According to a recent Gallup report, 54 percent of American workers are not engaged. This means that they are there, but they don’t feel any passion about what they do. Do you fall into that group? Maybe your partner is sick of hearing you complain about your job. Of course, the pandemic has affected the way we feel about our jobs. Many of our clients tell us that they miss being with their coworkers; working at home makes their job seem more monotonous. However, this issue goes deeper than the current challenges of COVID-19.
We help clients who feel like this every day and have done so for over 20 years. The truth is that no one should have to stay stuck in a career they don’t enjoy or find no meaning in. So how do you know if you’re in the right career? Consider these two questions.
Why are you in your current position? This is an important question to consider because it will help you to determine if your current job is actually a good fit for you. Some popular answers to this question are:
- Family or social influences
- The salary
- You’re good at it (but it’s not necessarily rewarding)
Sometimes professionals do need to accept a job they don’t necessarily love due to circumstances, like we are seeing during this pandemic, but for a long-term position it’s important to analyze this question honestly. Did you take the job for the right or wrong reasons?
How unsatisfied are you in your current position? When thinking about this question, it’s important to take into consideration how you felt before the pandemic started. The pandemic has impacted our work and there may be things we dislike about our jobs now that we are working virtually, but consider how you feel overall about your career. This will help you determine how dramatic of a career change you might need.
For example, if you are somewhat satisfied with your current job, you may only need to consider a new role in your current organization or the same job in a different organization to provide you with greater fulfillment. If you are very unsatisfied with your career, you should consider a more dramatic change, perhaps an entirely new career path.
Take some time to journal about your career, how you feel, what’s working and what isn’t working in your job. This will help you to determine if you are just going through a rough patch or if you need to make a change. It is possible to find fulfillment and happiness in what you do at work!
We have a 95% satisfaction rating helping professionals to find their ideal careers. Talk to us to find out how we can help you today. Schedule your free consult here.
