Do you find yourself complaining about your job?
First of all, nobody cares to listen.
They have their own problems. Think about someone that doesn’t have a job. How would they feel about your complaints about your job?
Another reason people don’t care to listen is because you’re the only one that can change your situation. Complaining won’t accomplish anything.
That’s the big thing. It’s just the realization that if you’re in a dead end job that you have to look for an escape plan. And you’re the one that has to take action.
Here are a few tips for moving on from a dead end job.
1. Begin Researching Alternatives
Obvious first step here. No way around it.
But it’s kind of surprising how many people complain about their jobs and really have no clue about alternatives. They’re just looking for people to affirm that they’re correct in complaining.
It’s much easier to point out issues with the world than it is to change things.
Start looking for alternative ways to earn money.
Job boards are a good place to start.
Look to what other people are doing.
There are other ways, but why not start with that? Schedule the time every morning, lunch or evening to do this work. What’s two hours a day spent researching? Set the TV remote down and start learning how people earn money.
Look at where they are now. Look at where they’ve been. Get an understanding for the work involved to get there.
2. Try Side Hustles To Learn More
The next step is to start dipping your toe into the work waters. Trying new things until you stumble on one that you like. By that I mean you like the work. You can do it everyday without complaining. Maybe it’s the money that can help the situation, but you’re looking for something you can do everyday for a long time.
The great thing (of many) about the world we live in today is you can try nearly anything on the side. Part time. You can even get paid for it sometimes.
This can also help you better understand something you might like. You might think that your buddy with the sales job has it easy, but try selling something through an affiliate program or commission only program for 10 hours a week and see how it really is.
3. Cut Back Expenses & Save
Big one here. If you really hate your job and want to make a change it helps to have some savings. It will come in handy during any transition. It can also help if you’re in a situation where you can eventually cut back on the current job to try something new.
List out all your expenses from the last three months. It’s really easy to do these days. Once you’ve done that go in and start looking at what you can cut for the next three to six months. Cut it out every month. Put that money away into savings.
You might be surprised what you can save up in three to six months and what a nice cushion that can provide when you want to go through a job transition.
4. Self Assess
Could put this one first, but you can do this at any point. I think it’s often overlooked.
You have to self assess and figure out what motivates and inspires you. You have to figure out what your values are and what’s most important in your life.
There is no universal right or wrong answer. It’s a discovery. It’s figuring out who you are and what matters to you.
It’s often different from person to person. Some people are the same.
Think back on the important decisions in your life. Think about why you made the decision you did. Think about how you feel about the decision now and what you might do differently if given the option.
The more you understand yourself the better job you can do picking your next path so you don’t find yourself in a dead end job the next time around.
5. Assess Your Current Job
Finally, take some time to reassess your current job. Or assess if you really haven’t thought about it at all.
Is it really as bad as it seems or are you just cherry picking little things that annoy you?
Could you change your circumstances within the company to avoid those annoyances?
It can seem like the grass is greener on the neighbor’s side of the fence, but it’s impossible to know all the dirty details when you’re not fully involved.
You know the dirty details about your current situation. You can do a little comparing and really find out if your situation is as bad as it seems.
Sometimes just assessing your current situation a little differently will change your attitude.
Conclusion
Nobody wants to listen to you talk about how much you hate your job. Either reassess the situation and live with it or make a change. That’s it. You’re the only one that can do it.