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Dead-end job

Dead-end job

In the conventional picture, a job is a burden. Fortunately, this tendency is fading today, and more and more young people listen to their hearts when making career choices. Even though many individuals have a hard time finding their calling, realizing that their job is a mismatch happens more smoothly. But there is a paradox – having once realized it, people hardly ever rush to change the state of things. If you feel like being stuck at your current company, please continue reading our article. We’ll help you clarify what exactly brings about your feelings and how to switch from a dead-end job to a more favorable one.

What are dead-end jobs and a dead-end career?

It stands to reason that lumping everyone into one bucket is hardly fair. A dead-end position for one person may be a safe harbor for another. However, there are standard signs of dead-end careers:

  • the job you do can be replaced by a machine;
  • no prospects for career growth;
  • no passion or satisfaction from what you do;
  • constantly stressful working environment;
  • you’re not valued and praised.

If you experience any of those, you must think over the situation. Yes, there might be nothing wrong with the job itself, you may have picked the wrong one for yourself. Anyway, it still remains your personal dead-end job, as it will hardly lead to anything but stress, discontent, and exhaustion.

Why do people usually stuck in a dead-end job?

Stability is something vague in our realm; however, everybody still strives for it. They opt for jobs they hate, underpaid jobs, boring jobs, toxic environment jobs, jobs that make them regress instead of progress, in one word – dead-end careers for the sake of feeling more or less safe. What if we tell you this notorious stability can be reached without unhappiness and exhaustion at work? What if we tell you that job satisfaction isn’t a myth and that employees do feel appreciated at work? It’s high time to take fear in your stride and start acting for a better future. Nobody but you is responsible for your well-being, mental health, and satisfaction; the sooner you realize it and your self-worth, the faster your dream job will appear on the horizon.

Top signs that your job may be a dead-end

So, if you’ve clarified for yourself that it’s not about your preferences or the wrong choice you’ve made, your job may really be a dead end. At the same time, ensure you’ve done enough to be heard and seen by your current employer. Sometimes they are up to their eyes in work and may not even assume that one of their employees is unhappy with their job, duties, or remuneration. If your answer is still the same, take notice of the following factors. They could serve as a stepping stone from your current role to a new career.

Feeling unfulfilled in your job

A typical working day takes 8 hours, and if 80% of this time you don’t feel any job satisfaction, it is bound to turn your life into a nightmare. Constant feeling of discontent also influences your performance: lack of motivation and engagement will hardly make you the employee of the month. Furthermore, it will definitely leave an imprint on your personal life as it’s impossible to get back to normal in the evening knowing that the next morning you have to do the job you hate. It’s not just a dead-end job, a highway to hell.

Lack of opportunity for growth or advancement

If climbing the career ladder is your ultimate goal but you don’t have any prospects on the horizon, why would you waste your time in your current position? In the same way, if you’ve applied for promotion multiple times but have been rejected for opaque reasons, it’s time to change jobs. Knowing your self-worth is the first and foremost factor that will help you make the next career move faster. It’s not your problem if your employer decides to turn a blind eye and ignore you – don’t allow yourself to believe that it’s somehow reasonable. Believe in yourself and pursue the career of your dream!

Job doesn’t match your skills or interests

People whose job is their hobby are lucky beggars. However, there are other recipes for being happy at your workplace. Entry-level jobs often cause a lot of enthusiasm and engagement. Of course, they vanish if your skills and ambitions go far beyond your duties at work. We all need new challenges every now and then to stay focused and motivated; doing the exact same work at the exact same desk with no advancement opportunities time and again will kill any dedication to work. If your boss refuses to accept that, you’d better move on.

Stagnant or decreasing paychecks

The cost of living never remains the same. They always give excuses as to why rent or gas prices have soared. Do they care if you can make ends meet? Most likely, they don’t, so it’s your responsibility to manage this issue. If the boss in your current job praises you verbally but always finds numerous reasons why to keep your paycheck stagnant, this is not the place you should be working at. Acquire some new skills, expand your CV by adding your last experience and look for a new position where your qualifications are appreciated.

Unhappy co-workers and boss

The working environment really matters. Looking at long faces five days a week will turn the most cheerful person into a miserable one. Furthermore, your unhappy colleagues, especially those who have been working for a while, are highly likely to have reasons for their unhappiness, aren’t they? If you don’t want to end up like them, please think long and hard if the ‘unhappy people valley’ is worth staying in.

