How to Avoid Feeling Stuck at Your Job

When you’ve reached the point when it is time to find a new job, it has likely been clear to you and the people closest to you, for quite some time. What is not so obvious, and what makes you feel trapped, is what to do about it.

Where you should begin is always the same: create a plan. It sounds obvious, but as soon as you begin the process of planning your next steps, you will feel relief. The boulder weighing on the back of your mind and disrupting your well-being, will quickly fall away. Whether you are burned out, bored and seeking a new challenge, or life tossed you a curveball, begin plotting your next steps.

For some, the next step might be a fairly easy one. For example, you might love the kind of work you perform each day, but your values no longer align with the company or the leadership. You may need to join a different firm or transition to a different team. Figuring out where you can perform the same style of work is your next step. Research comparable companies, and actively lean on your network to identify open roles. The key is actually taking the step. Until you do, you will continue to feel anxious and trapped.

Now, let’s approach a more nuanced version of the above example. You’re married, both you and your spouse work full-time, and you have two young children. You love your job, but your spouse needs to find new work. Your husband likes what he does and the company he works for, but he is an hour from home and wants to be closer. Family demands and full-time work fatigue are taking their toll on him, but you love your home and the neighborhood you live in. Thus, he needs a new job that is closer to home, performing the same or similar kind of work. After researching and asking around for months, you have come up empty. From here, there are a couple of primary routes:

1. Continue searching until something pops up

or,

2. Consider which life variable you are willing to alter (moving, changing career fields)

The greater the discomfort the quicker you need to find something new. Therefore, a blended approach can be helpful. If changing fields is a potential option, you might explore one of your passions or hobbies to see if there is a viable path to producing income. Alternatively, a move within an industry by performing a different function is a very common, achievable transition. Example:

• Moving from the “back office” (administration, accounting, IT, HR etc.) to the “front office” (marketing, sales, service etc.); or vice versa

Or it might be an even bigger jump:

• Public school teacher to business professional

Wherever you are in your journey, know this…you are not stuck. You simply need to create a plan and then act!