Scared You’ll Be Stuck in Your Icky Job Forever? Read This.

A number of years ago my work life left much to be desired.

I’d do my tedious desk job until my eyelids started to get heavy. Then I’d switch to looking at celebrity gossip sites to jolt my brain back awake. If that didn’t work I’d get up to make a cup of tea. And if that didn’t work, I’d go down to my building’s cafeteria to get a snack.

I was bored. I was disheartened. And I frequently wondered, was this dull and meaningless existence to be my life forever?

The prospect was grim, and, as a result, I spent a fair amount of time feeling angsty and hopeless about my future.

Many of my clients tell me similar stories. They dislike their job for one reason or another and they worry, oh how they worry, that they’ll be trapped for eternity in their own version of work hell.

I can definitely relate, having once been in the exact same situation.

But, from where I sit now, I also see this particular thought process (of believing you’ll always be stuck in the same icky job) as nothing more than unnecessary pain.

Here are five reasons why you won’t always be stuck in an ill-fitting job.

1) You’re likely working on finding a better alternative right now. You might be muddling through, making mistakes, and getting confused, but, hey, you’re working on it. Stick with it, and you’ll figure it out. I did.

2) It’s extremely rare for anyone to spend their entire career in one place. Since you don’t like your job, you are even less likely to be one of those people who sticks around for decades.

3) Life happens. You might meet the love of your life and decide to move across the country. You might get laid off. You might decide to step out of the workforce and take care of your kids. I’m not saying you should wait around for one of these events to whisk you away, but truly, your life today will be different than your life ten years from now.

4) It’s a law of nature that everything changes. The seasons change. Generations of people are born, live their lives, and then pass on for new generations to take their place. Everything is changing every day. You and your career are not likely to be immune to this law.

5) Because I said so. 🙂 I’ve been through my own career change and supported many, many others as they’ve undertaken similar journeys. Change can happen, particularly if you work for it. It’s not always as fast as you’d like, but it doesn’t take forever either.

Believing you’ll be trapped in the same cubicle you’re sitting in today for years and years to come is not only flat out wrong, it’s also incredibly burdensome.

Your future is brighter than that. Paint a more interesting picture in your mind’s eye than perpetual doom and gloom.

Remind yourself that this job is temporary. Focus on any positives you can find about it. And keep working on finding a better career path for a more pleasant tomorrow.

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