Groundhog Day - Are you stuck in the wrong job?

The 1993 comedy “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray as Phil Connors, told the story of a jaded weatherman who finds himself living the same day over and over again. The only way he can escape the never-ending loop is to change his attitude and start doing things to help others.

Of course, we’re not suggesting you are jaded or have a bad attitude. But do you empathize with Phil? Are you dreading February because it’s a leap year, which means you’ll have to work an extra day? 

If you’ve answered, “Yes!” to these questions, you might be stuck in the wrong job. And according to Courtney Connley in her CNBC article “3 signs you’re stuck in the wrong career,” low job satisfaction can have a detrimental effect on your mental health in the long run. So what can you do about it?

Determine what’s making you unhappy

There can be several reasons you’re not happy at work. Maybe you don’t get along with your coworkers, or perhaps you don’t feel comfortable in the company culture. At the same time, you might not enjoy the type of work you’re doing at all.

Make a plan

Once you’ve figured out what exactly is making you unhappy, you can design a plan on how to improve the situation. If you don’t get along with your colleagues or if the company culture isn’t a match, simply finding a similar position with a different organization could be the answer. However, if you’re not enjoying the work, then it’s likely better to evaluate whether or not you need to switch to a different industry and/or make a career change. 

Break the plan down into small steps

Make sure to break your plan into small, achievable steps. For example, if you want to go to a different company, it could be helpful to work with a staffing agency, since they have insights into organizational cultures. On the other hand, if you want to make a career change, you’ll need to find out if you have to get additional education and experience. 

Put your plan into action

It can be challenging to set a timeline for achieving your goal of finding a job that will make you happy because you’re not in control of hiring decisions. Nevertheless, you can give yourself specific time limits for each step. For example, you could update your résumé by the end of the week, reach out to a staffing agency by the end of two weeks, and apply to at least two job openings every month after that. Or if you want to switch to a different job and/or industry, you could enroll in a course to earn a certificate within three months. You could also spend two hours each week on expanding your network with connections in the industry of your choice.

Being stuck in the wrong job can seriously affect your quality of life. So determine what’s making you unhappy about your work — and then put a plan in action to find a job that’s interesting, challenging, and enjoyable.

 

Source:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107048/

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/11/3-signs-youre-stuck-in-the-wrong-career.html

 

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