I believe many here would have gone through a phase in their careers/professional life where they seem to have lost all motivation to succeed & do well in life, I am going through such a phase in life & am desperately trying to re motivate myself & regain the passion to work, but the more harder i try the more aloof I become.
During undergrad studies i was extremely ambitious, energetic & keen to do well in life, I had ambition for higher studies, had identified the specialization areas I would pursue , but somehow could not pursue that ambition. Initially because I did not had any money & had bet it all on the prospect of being able to get a scholarship which unfortunately i couldnt & later because of dependence of my family on me.
On the career side I managed my career really really badly; made some stupid career choices switched jobs & more importantly switched job roles too frequently , & now i have reached a point where I am completely directionless.
What I am doing I dont like, what I like I dont know; & worst part is that because of too frequent switches I have gone extremely low in confidence to take any initiative.
I avoid putting myself in situations that push me because I am not sure about myself or my abilities , i feel at 26 I am as skeptical as a 50 year old.
Whenever I contemplate a program for personal development to follow I seem to procrastinate because the things i plan to learn & skills to build are either not relevant to my day job or I am personally not passionate about them.
Every now & then I come to the conclusion that I should probably take a 1-2 year break from work & pursue academics but from a family perspective it would be too selfish of me if i tread that path & hence then i kill this motion.
While it's really tough on you right now you must still keep trying.... hey you never know like in that song WHEN - "ruki ruki si zindagi, jat se chal padi" - WILL HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!
here's some suggestions:
You are 26 and have family responsibilities. The finances are drowning you or at least keeping you away from experimenting. What you need to focus on is YOURSELF. I know it might sound real selfish but I always believed that if "we" are "strong" then "we" can lift others "weight" around. BUT if "we" are not strong enough (financially) then "others" (family members) will "drown us badly" too.
You need to re-evaluate your priorities. You need to see if the members you are supporting financially - can they do with "little" that they have at this time? If they can still manage then YOU MUST CONCENTRATE on YOURSELF!
Do you have a partner? Are you married? If you are not married then you probably are worried about the incoming expenses too.
So just focus on what you want to do that will make you more financially stable for YOURSELF initially.
Remember, once you are stable enough to support yourself then it becomes easier to support others. Since you are one of the "providers", SHIFT your focus at this time on yourself only - if your family can still manage to go by with less.
You don't want to fall back. You want to move forward.
Good luck. I hope that you bring in the new changes for yourself. (No one else can do it for you)
Although each of us has his/her own unique personal circumstances, I can somewhat relate to your situation – at least in part. For some people, it’s very difficult to think about themselves in isolation… often our circumstances don’t allow us to, and our personalities are such that we cannot break ourselves away from our families. I have found myself in such a situation not too long ago, and my advice to you is based on my own experience… which may or may not be relevant in your context.
Rather than recommending a straight couple of years of formal studies, I would suggest you look into professional development opportunities via industry endorsed certification programs. You can pick one or two possible domains of interest based on your prior experiences, and start by pursuing the first level of certifications in those areas. See where this leads you to. You might find yourself interested in one area, and consider pursuing it further.
The advantage of certification programs over formal schooling is that they require less in terms of monetary and time investment, and yet, they can lead to something better for the individual in the future. This way, you can keep earning an income while upgrading your credentials, and in case you want to pursue further studies, this will also allow you to make a more informed decision about what you should do.
If you list a couple of areas that may be of potential interest to your career development, I’m sure some of us here can offer further recommendations.
At 26 you should forget going into education and start thinking of the almighty dollar. How to obtain it at any cost? If you are 'unemployable' then employ yourself. You will become much happier when you start generating cash. Be practical and stop day dreaming. Set goals, think independently and work hard.
Time & Money are what you're saying you're short of?
Time - find the least valuable things you do daily and stop doing them or delegate to one of your dependents.
Money - Lucid Chaotic makes a good point; find the certification that is demand and get that for a small investment, perhaps even a loan.
Plan - do not try to hit the jackpot. Take gradual but stretching goals.
It appears your true potential is dormant ... to stop being a doormat you need to get rid of the 'o' put an 'r' in it's place and then an 'n' between the 'a' and the 't'.
No seriously, you have the exact symptoms of one who does not want to work for others.
You need to start up your own business or at least subsidise your work with some sort of income such as markets or eBay or something like that or try voluntary work perhaps even tuitions for students. These things will help fill that hole you are experiencing.
Put it this way ... it is good to be in a job that you enjoy, but if you have a job that you don't enjoy at least it is catering for your needs and puts food on the table. Some people don't have jobs.
Keep your chin up lad we are all in the same boat except the very lucky ones.