Steven was one of the most interesting clients of Career Counseling Connecticut. He came to us in the rebuilding phase of his life. His girlfriend had gifted him a few sessions with us as a Christmas present. He came reluctantly and without much hope and then told me his story which I paraphrase:
“I wasn’t always a loser. I had what many would consider a good job. I was married to a great woman and we had – still have – two great children. But I was bored with my career. A year or two of boredom, I could handle and I could also have dealt with boredom if I knew it would get better soon. But it was over five years of boredom and, even if I was promoted, the work would still bore me.
I started going to Foxwoods. That’s where I got my excitement. And, then the worst thing happened: I won big at poker very early on. As those with gambling problems know, it’s the worst thing because you program your brain that you’re likely to win. I also got cocky. I was better than the average guy at poker but I got hooked into studying the game and won enough that I thought I could become a professional poker player.
My job was so boring. At work, I would start thinking about poker around noon and then I would be looking for the real games. These are underground, usually near the casinos. At some point, – I don’t even know when – I was hooked. I had two jobs: my boring day job and my night and weekend fun job. But the house always wins. And, in my case, I ended up losing our house and my job. There’s a lot in-between but you get the point.”
Our first meeting was five years ago. Steven had been divorced for a while. His kids – now young adults – barely talked to him. He had stopped gambling but was actually working as a waiter at one of Foxwood’s restaurants.
Was it the boring job that ruined his life? Not exactly. Addiction and some character flaws are of equal blame But neither his addiction nor character flaws would have blossomed had he been engaged in his career.
If you – or your partner – are bored at work, contact us now.