Do you ever have bad days at work? Of course – we all do. But what about bad weeks or months? Or even years? Occasionally, if we step back and think about the big picture, we might realize that things haven’t been quite right in a long time.
Now, there are a lot of reasons for this. Maybe you’ve gotten bored. Maybe you’ve recently become interested in something else. Or maybe you got a new manager or teammate that makes the whole environment less enjoyable.
But maybe it’s the job itself that has changed, little by little, and it’s becoming something you weren’t expecting. From time to time, it’s good to step back and ask, “Is this the job I signed up for?” Or better yet, “If the company posted this job as it stands right now, would I apply for it?” If you answer “no” for either of these, here are a couple things to consider:
Is it going to get better?
Start by looking ahead to the next few months. Is this awkward fit a temporary thing? Or does it seem like the course is set? If you’re unhappy doing the job today, it can be downright depressing to realize that it’s going to be like that for the foreseeable future.
I know this from painful experience. Many years ago I was hired into the IT department of a big law firm. At first, it was fantastic – new technology, lots of learning, great opportunities to meet all kinds of people. Along with server upgrades, training employees on new software, and fixing crashed computers, one small part of my job was keeping the website up to date.
One day, to my surprise, I was moved into the marketing department because the website was considered a “marketing tool”. My responsibilities shifted from network engineering to updating PDFs and ordering business cards – things I had no experience with and little interest in doing. When my manager left the company, I suddenly became the “Business Development Coordinator”. No one could tell me what that meant, but I did my best. My performance reviews were abysmal, because I didn’t actually know what I was doing. I tried getting back to my original role, but by that point the company had backfilled me and there was no budget for it.
Every day my job wore me down. I came home feeling like a failure. I gained weight. I was cranky and depressed. And my future seemed really bleak.
After a few months with very little improvement, I decided it was time to look around. As soon as I started looking, I felt more hopeful and energized – and when the right opportunity came along, I was back to my old self again.
If I challenge myself, can I make it better?
When you’re first starting out, everything is a challenge. There’s a lot to learn! Eventually you get on top of it – until you move into another role and start the hard-core learning again. As you evolve, you keep taking on new challenges.
Sometimes you end up in a comfortable role for too long, and you forget what it’s like to be the “new person” on the team. But all it takes is a new VP, or a corporate shuffle, and you find yourself out of your comfort zone again. Sometimes it’s a welcome challenge, and other times it seems like a pain.
But does this change bring new opportunities with it? If you challenge yourself to learn new things and grow in your new role, will it be worth the effort? There is no “right” answer here. It’s just a shift in the roadmap, and it’s up to you to decide if you want to continue down that road. But make sure you’re evaluating the big picture – and always be willing to learn and grow.
Leaving is never the first resort
To be clear – changing jobs should never be your first recourse. Every job has its ups and downs, and most of those are temporary. There are many things you can do to make it better – be optimistic, talk with your manager, and find ways to learn and grow. And always put forth your best effort no matter what!
But if you’re certain that the future is full of “downs”, and you’ve exhausted all of your other options, I feel your pain. Remember that you’re not trapped. It may take patience and hard work, but don’t be discouraged – there is a good fit for you out there!
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Jeff Nordquist is a software developer, leader, mentor, and entrepreneur. He loves thinking and writing about this stuff! You can reach him on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffnordquist), on Twitter (@jeffnordquist), or via email at jeff@jeffnordquist.com.
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