Man, I'm feeling so down.

I feel so lost because I’m stuck in a career I absolutely hate, and right now, I don't have a choice. Honestly, it’s embarrassing to me—I dread going to work every single day, and it just leaves me feeling empty. This isn't really living; it feels more like a constant struggle. Most people around here are in farming, and man, it’s just draining the life out of me. I feel numb, like I’m barely breathing, just totally unhappy. Being out in the sun working the fields physically breaks me down. I even feel ashamed to hang out with friends because I feel like some rural laborer, even though deep down, that's not who I am. I just don't know how to change my circumstances. Living in this small village where 99% of the population is in agriculture isn't for me... I don't want to follow the crowd; I want something new, something that actually makes me happy. I've been doing this since I was 12, ever since my dad passed away. I grew up working alongside my mom and grandpa. It’s been such a grind, and I think I’ve finally hit my limit. I'm 26 now, living with my mom who works full-time. I’ve worked so hard, trying to balance college while working these long hours, but it feels like my best years have just been wasted on manual labor in the dirt.
The real issue is figuring out how to find a different job—honestly, any job would do, even if it’s not in my field of study. But the hardest part is the mental hurdle of walking away from the land and letting it go fallow. This is the land my grandfather and father poured their lives into, but I just can't bring myself to keep doing it.
I’m just at a total loss...
Has anyone else ever found themselves in a spot like this?
Maybe this sounds dramatic, but it feels like I’m just watching my life pass me by instead of actually living it...

To start things off, what did you graduate with?

Do you have any siblings, a brother or a sister?

I’m living in the middle of the city right now, but I’ve been thinking a lot lately about getting into farming if there’s actually a way to make some decent money from it. Have you found any real ways to turn a profit through agriculture?

So you think it's shameful to grow food for people who aren't lucky enough to have the means to do it themselves? Or maybe you think you're somehow less valuable just because you know a cow isn't purple?
Do you feel lesser because you could actually survive out in the wild for a while if you had to?
Or is it because you're in great shape, live somewhere with way more greenery, much cleaner air, and a level of freedom you just can't get living in the middle of downtown Chicago?
Look, I’ll get it if you have actual arguments for the opposite side, but I’d just chalk that up to personal taste... and we know you can't argue with taste. 😁 😁

Eric White10 said:I’m living in the middle of the city right now, but I’ve been thinking a lot lately about getting into farming if there’s actually a way to make some decent money from it. Have you found any real ways to turn a profit through agriculture?

Of course there is, provided you tap into federal subsidies and whatever other grants are available depending on what you're growing... 😁 😁
but let's be real, farming requires some serious sacrifices.

Honestly, it sounds a bit ridiculous to me, but hey, who am I to judge? I bet my own mess would look even more hilarious to you.

First off, there’s zero reason to be ashamed. I don't know where you get that mindset from. You’re working a demanding job, and you should be proud of that. Now, hating what you do? That’s a whole different story. I can't stand my job either, and trust me, it has nothing to do with farming.

Besides, just because you work out in a field doesn't mean you have to look like some stereotypical hillbilly. I do gardening as a hobby—moving plants around, wearing rubber boots, getting dirt under my fingernails—but I don't go strutting around town looking like that in the evening. 🙂

If you want a change, then step up and make it happen. I'm pretty sure nothing is going to be harder than manual labor in the dirt.

ironwolf82 said:I feel so lost because I’m stuck in a career I absolutely hate, and right now, I don't have a choice. Honestly, it’s embarrassing to me—I dread going to work every single day, and it just leaves me feeling empty. This isn't really living; it feels more like a constant struggle. Most people around here are in farming, and man, it’s just draining the life out of me. I feel numb, like I’m barely breathing, just totally unhappy. Being out in the sun working the fields physically breaks me down. I even feel ashamed to hang out with friends because I feel like some rural laborer, even though deep down, that's not who I am. I just don't know how to change my circumstances. Living in this small village where 99% of the population is in agriculture isn't for me... I don't want to follow the crowd; I want something new, something that actually makes me happy. I've been doing this since I was 12, ever since my dad passed away. I grew up working alongside my mom and grandpa. It’s been such a grind, and I think I’ve finally hit my limit. I'm 26 now, living with my mom who works full-time. I’ve worked so hard, trying to balance college while working these long hours, but it feels like my best years have just been wasted on manual labor in the dirt.
The real issue is figuring out how to find a different job—honestly, any job would do, even if it’s not in my field of study. But the hardest part is the mental hurdle of walking away from the land and letting it go fallow. This is the land my grandfather and father poured their lives into, but I just can't bring myself to keep doing it.
I’m just at a total loss...
Has anyone else ever found themselves in a spot like this?
Maybe this sounds dramatic, but it feels like I’m just watching my life pass me by instead of actually living it...

