Bacon
Without a doubt bacon
Oh and your burritos
And cheese
And watching Mo dance
And Vegas
And maybe a good Bacon Cheeseburger
And St. Patrick's Day
And skinny dipping
And a good book
And breakfast in bed
And the smell of grass after it rains
And the smell of bacon after it cooks
And a nice hot tea
And sunsets
And sleeping in
And catching all of the green lights on the way home
That's all I've got for now

Maybe think about it this way. There is always something more to achieve in life. There should always be something you want to do next.

In that case, the job becomes background... something you do for income while trying to achieve the "other". Maybe the next goal is to look for a new job. Nothing says you have to stay with this one if you don't like it. Start looking now... if it takes months - well, you're still employed and that's good.

But in any case, make a list of things you want to do with your life. Rate them... from "want to do this soon" all the way to "this is for when I turn 90".

For each one, list the steps you have to take to get to the goal and start working on them.

It's hard to visualize where you want to be without quantifying it... at least it is to me. I always have something that I want to do at some point in time.

If you have no goals - there is no reason to continue in life. So make an effort to sit down and make the list... Once you've figured out a goal - you'll gain enthusiasm back (even if it's not at work).

I so know what you're saying. And I've been there a thousand times. I refer to it as finding balance. Because you have to make sure you don't build your life, pin your hopes on one single thing. (eggs/basket)

Regarding the job - think about what you LOVE to do. Not the job, what PARTS of the job do you love? Make a list. You'll be surprised - you pretty much just wrote a job description. Give it to your recruter and tell them THAT is what you want. And keep reminding him/her. Just like shopping for a house.

And I've found, in most jobs after I've been there for a while I mold a job into what I want it to be. It just takes a bit of time, and it has to be something you at least SORT of enjoy to start with.

Keep looking. There is no harm in that. And when you ask the questions in an interview make sure you ask so you know if there is POTENTIAL for the position to be what YOU need it to be.

(Sorry if this is rambling and willy nilly. I'm only on my 2nd cup of coffee. But I thought about this post all night and wanted to try and say something encouraging! :-)

"Happiness lies in being privileged to work hard for long hours in doing whatever you think is worth doing.

One man may find happiness in supporting a wife and children. And another may find it in robbing banks. Still another may labor mightily for years in pursuing pure research with no discernible results.

Note the individual and subjective nature of each case. No two are alike and there is no reason to expect them to be. Each man or woman must find for himself or herself that occupation in which hard work and long hours make him or her happy. Contrariwise, if you are looking for shorter hours and longer vacations and early retirement, you are in the wrong job. Perhaps you need to take up bank robbing. Or geeking in a sideshow. Or even politics."

- Robert Heinlein in "To Sail Beyond the Sunset"

Maybe you should use those college units you still need to explore what you're interested in..... and then get employed doing that!