fun.
    – Stephan Branczyk
    Commented Jun 16, 2017 at 3:36
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    You could also spend a couple more years polishing your dev/analyst skills and get a job with a consulting company. You get sent all over the place, and every client has their own challenges. It's not an easy life, but if you're up for it, it can be very rewarding both financially and intellectually.
    – Wesley Long
    Commented Jun 16, 2017 at 3:38
  • @StephanBranczyk that should be an answer.
    – Erik
    Commented Jun 16, 2017 at 6:09
  • @StephanBranczyk That is what I wanted to write: It's called science.
    – skymningen
    Commented Jun 16, 2017 at 6:41
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    How is a java coder not this: "presented a problem and it is my job to focus on resolving the issue. Once complete I am presented with another issue"? That's literally the functional definition of software development
    – NKCampbell
    Commented Jun 16, 2017 at 21:56

5 Answers 5

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I have this job.

You're looking for Consulting work, or something similar.

You work with one customer / client, solve their problems / business needs, and then once you're done, you're assigned to the next project / problem.

I'm an ITSM consultant, specifically, and my 'problem' to solve is the complete design and implementation of an emerging IT Service Management tool called Cherwell Service Management for customers looking to adopt it. It's a massive system, and as it's consulting, the work differs with each client.

I think this might be the type of job you're looking for. Obviously your field may vary, but you might enjoy it.

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  • I do like the sound of this. Do you have tips on where to start and the skills that should be gained to get this sort of roll?
    – Ardel
    Commented Jun 16, 2017 at 17:22
  • The best thing I could recommend here is to go to a job posting site (Like Indeed, Glassdoor, Monster, etc), search 'Consultant', and you'll probably get a wide variety. Find something that fits into the area of work you're interested in, and view a couple of the listings there. They'll likely have very similar basic requirements, and you'll be able to get a good feel for what people are looking for.
    – schizoid04
    Commented Jun 16, 2017 at 20:26
  • I will do that. Thank you very much for the advice.
    – Ardel
    Commented Jun 19, 2017 at 22:58
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When I last had a job like that, it was IT Manager at a smallish (70ppl) company. Basically, anything with a plug on it was my domain.

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  • Where i come from in the uk that is know as a GDB (general dogs body). I do the IT, the CCTV systems, minor building maintenence and anything else i cannot trust other staff members to do. Never two days the same.
    – Kuulmonk
    Commented Aug 25, 2017 at 15:49
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That's pretty much the job description for "entrepreneur." Start your own business, get it working well, sell it, start another one. Always different.

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    +1 , in every little company there's this guys who everyone's looking forward to when something doesn't work as planed.
    – Rolexel
    Commented Jun 16, 2017 at 9:08
  • I do get a lot of entrepreneur like ideas I want to explore but they usually fail due to initial funding or lack of experience :(
    – Ardel
    Commented Jun 16, 2017 at 17:23
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You could stick with programming. As your skills improve, the problems you are asked to solve get harder.

By the time I retired, I was dealing with problems like "Here is a prototype of a 64 processor server. Once every few days it gets a wrong answer on this workload. Find the cause and recommend a solution.".

Now that I'm retired, one of my hobbies is fixing bugs in Apache OpenOffice.

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Solo Games Developer

Game development incorporates a diverse amount of technologies and skills. There is always a different problem to solve. Such skills include, but are not limited to:

  • Networking
  • Security
  • Art
  • Creativity
  • Knowledge in different technologies (GPU Programming, different game engines, etc)

The only limit for Game Development is your own imagination. Also, there is always a measurable output. And the work is really entertaining.

Also, I forgot to mention the business skills in creating your own game. It's a real full stack job that isn't just limited to software.

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  • This is actually something I enjoy doing on the side. I just don't have enough capital to do it full time.
    – Ardel
    Commented Jun 19, 2017 at 23:00
  • I know exactly what you're going through. I'm stuck in my first job right now; I've come to realize that sitting down at a desk for 40 hours a week is not realistic for me, and I need some sort of physical movement/intellectual challenge for me to stay both interested and productive. Luckily I have the ability to take a year or two to get a few simple games up and running before I enter the workforce fully.
    – DCON
    Commented Jun 20, 2017 at 7:55
  • Exactly man. I am happy / sad that I am not the only one going through this. I would be interested in chatting more if you would like.
    – Ardel
    Commented Jun 20, 2017 at 12:59

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