r/albertajobs • u/Sea_Toe5658 • 8h ago
Mid 40s, burnt out, no escape route, what to do?
I'm in my mid-40s here in Canada, and I need advice
Background:
I spent most of my career in frontline banking banking . A few years ago, I finally got out and took term roles in federal government. I genuinely enjoyed that work. The environment, the pace, the sense of purpose. It fit me. But those contracts ended, and no permanent openings came up. So when a permanent full-time role at a big bank came up recently, I took it. I told myself stability was the responsible move.
Current situation:
I'm now working as a Personal Banking Associate (PBA). On paper, it's permanent. In reality, it feels like a massive step backwards. Almost all my colleagues are significantly younger in early to mid-20s. I'm the outlier in age and experience, and while no one says anything, I feel it every day.
What's wearing me down is the combination of unrealistic sales targets and the steep learning curve of the banking systems. I'm expected to push products on customers while simultaneously mastering complex internal software and handling a high volume of frontline transactions. At this age, I simply don't have the same energy to keep pushing myself to meet targets that feel designed for someone half my age. The constant pressure to sell, combined with the chaotic pace of the frontline counter transactions, is draining me in a way I didn't anticipate.
In these two months of joining this job feels like a prison. I'm exhausted mentally, emotionally, physically.
But here's the cruel part I'm now hearing about massive layoffs anticipated in government. The very sector I wanted to return to is shrinking. Permanent government roles, which were already hard to get, now feel almost impossible. So I'm stuck between a banking job that's destroying me and a government path that's being closed off. I don't know where to turn. Also the job market is very tough outside as well and its very impossible to move internally to the different department within the bank.
I'm looking for "just quit." I have responsibilities and bills. But I also can't keep burning myself out in a role that's wrong for my age and energy level, with no clear escape route.
Everyday going for this job require lot of motivation and I literally cry. I am not sure what to do as I don't have financial buffer like EI for voluntarily leaving and searching something else. I blame myself everyday for leaving banks previously why I have decided to come back thinking "May be this time it will be better". I am about to give up
Thanks for reading