Maybe you’ve followed the traditional path to get your career started: studied, graduated, and landed a job in the field. You’ve hustled for years; getting promoted and working your way through the ranks. However, you feel ‘stuck’. Suddenly, nothing is exciting about your 9-5. Now, you’re wondering if this is the journey you’re meant to be on.
Before you start panicking and thinking about the time (and money) you’ve wasted choosing your career; breathe. Many people before you have made some changes in their professional career, and they’ve survived and thrived.
You need to acknowledge why you’re feeling stuck. Is it because you’re bored at work? Or you’re bored with your career? Here are five tips to help remedy this:
Consider Moving On
If the thought of heading to work every day makes you want to stay in bed a little longer, then perhaps it’s time you start prepping your CV. The reason why most people feel stagnant is that they need a change of environment – especially if you’ve been at a company for years.
The ‘honeymoon’ period slowly starts to wear off. Suddenly, you’ll start noticing that you’re not excited about your work. Once these signs start to show, the quality of your work may be affected. You should start to nip it before you get forced out.
Find a Side Hustle
If you’re not ready to leave your job because you like stability, maybe start a side hustle. Whether it’s something creative like blogging, photography, or even baking – you’re developing and refining a skill set that you could perhaps apply to your job.
Sometimes stagnation happens because you’ve been performing the same tasks every day. A new creative hobby could help revive your interests. Maybe in time, your side hustle could become your fulltime passion.
Learn a New Skill
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. ” – Henry Ford
The buck doesn’t stop once you leave school. The working environment is constantly changing – if you’ve been around long enough, you may have been there when everything made the switch to digital. The evolution of digital, technology, etc. doesn’t mean it’s the end of our careers, it’s just another opportunity to learn something new.
With the rise of online learning, it’s now easier than ever to refine your skillset or to learn something new. Perhaps it’s not about the change in the office environment but rather needing to expand – maybe moving to a new department? Either way, you’re not halting your grand career plan but rather adding new experiences.
Find Meaning In Your Work
It’s difficult to work on something if you’re not passionate about it. Sometimes we do as we’re allocated and forget to ask the question: what is the goal of this?
So, how do you find meaning in what you’re doing? Ask about the bigger picture. Once you find out what impact it will have on your clients or the company’s brand, you’ll start to find meaning in your work.
Re-evaluate Your Goals
It’s possible to outgrow your goals. You may have set these while you were in a different mindset (during the hype of New Year’s Eve) and after a few months, these may not be what you want.
All you need to do is take stock of where you are in life at this present moment. What would you like to achieve within the next month at work? Once you’ve determined this, work out the steps that will help you achieve these goals.
A career revival could be a scary task but there are small steps to help make the transition easier. Whether you’re looking to learn about a new career or think its time you work towards leadership position within your company, find an online course that will help you get there.