Difficulty balancing work and personal life

As they say, all work and no play make Jack a dull boy. It’s high time for employees to realize that a job is just a part of our life, not life itself. To be a happy person, one should try to reach equipoise in all spheres of their life: education, work, relationships, career, health, entertainment, etc. It’s not a big deal if you are okay with the situation when work steals all your time; however, if you feel like being under pressure and stressed out, feel free to change this dead-end job.

Constant stress and anxiety from work

If stress and anxiety sound like just another day at work, run! For no money in the world should you waste your mental health for the sake of work! It’s not a secret that being constantly affected by stress can also lead to physical issues and diseases. Is a monthly report worth your well-being? Waking up every morning and feeling sick and tired of the idea of going to work is a striking sign of a dead-end job.

The effects of having a dead-end job

Let’s have a closer look at what outcomes a dead-end job is fraught with. We’ve mentioned that besides superficial indicators – being in a black mood, nervous, and discontent with life – there might be more serious implications. Depression, trouble sleeping, and absorbing anxiety won’t make you wait for long. They will damage your immune system and inevitably lead to physical issues, like frequent headaches and colds, backache, stomach ache, poor heart health, blood pressure issues, and so on and so forth.

What is even more interesting, sometimes, cardiovascular issues may show up later, let’s say you had an extremely stressful job at the age of 25, and in your 40-s, you may harvest the consequences. So don’t spend your best years doing the hated job, and think twice if you want to doom yourself to miserable and painful existence in the future.

What can you do if your career is headed in the wrong direction?

First of all, acknowledge and embrace it. It’s always possible to change your work life for the better. There is a bewildering palette of other jobs available in the job market, you just need to pull yourself together, clarify your career goals, and take action. However, before burning the bridges, make sure you’re making your boss and our company the scapegoats for a reason. You’ve let them know about your expectations, worries, and concerns and they got you right. If the state of things remains the same, it’s a dead end for you.

Don’t worry about losing your stable income – there are so many possibilities to make money today. As they say, when one door closes, another one opens. So, besides setting yourself free, quitting your dead-end position will bring you such benefits as:

  • a little shake-up in your life that will help you feel motivated and alive again;
  • a chance to find your dream job and never work a minute in your life;
  • a more decent remuneration;
  • a more peaceful environment;
  • advancement opportunities you’ve always dreamed about;
  • new acquaintances;
  • work-life balance, etc.

Now, it remains the case for small – go to your boss, inform them about your decision and try to stay firm. They may try to powder your brains with empty promises, but you have to stand for what you’ve decided. They would have already done it if they wanted to promote you, raise your paycheck, or reduce the workload. And regardless of your attitude to them, stay grounded and polite. It’s better to go out with a bang and not waste your nerves and energy.

How to start a new career path and avoid the same position

Another crucial point is to avoid making the same mistake again. In pursuing money, people may get blinded and buy into the same dead-end job again. Just keep in mind the initial reason for your changes – to find a better position and enjoy doing your job. Take your time with the conclusions, allow yourself some time to reflect upon the new job opportunity, and make up your mind so you will be okay with it in the future. Identify all the pros and cons and check if there are any which actually made you leave your previous company. It will help you avoid stepping on the same rakes.

Tips for surviving during the transition period

First and foremost, you have to stop worrying about the future. It makes no sense but sucks your energy and resource. You’ve got this time to breathe out, recharge, recognize your strengths, work on your weaknesses, and take career advice. It’s time for you to identify the questions and find answers. The main question would most likely be, “What do I want my life to look like?”. You might not have had a chance to figure it out earlier but had to jump onto the wrong carriage to start making a living as soon as possible. Now you got this opportunity, and you can’t waste it for sure.

Conclusion

To sum up, a dead-end job is one that doesn’t meet your expectations and career goals for whatever reason. We do recommend paying attention to the moment you’ve got the gut feeling that something is going wrong. It’s totally fine to take some time and check whether you’ve done everything possible to ensure you’re not the problem. However, if there is no light at the end of the tunnel after it, don’t hesitate to leave this place without any regrets.

Remember that doing the wrong job affects your mood and quality of life in general. No job in the world is worth sacrificing your time with the nearest and dearest, destroying your mental as well as physical health, losing your spark and thirst for life. Be brave to improve your life until there is still time. You’ll definitely succeed because the road is taken by walking.

Date: 19 December 2022
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