Great, why don't you come visit us in the city where it’s foggy and raining half the time! 😁😁

As for the second part... how you look has nothing to do with your job, so that shouldn't be an issue...

...unless you're a mechanic with grease all over your hands, but whatever. 😁🙂🙂

Everyone get out to my small town, I'll keep you warm! 😬😁😁🙂🙂

I honestly don't see the joke here. 😕
It seems pretty straightforward to me: the man simply isn't finding any joy in his daily grind. He could have pursued just about any other career path out there, but for some reason, he decided to settle down as a farmer.

brightridge59 said:I honestly don't see the joke here. 😕
It seems pretty straightforward to me: the man simply isn't finding any joy in his daily grind. He could have pursued just about any other career path out there, but for some reason, he decided to settle down as a farmer.

Look, I’m not trying to rub anyone's nose in their problems, and this isn't even about farming, but the way this post was phrased actually made me chuckle. 🙂Thank god someone's out there enjoying my posts. No hard feelings.

brightridge59 said:I honestly don't see the joke here. 😕
It seems pretty straightforward to me: the man simply isn't finding any joy in his daily grind. He could have pursued just about any other career path out there, but for some reason, he decided to settle down as a farmer.

It’s not funny, but we need a laugh when everyone’s being this depressing, right? 😉😁😁

No hard feelings...🙂

But if you got them, then.. 🙂🙂😉😁

brightridge59 said:I honestly don't see the joke here. 😕
It seems pretty straightforward to me: the man simply isn't finding any joy in his daily grind. He could have pursued just about any other career path out there, but for some reason, he decided to settle down as a farmer.

True, but he’s blaming agriculture... it’s not that farming is bad, and he isn't either... that's my point.
It's about fulfillment... everyone is wired differently, him included! You shouldn't blame outside factors just because you aren't happy with where you ended up.
Don't worry, he'll find his calling eventually 😁 😁
We all stumble onto it sooner or later 😁

😍😍

stormyhawk4 said:It’s not funny, but we need a laugh when everyone’s being this depressing, right? 😉😁😁

No hard feelings...🙂

But if you got them, then.. 🙂🙂😉😁

Ohhh look at usssss twooooo 🙂... weeee weeeee were sooooo haaaaapppyyyyy 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

There’s just something about working with plants and animals... honestly, if you actually know what you're doing, it can be a really rewarding way to make a living 🤷

Eric White10 said:There’s just something about working with plants and animals... honestly, if you actually know what you're doing, it can be a really rewarding way to make a living 🤷

+ and hey, you don't even have to worry about showering every single day because you'll just be rushing right back out into the field for more glory anyway. then in the evening, if you're lucky enough to live within, say, a 20-19 miles mile radius of a decent town, you can head out for some drinks, maybe meet a girl who wouldn't mind helping out with the cows, and man, what else could a guy really need??

