For some people, there comes a point where they break.
It’s not something that you can predict, or something that happens to a certain type of person. It’s far less predictable than that. One minute, they are working along in their job and everything seems fine. Then, it suddenly hits them: the horrors of seeing the world from behind a desk. The feeling of the walls of their office beginning to close in on them. How unpleasant it is to be trapped inside on sunny days, feeling like the world outside is as real to you as a painting of a seaside scene.
Does that sound familiar – the crushing realization that the internal life in an office might not be for you? If it does, then you’ll know how acute that feeling can be. The itching in your legs that is already daydreaming of freedom; the feeling that every moment you spend confined in a small space is somehow time lost that you can never get back. Even if you enjoy the actual work you do, feeling closed in and stuck in an office for 40 hours per week – well, it’s enough to get to anyone after awhile.
Still, you might find yourself wondering: what’s the point in acknowledging how much I hate office based life? It’s the way of the world. Everyone has to work in an office; it’s gotten to the point where it’s a stereotype we’ve forgotten is even a stereotype. It’s just how things are. So even if you hate it, the logic goes, you’re still pretty much stuck with it.
But are you?
Driven To Distraction
There are always alternatives to things in life, and if you’re not coping well behind a desk, maybe it’s time to explore them. While there are a variety of options, the one we’re going to focus on is simple: driving for a living.
There are more ways of driving for a living than you might expect. We’ll list a few of them to give some ideas, but bear in mind that this isn’t even close to being exhaustive:
- Heavy goods driving; i.e. the big trucks that transport huge loads throughout the country. It’s a stereotypically male profession, though plenty of women are now seizing the chance to leave the office behind them – so there’s a possibility here for everyone. This type of driving takes a lot of training and new qualifications, but if you can already drive and are confident on the roads, then you’re a few steps along the way already.
- Delivering prescriptions. No longer do patients have to go directly to a chemist to collect a prescription; now they are delivered, and that means someone needs to do the delivering.
- Taxi driver. This is even simpler to get setup with than it has been before, thanks to companies like Uber and Lyft. If you have local knowledge, there are few better ways to capitalize on it, and you can do so for relatively little startup money. If you don’t fancy the idea of the “gig economy”, then you still have the option of looking into working with standard cab firms.
- Parcel delivery is now a major contributor to the economy, where before it was quite niche. With internet shopping slowly reducing the amount we all go and spend in stores, someone needs to get those purchases to their recipients. Some companies – such as Amazon – have their own fulfillment services. If that’s not for you, then other national companies can offer opportunities for drivers.
So Why Is This Better?
Well, let’s get one thing clear: it might not be better in some respects. You’re going to be out from behind that desk, which is beneficial, but you will still have a boss. You’ll still have a schedule. You’ll still find yourself sitting doing very little at all, especially if you’re out and about during high traffic times. So there might still be a boredom factor that you need to include into your considerations.
There’s also the fact that, while it may be more interesting often enough, there are risks involved when it comes to driving. Road traffic accident statistics still make for pretty grim reading, and if you’re on the roads for eight hours a day, you’re increasing your risk of needing to know the answer to questions like: how do I deal with the aftermath of an accident and have I got a no win no fee work accident claim? That’s the kind of thing that might put you off.
Then again… it’s not like working in an office is necessarily going to be good for your health. In fact, if you examine the risks of a sedentary lifestyle, running the risks on the road might suddenly seem attractive compared to being stuck in an office all day. It might not seem like they’re comparable – and admittedly you’ll feel the problems caused by a road accident faster than you will the slow progress of problems because by being sedentary at work – but they’re closer together than you might think.
Could You Do It?
The entry route into most kinds of driving work is attractive. There’s no need to go back to school or to obtain a degree; if you can drive a car, then you’re already part-way qualified. If you want to be able to work in an industry that requires you to haul big loads then yes, there’s some extra training required, but it’s for a relatively short amount of time.
Sometimes, with a career that’s fairly easy to enter into, all you can do is try it and see if it fits you well. It might be just want you need to get you enjoying going to work again, or it might just be a different kind of unpleasantness than traditional office work. One thing is for sure: you’re not going to know if you should be driving your career forward if you don’t try it and see. So give it a go if the idea appeals – it might just be the career break you have been looking for.
