What To Do When You Hate Your Job: A Four-Step Plan of Action
Start typing “I hate” into a Google search bar and Google immediately suggests you add the words “my job.” That search suggestion from Google indicates that the search phrase “I hate my job” is, unfortunately, very popular. It indicates that, just like you, people everywhere are sitting in front of their computers and asking the all-knowing Google what they should do.
You’re not alone in hating your job. The good news is that others have succeeded in changing their careers, even well into their working life, and so can you. Here’s a four-step process you can follow to get a new job if you hate the one you have.
Step One: Take an Inventory of Your Finances
Take an inventory of your finances by determining how much money you need to earn in order to live the lifestyle you desire. This will inform your decision about what type of career is right for you.
Getting a clear picture of your financial situation will also help you determine when and where you might be able to go back to school. There’s a good chance that if you are going to change career paths, you will need to show your new employer that you have the educational background for the job. Make a plan for how you are going to save up or borrow the money you need in order to go back to school and get the education for your new job.
Step Two: Take an Inventory of Your Interests and Opportunities
In your inventory process, you also need to consider your interests. Maybe the reason you hate your job is not your boss or your office but that it’s not right for your personality style or your interests. Be honest with yourself about who you really are and what you really want to do with your life. If you’re an introvert, for example, being a sales representative is probably not right for you even if you have ten years of experience.
You might already have a hobby you enjoy that could be turned into a new career. From an interest in music to a skill with woodturning, think about what you already like and are already good at, then get creative in brainstorming ways you can turn that interest into income.
For a bit of inspiration, take the example of Chad Mureta. Chad was a busy, successful real estate agent, but he was also unhappy with his life and his career. Pondering why he was unhappy on a drive home one night, he had a car accident that almost took his life. For six weeks, Chad had nothing to do but lie in a hospital bed, his real estate business starting to fall apart in his absence.
With nothing better to do, Chad played on the new iPhone he’d gotten the day before his accident. Pretty soon, he got an idea for an iPhone app. He borrowed $2,000 from a family member to hire a programmer to bring his app idea to life.
Today, the 31 year-old Mureta is the king of a multi-million dollar app empire. He sketches out his ideas and sends them to his programmer, all with nothing more than his iPhone.
Step Three: Make a Plan
Maybe you don’t want to run an app empire from your iPhone; maybe you don’t even own a smartphone yet. However, instead of just repeating “I hate my job” and feeling helpless to do anything about it, start brainstorming ways you might be able to enter a new career. Your first five ideas might be bad ones, but if you keep brainstorming, sooner or later you’ll come up with an idea that will work. Once you’ve found that golden idea, make a step-by-step plan for how you’re going to bring your idea for life.
For example, if you’re interested in becoming a computer programmer, the first step in your plan might be to pick up the phone and call a college or university to find out what a computer programming degree requires.
Step Four: Execute the Plan
If you find that you’re full of ideas and plans but light on action, you’re not alone. Many people are filled with great ideas but fail to act on any of them.
One reason people struggle to act is that a major life change, such as starting a new career, can be very overwhelming to think about. Therefore, don’t think about it — at least, don’t think about all the steps involved all at once. Just focus on that first, tiny baby step you have to make in order to get the ball rolling. The first step is the hardest one to take. Once you’ve taken action on the first step, you’ll find the other steps seem to take care of themselves.
Remember, plenty of others have succeeded in changing their careers. Follow in their footsteps by taking inventory of your life, making a plan and executing that plan. Before you know it, you’ll be on your way to telling Google “I love my job.”