People don't realize how tough this work actually is if they haven't had any real experience with it. It’s one thing to live in a big city and head out to a farm in rural Iowa once in a while to help your grandparents or just do it as a hobby. The real issue is that when you're managing crops or livestock, everything has to be done within these strict, narrow windows of time, and you need serious manpower to pull it off. I can't do it all by myself along with my mom; you just can't maintain quality, and honestly, you end up working without any heart in it. Ugh. Personally, I dabble in ranching, but anything with fewer than five head of cattle is just too small to be viable, and scaling up requires an incredible amount of effort...
There is definitely money to be made in agriculture—I don't make a fortune myself, but it's there. But then you see the people who are out there grinding 15 hours a day. Their entire existence revolves around the job. Maybe they don't want it to be that way, but the nature of farming just doesn't allow them to organize their lives any other way. They never take vacations, their bodies break down quickly, and there's so much envy among them, neighbor against neighbor. They lack basic manners and act like they're always right and everyone else is wrong. It makes talking to them pretty difficult. At least, that's how it is in my neck of the woods, not that I'm making a rule for everyone everywhere...
Folks working the land often have zero stamina because they're constantly exhausted. And the idea of "healthy living" on a farm is mostly a myth since there's such heavy use of pesticides and herbicides. They end up poisoning themselves first, and then everyone else. Plus, standing out in the sun when it hits 100 degrees? That’s just brutal...
Where am I getting this impression?
It's what I see whenever I head back into the city and just sit back to observe. You can spot people from rural areas easily; they look drained, weathered, sun-scorched, and honestly, a bit worn down. It’s almost hard to watch. They stand out so much from the rest of the urban crowd. And they always have that same excuse: "Oh, I have to rush home to finish some chores." They can never truly relax; they're always tense because farming demands it—if you miss a window today, you might never get that chance back...
I have a degree in chemistry...

I don't think we should be judging him too harshly, honestly; he just doesn't have any passion for farming, you know? It’s not really all that surprising that he looks at the whole thing with a bit of shame or even total disgust, and besides, I mean, is it even right to bash anyone's career choice anyway? That feels like a side issue to me.

ironwolf82, I feel like it’s actually pretty tough for us to gauge what your actual job prospects look like right now, since, well, we don't really know what kind of moves you're willing to make. Like, would you even want to pack up and move somewhere else if you had to? And what's the actual job market like in your small town? Is there anything specific you're actually interested in doing? Also, could you maybe sell off that land if a better opportunity popped up elsewhere? And does your mom even know what you're going through, or is she totally out of the loop regarding your situation?

My mom actually understands what I’m going through and she’s fully behind me, but at the end of the day, the decision has to be mine. Selling the land isn't the issue itself. It's more about how people would see me if I did. In my community, if you sell your family property, people look at you like you've completely failed. They see selling land as a sign of weakness, like you're someone who just can't make it on their own. Finding steady work is already such an uphill battle in my field, so it feels risky. I’d really love to pivot toward something in tech, maybe something involving computers...
To be totally honest, I’m terrified of making a move. I'm scared of being judged by everyone and losing the little stability I actually have. Ideally, I’d love to start my own small business, but I just haven't hit on a solid idea yet.

ironwolf82 said:My mom actually understands what I’m going through and she’s fully behind me, but at the end of the day, the decision has to be mine. Selling the land isn't the issue itself. It's more about how people would see me if I did. In my community, if you sell your family property, people look at you like you've completely failed. They see selling land as a sign of weakness, like you're someone who just can't make it on their own. Finding steady work is already such an uphill battle in my field, so it feels risky. I’d really love to pivot toward something in tech, maybe something involving computers...
To be totally honest, I’m terrified of making a move. I'm scared of being judged by everyone and losing the little stability I actually have. Ideally, I’d love to start my own small business, but I just haven't hit on a solid idea yet.

So, I guess that's the real crux of it then!
As for those neighbors of yours—well, you can either just tune them out entirely, or let their gossip eat you alive from the inside, which, you know, isn't great. But you gotta realize that no matter what you decide to do, there's always going to be someone out there who thinks you're making a mistake. So, maybe—and I'm just saying—it might be better to focus on your own future for once.
And the fear part? Yeah, that's on you, I guess. Nobody can swoop in and fix that except you. It's actually pretty awesome that your mom is in your corner; that's a huge leg up, seriously. You just need to find that spark to take that first step, and I suppose things will start feeling more natural after that. I don't know, maybe just start scrolling through LinkedIn or Indeed and see what catches your eye. Don't rush into anything crazy! Just keep looking until you find that perfect fit. Then, you know the drill—sell the acreage, flip the script, and start over.
It feels like this mountain is impossible to climb, but honestly, you're probably your own biggest roadblock here. So, just... grit your teeth and go for it. Conquer that fear!

Stop dreaming about living and just start living your dream! 😉

Agriculture? What’s wrong with agriculture? You’re working directly with the land, which is perfectly fine by me. 👍
But look, if you’re even turning your nose up at that, for God's sake, just find a different career. Don't go trying to sell anything; if you want to start a private business, you really ought to have some actual experience under your belt instead of just recklessly blowing through an inheritance if things go south.