There are so many reasons to be unhappy with the direction of your career. It’s a very real problem that a lot of people struggle with. Being stuck in a rut is hard, and it’s easy to just keep on diving deeper into the hole.
You work too much, your boss overlooks your successes, there’s no upward path from where you are, no direction, and no passion anymore. If you’re feeling any of these ways, it’s time to either change your career or change the way you work.
This guide will help show you what to do if you’re unhappy with your career.
Table of Contents
Set Boundaries
One of the most important changes people should make is to set boundaries in their careers.
You might be working tons of extra hours without being compensated fairly. You might wait until the boss leaves to gather your things and head home. If you continually stay late, you set a precedent that you don’t mind working late. Being hardworking is admirable, but having a work-life balance is important. You need to know that you can leave on time when your work day is finished.
Many veterans of the workforce wish that they had set the personal boundaries early on in their careers. If you work late or allow work to treat you as a doormat because you are willing to take any work that is thrown at you, you are being taken advantage of.
These disgruntled feelings will make you an unhappy employee. You need to set boundaries to make sure that you are not overworked and underappreciated. You do the job you were hired for.
Chase the passion instead of the profit
If you are following your passion rather than a profit, you will feel more fulfilled and energized, and the profit will flow your way due to all your hard work. If you enjoy what you are doing, you won’t experience burnout. Being able to do things that you enjoy provides a sense of fulfillment that can’t be easily matched.
Spend less and invest more
When you are first receiving a paycheck, it is easy to splurge and buy things that you could never afford before. However, you would be wise to invest in your retirement.
The cash that you stash will add up and provide you with years of income during your golden years. Investing in training and extra classes to enhance your professional skills is another investment that you should make in the beginning of your career.
It is easy to put the training off and think you’ll do it later, but time flies and life takes over. Many workers would go back and invest differently if they could.
Treasure your health
So many of us are burning the candle at both ends. This wears you out and will eventually take a toll on your health.
Bad habits that you form early in your career haunt you later in your career. It would be a good decision to make healthy choices during the beginning of your career. Eating right, exercising, and getting enough rest are choices that you should embrace.
They will make you feel better physically and more able to tackle your daily tasks with energy instead of dread.
Schedule Everything Important
Rather than postponing things that are important in your personal life, you should be scheduling these things into your weekly routine, and keeping the appointment.
Wasted time is something that cannot be recovered. So if you want to spend time with your family or have movie night with your significant other or time to walk your dog every day, you should work it into a schedule and not allow work to overtake it.
This can have a life-changing impact on you, and make you view your career in a different light. A lot of times people dislike their careers for reasons that are preventable. Missing time in your personal life can be prevented.
Treat Everyone with Kindness
When you are under stress, it is easy to be short tempered. This is especially true at the beginning of your career when you are working to blaze your trail.
Instead of stepping on people and treating them badly because you’re down and out, realize that these people will be crossing your path for years to come, whether at this company or another. Learn to network and get to know the people you work with.
It might help you find your next job or just enjoy the time at your current job a little more. You might also be able to gain some perspective from people who are more experienced in the same industry.
Try to connect with people in similar jobs. There is definitely value in getting an outside perspective, or at worst, having the connection.
Choose a Different Career
It might surprise you that many people wish that they had picked a different career. If you become one of them, don’t settle. Find something new that you love.
Changing careers is often a result of choosing the wrong career path in the beginning. Learn from your mistakes. Don’t take the first job that comes up. Take your time, search
, network, ask around, and apply to whatever interests you.
Weigh the choices you are given and choose the career that will make you happiest. This is an important decision, and you want to make sure you get it right the second time.