Ask a Career Coach: I've Got a Good Job, But I'm Bored. What Should I Do?
Hi Kyle,
I’ve been in my job for nearly 11 years now. It’s well-paying, has great benefits, and it allows for a very flexible schedule. I have the opportunity to do both office and field work (I’m in nonprofit public relations)—all for an awesome cause.
However, I’m super bored. I get this feeling the most when it’s slow (like right now), but I’ve been feeling it more and more, even when I’m loaded with work. I spent a ton of money on a career coach a few years ago, and after six months of soul-searching and research and matrixes and compiling Post-it notes of ideas, it turns out my current job meets my needs as a professional and is the best thing for me right now.
So, what do I do with that? Basically, I'm afraid to leave the money and schedule flexibility but desperately want a new cerebral challenge. Yes, I could find new projects to do within my current role, but I’m not really motivated. (In the past, I’ve tried to kick start something, but I lose interest quickly.) I could work at moving up the chain of command with the hopes of taking over a manager's job when it's available in a few years, but that doesn’t really appeal to me either.
I’ve taken online courses to help expand my skill set for both my current job and to see what other skills I like and want to improve upon, and I’ve found that has put a new energy into how I approach work. And yet, when I start looking at job postings, my motivation to apply fizzles. Thoughts?
Signed,
Bored and Unmotivated
Dear Bored and Unmotivated,
Thanks for writing in about this issue. Sounds like you’ve been coasting a bit and are disappointed to learn that your current role is the best thing for you. But maybe what you need isn’t a different or “better” job. Maybe what you need falls outside of the traditional idea of work, and lies somewhere in the broader scope of your career. Sometimes the thing you’re looking for happens after you punch out.
So how do you find what’s missing and get over the boredom? Here are three fresh suggestions:
1. Start a Side Project
If starting new projects at work isn’t giving you the stimulation you’re craving, consider starting something outside the office. Working on a project completely unrelated to your 9-to-5 can open up new interests and give you better insight into what other fields you could potentially transfer into. It doesn’t have to be a business idea it can be a blog, a photography website, or even a garden. What are you interested in pursuing when you’re not working? What hobbies or passions do you have that you could potentially turn into a side gig?
It could be the reason you’re reluctant to apply for other jobs is because they all feel like a similar version of what you’re doing now. And if you’re unenthusiastic in your current role, it’s unlikely a lateral move is going to get you pumped.
2. Volunteer
People often see the word “volunteer” and immediately think of a soup kitchen. While that work is important and necessary, it’s different than the kind of volunteering I want to talk about today. Ask yourself what causes are close to your heart and pursue unpaid work with one of them.
Whatever form it takes, it will expose you to new people and purposes and maybe alleviate some of your general dissatisfaction. Finding fulfillment outside of work—until you’re either ready to seek a promotion or find a new job—may make swallowing the day-to-day easier.
3. Take an Unplugged Vacation
It can be hard to truly explore different jobs or commit to learning new skills while you have work obligations, regardless of how flexible your schedule is. So if you have PTO (Paid Time Off) left to spare, consider taking a completely unplugged vacation. Separating yourself from work for at least a week and committing to staying away from your inbox (as much as possible, I’m not unrealistic) will help you clear your head so you can maybe, just maybe, hear what’s calling you.
When you realize that a job that’s great on paper just isn’t doing it for you anymore, it’s hard to see a silver lining. But think about it: You’re gainfully employed with schedule flexibility. Whatever the answer to getting out of your career rut, don’t overlook the fact that figuring it out is easier when you have a steady paycheck coming in.
You’ll know when you reach your breaking point, and when that happens, I promise you, you’ll have all the motivation in the world to either seek out a promotion where you are or land a better, challenging gig elsewhere. In the meantime, there are plenty of ways to stay on your toes.
Article Source: https://www.themuse.com/advice/ask-a-career-coach-ive-got-a-good-job-but-im-bored-what-should-i-do?ref=carousel-slide-1
Image Source: http://stuffgradslike.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/iStock_bored-work.jpg
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. well-being (n) - the state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy.
2. flexible (adj) - ready and able to change so as to adapt to different circumstances
3. matrixes (n/ plural) - an environment or material in which something develops a surrounding medium or structure
4. cerebral challenge (n) – mentally stimulating challenge
5. kick start (v) - to make something start to happen
6. chain of command (n) - the way that people with authority in an organization, esp. in the military, are ranked, from the person with the most authority to the next one below, and so on
7. fizzles (v) - to finish slowly in a way that is disappointing or has become less interesting
8. coasting (v) – idiomatic meaning to continue moving from its own forward force, without the addition of any power
9. lateral move(ment) (n) - Of or constituting a change within an organization or hierarchy to a position at a similar level, as in salary or responsibility, to the one being left: made a lateral move within the company
10. get pumped (v phrase) – to make enthusiastic get fired up
11. soup kitchen (n) - a place where free food is given to people with no money or no homes
13. alleviate (v) - to make pain or problems less severe
14. unplugged (adj) - disconnected
15. silver lining (n) - Use the term silver lining when you want to emphasize the hopeful side of a situation that might seem gloomy on the surface. The common expression "every cloud has a silver lining" means that even the worst events or situations have some positive aspect
16. career rut (n) – when you've excelled in your position, but now you feel that you've risen as far in the company as you can go
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. What do you think about your job? Are you bored with it?
If yes, what makes it boring?
If not, what makes it interesting or exciting?
2. Do you think you have ever experienced a career rut? When? What were the circumstances around it? What did you do?
3. Have you ever considered looking for another job?
If yes, what kind of job would you like to do and why?
If not, what makes you stay in your job?
4. What could be a good thing to do to not get bored with your job (add a fourth suggestion to the article’s 3 suggestions)?
