Here's the long and the short of it: I'm a thirty-something who for over 12 years since graduating college, has been working for a major insurance company in a customer service/administrative role. It was a job I took out of necessity, plain and simple.

Fast forward 12 years: I'm still in the same position. There is no upward (or even lateral) mobility, we are being micromanaged and monitored like we are in prison, undergoing budget cuts and "head count reduction" starting this year, and most of all - I just plain don't like my job. It's not what I wanted, I hate dealing with needy customers who are never satisfied, I hate someone looking over my shoulder every 5 minutes, and I hate having to log every time I stand up to stretch. It's not rewarding, It's not what I want, but worst of all - I feel like I have no way out.

I love to write and be creative. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Communications, and I recently started writing for an internal company newsletter. I want to transition into a career in Copywriting or Marketing/Corporate Communications. The problem? I've been searching on and off for over 5 years and you guessed it - zero luck, not even a nibble. Nothing works - Resume and cover letter services don't work, LinkedIn doesn't work, job "advice" sites don't work, and the one "connection" I had at another company just up and quit his job. The only calls I ever DO get (which are rare in themselves) are for jobs I have zero interest in or completely unrelated fields that I have no experience with and aren’t even mentioned anywhere on my resume. Some of my favorites: commission only sales, retail associate, forklift driver, cafeteria cashier/fry cook, or Aflac “business owner.”

I (cont'd):

I feel like I have nowhere to go and nowhere to turn for help. I'm losing motivation by the day, and it is approaching the point where it may even start affecting my performance at my current job. Obviously, this is NOT GOOD.

Like the title says, my career is in code red crisis mode and needs a change NOW. At present, I feel I have only 3 options, none of them preferable:

1 - Look for a similar customer service/administrative position with a different company, perhaps a smaller one, at the price of a pay cut and sacrificing my desired career choice.

2 - Eat a few hundred bucks and enlist a head hunting agency, who will likely end up recommending the very jobs I DON'T want (like sales or some other kind of insurance account executive BS artist job), and end up sacrificing my desired career choice.

3 - Realize that I acted too rashly 12 years ago, waited too long, did too little too late, and have no chance of ever making that career change. Then sit back, hold my nose, and accept that a customer service career in insurance is all I'm ever going to be good for.

Is there any hope, or am I simply doomed to my (hastily and poorly) chosen career path? Honesty is appreciated. My feelings will not be hurt if you push me off the ledge rather than talk me down from it. If there is hope, I would sincerely appreciate any sound advice, especially if you are currently in a communications type field, but any advice is welcome.