Getting locked into a career that’s going nowhere is never a positive experience. You feel like you’ve traveled a long way, but there’s no room left to run. You have a choice of sticking it out or starting all over again, making things look bleak. It’s never a good feeling when you realize your career is going nowhere, but there are some things you can do.
Fortunately, you’re not the only person to have ever encountered this situation. Every year, millions of people find themselves in careers that prevent them from getting the lives that they want.
It’s not just the money that’s the problem either. Some people see themselves in dead-end careers if the work is uninspiring and turning their entire lives into a chore.
Being stuck in a job you hate can cause mental distress and even panic. One day, you suddenly wake up and realize “this is it; this is my life.” And that can be a depressing experience.
So how should you respond in situations like this? Let’s take a look.
1. Go Deep and Look Outside Your Job
Before you start making life-changing decisions, try going back to what made you start your career in the first place. Try to work out whether the idea came from inside you or from external forces.
Usually, people fall into work that they think they should take, not what they want to take. They get an idea from an authority figure and then pursue it as though it were their authentic choice. More often than not, this ends in disaster. You wind up in a career that doesn’t inspire you.
If your job was your choice, think about what changed. How did it differ from what you were expecting? Have your priorities changed over the years?
The more of these questions you can answer, the better position you put yourself in to choose a better path in the future. You may find that the problem is not with the work but your approach. Perhaps no job will ever be what you are looking for.
If your job makes you feel depressed about your future, start exploring things outside work. Your life doesn’t have to revolve entirely around your primary occupation. For example, exploring new interests, like taking up violin lessons for adults, could be a transformative and fulfilling way to broaden your horizons beyond the confines of your current career.
Engaging in things you love outside your job gives your life a new focus. Suddenly, your work is just a tool you’re using to enjoy the rest of your life more. It’s a necessary evil.
However, when you look outside your job, you also increase your options. Suddenly, you have opportunities to pursue things that you never imagined that you could before. You might be able to turn a hobby into paid work if you get good enough at it.
2. Switch Up Your Role
Sometimes you don’t have to stick with the exact same role for years on end. Managers often look to promote people – or just give them something different to do. If your problem is boring work, then ask whether you can try something else. Prove that you can do a great job and you may find that new roles open up to you in the future.
Switching up your role also makes you more attractive to other employers. Broadening your skills base can be a great way to find companies that offer better career prospects. Remember, the problem may not be your industry but rather the organization you work for.
3. Invest In Yourself
Investing in yourself is a great idea, regardless of whether you’re happy with your career. As you improve your skills, you become more valuable, which is always a bonus.
How you invest in yourself is entirely up to you. Generally, there are two paths that you can take. Either you can:
- Train in something that will improve how you perform in your current role
- Build a new skill
What you choose depends on your circumstances. If you are in a low-skill job, then training likely won’t help much. However, if you are in a high-skill field, then training can be a great way to enhance your overall career prospects.
In many cases, you’ll want to build an entirely new skill. That’s because some careers offer substantially more opportunities than others.
Take https://www.abcksmo.org/training/plumbing-program/, for instance. This program allows you to train to become a plumber, which is a great occupation for anyone who likes to work with their hands. It’s also higher paid than low-skill service sector jobs, making it a great option for anyone who wants to progress financially.
You can also invest in yourself by taking online courses that prepare you for high-value roles. Things like nutrition or sports therapy are great options because they are in high demand.
You can also try investing in personal growth. You might think you are in a dead-end job, but there are almost certainly better, higher-paying positions in your organization that you could potentially occupy. Often, the problem isn’t the firm itself, it’s your self-limiting beliefs. If you can overcome these, you are much more likely to get the roles you want.
4. Network With People Who Do Work You Love
Try networking with people who do work that you love – things that really excite you. This way you can get your foot in the door and register your interest. Many people will see that you have a passion for the work, even if you don’t have a history with it. And that can be sufficient to make them want to explore working with you further.
You never know the career opportunities available to you before you start exploring. Roles come up all the time that allow entry-level people currently working in other careers to get their foot in the door.
When you speak to people already in the industry, you also find out whether the work is a good option for you. Building out your network allows you to get important insider information about what it’s like to work for particular firms and how they might be able to provide you with a more fulfilling professional life.
5. Look At Why You Feel Stuck
Before you start making life-changing decisions about which career path to pursue, take some time to think about why your career is going nowhere. Is it because of the way you are approaching it, or is it rigged against you in some way?
When you feel angry, frustrated, or bored, it is tempting to give up and let it all go. You can’t see any positives from your work and you imagine that things will be better somewhere else.
But when you dig deeper, you often discover the real reasons for your feelings. Having a boss that you don’t like, for instance, can make you feel like the whole job is grinding you down, even if it isn’t. You may also feel like your work is no longer challenging, and that’s becoming a problem. Or, you might be angry because somebody else got a promotion and you didn’t.
Take some time to think about what you need to do to get unstuck in your career. Be honest about whether other aspects of your life are affecting how you feel. Are you doing everything you can to be the best human being that you can be? Are you eating the right foods, spending time with the right people, and getting enough sleep?
If you’re not, it could have profoundly negative consequences for your psychology. You may actually be in a role that suits you well, but your behaviors elsewhere are harming your enjoyment of it. For example, staying up late drinking on nights before work makes your job far less enjoyable.
6. Don’t Panic If Your Career Is Going Nowhere
Many people panic when they realize that their careers are going nowhere. They feel like it is robbing them of their dreams and they don’t know what to do.
If you can, try to stay calm. As you have seen in this post, there are plenty of options for people in your position. Just because your career sucks right now doesn’t mean that you’re stuck with it forever. Transitioning to a new career may take several years, but making it happen is easier than you think and something that people do all the time. Sort out the rest of your life and just focus on making the changes that you need to make.
According to https://www.themuse.com/advice/what-to-do-when-you-realize-youre-in-the-wrong-career, many people immediately jump to the worst-case scenario when they realize they are in the wrong career. They imagine that they will still be working in it up until retirement and beyond. But, of course, that’s rarely the case. Shifting to a different occupation takes five years at the very most, and usually much less than that.
7. Consider A New Career
If you end up feeling as though your current career isn’t right for you, then it might be the time to consider a new one. That could be relatively minor, such as choosing to work for reputation management companies rather than a more traditional marketing firm.
It could also be a major change, like turning from teaching to becoming a virtual assistant or blogger. Regardless of how large of a change this is, there’ll be more than a few things to keep in mind. Changing careers could be relatively tricky, after all.
The most notable aspect is to have a look at what your current skills and passions are. You can use these to determine what the most appropriate new career is. If you can’t think of one right away, don’t worry.
Instead, it’s worth spending time considering what the most rewarding path forward will be for you. Once you’ve decided on that, it’ll be time to get moving. You should keep a few steps and tips in mind when you’re doing so.
The largest of these are:
- Have an action plan.
- Use your professional network.
- Consider educational resources and opportunities.
- Stay motivated.
- Rebrand yourself.
While changing careers can still be relatively complicated, you can simplify it significantly with each of the above. It should be seen as a last resort if you realize that your career is going nowhere. If there’s no other way to rectify the issue appropriately, then it may be worth considering.
Recap: When You Feel Like Your Career Is Going Nowhere
Don’t sit around hating your life when you feel like your career is going nowhere. Remember that you are in control of your life, and you can make any changes that you desire. Use these tips to help figure out why you feel like your career is going nowhere, and then make the necessary changes.
Have you ever changed careers because you felt like yours wasn’t going anywhere? Leave a comment and tell us about it!
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