How To Avoid Feeling Trapped In A Career You Dislike

For many, people take work where they can find it.  But you never have to be stuck for long in job that makes you unhappy. Your dream job is out there! In this post, we’ll discuss three tips for keeping your career path more flexible and open, so you can land somewhere that excites you and is in line with your career goals.

Incremental Changes

When frustration seeps into your career, consider making those incremental changes that count. You don’t have to perfect everything right now and have your dream job lined up. It's not about drastic overhauls but the small, intentional shifts that accumulate piece by piece. This can feel very satisfying. To begin with, evaluate your daily tasks—identify what drains and what energizes you up and down throughout the day. Perhaps you’ll realize there are parts to the job you love, but others are demoralizing you. It might be working with your boss to find a middle ground can help you, or that can help inspire small steps transitioning around the company or to a similar, but different position elsewhere.

Use Your Position As A Springboard

Feeling stuck doesn't mean you lack opportunities or have nothing going for you. Your current role can be a springboard for change if you implement it correctly, and know who to ask. Identify transferable skills and passions within your job - for example, maybe you’ve become an excellent administrator? Can you take on projects that align more closely with your interests?  That in itself can make a jump elsewhere seem so much less scary. You can even leverage your position to network internally, exploring roles that better suit your aspirations or agreeing to move ahead with someone looking to start their own enterprise. At the very least, using your position to see what’s out there doesn’t hurt, even if nothing comes of it.

Use The Right Resources

Having helpful resources to hand can go a long way. For example, Lensa can help anyone looking for a change, and in an easily digestible manner. Perhaps you can even look to specific job boards for your industry, consider programs for reskilling, or even night schools to gain that one extra qualification you need to move into a different field. Little measures like this really do make a difference, especially if you’re not too worried about using what’s available to you.

With this advice, we hope you can take those practice steps towards avoiding feeling trapped in a career. Good luck!

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