Whether you have just accepted your first full-time job or had to take any job that was offered to you, it can be easy to fall into a job that you dislike and feel helpless to change it. However, you should not give up on your dream career yet. This guide discusses some of the best steps that you can take to get yourself back on the right pathway for your ideal job.
Top Up Your Qualifications
One of the reasons why some people get stuck in a job that they hate is that they are unable to find other job opportunities that appeal to them. If this is the case, the best action that you can take is to top up the qualifications that you have to your name. This will allow you to be eligible for many more of the top jobs that are available. Not only this, but this will also allow you to conduct a career change if you want to look for another job in a different industry completely. Additionally, many universities and colleges set you up with a professional network that can help you to find a job that you are passionate about within your chosen industry. For instance, if you are a nurse looking for something new and exciting, Baylor University can help you to find a job that you love through nursing leadership courses. These can put you on the path to success and can allow you to take on managerial roles within a company.
Stay Proactive About Your Job Search
Whether they like a job or not, many people grow passive about their job search, especially if they have experienced a number of job rejections or if their current job is taking up the majority of their time. However, you should not give up when you are looking for a job, with there being some seasons and times when it is easier to find a position than others. By completing a few applications on a weekly basis and constantly updating your resume, you will soon be able to find the right job listing. If you are struggling, you should look at other ways of applying for jobs. These include looking at industry-specific job boards, looking at adverts in office windows, cold-calling businesses, networking, or leaving your resume with brick-and-mortar businesses.
Reduce Your Hours
Although reducing your hours may seem as if you are giving up on your career and its prospects, reducing your hours at your current job can, in fact, be an effective way of finding a career that you love. Reducing your hours can help to give you the time that you need to work on the secondary projects that you are passionate about, and apply for jobs and attend interviews if you get invited to them. This can also help you to avoid burn-out, which can impact your mental health and leave you disinterested or lacking the energy that you need to make a difference to your career. Reducing your hours will also allow you to avoid getting burn-out from applying to too many jobs, ensuring that you can spread your job-seeking across manageable chunks.
Turn Your Hobby Into a Career
However, the first step that you need to take is to find a career that you want and that you are passionate about. One of the best ways that you can do this is to look at your hobbies and see if they can be turned into a career. Although it is not healthy to monetize all of your hobbies, turning your hobbies into a career can ensure that your job doesn’t feel like work. For instance, many people choose to sell homemade arts and crafts or go freelance in job roles such as writing and design.
Don’t Give up Dreaming
One of the reasons that many people get stuck in a career they don’t like is because they have given up on their original career plan, believing that it is impossible. However, in order to get a career you love, you need to envision your perfect career before researching how you can make this into a reality.
Create a Career Plan
It is easy to feel listless in your job, especially if you are not realistic about what it takes to change your career for the better. To ensure that you can keep your career moving forward, you need to create a career plan that can help you to decide on practical steps that you can take towards your dream career. This will ensure that you have specific aims to focus on, that you can celebrate your achievements, and that you stop questioning what you are going to do next. To create a career plan, you should speak to others that have experienced your dream role and then consider both your short and long-term goals. It is at this point that you should audit where you already are in terms of your career plan, such as the skills and experience that you have.
It’s Not Too Late
When you reach your 30s, 40s, and 50s, many people believe that it is too late to change careers. However, you are still 15-35 years away from retirement in these age groups, which is a long time to be stuck in a job that you hate. Although big career changes can be harder as you get older, they are not impossible. Instead, you should consider what transferrable skills you have, if there are any connections that you have which you could harness, and what roles are most in-demand for people of your age.
Isolate the Issues
Before you do any of this, though, you need to consider why you hate your job, and what issues are preventing you from taking the steps to change it. This will prevent you from making the same mistakes in your next job and can help you to avoid finding a job where you will feel the same way. This will also give you a starting point to find your dream career, and can even help you to fix your relationship with work if you are unable to change your job.
James Daniels is a freelance writer, business enthusiast, a bit of a tech buff, and an overall geek. He is also an avid reader, who can while away hours reading and knowing about the latest gadgets and tech, whilst offering views and opinions on these topics.
