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4 Tips to Break Out of Your Career Rut 

If you love your career, you are in a great position. That is because many people don’t. But even those who love their career may find it becoming tedious or boring at times. And if those moments extend to longer periods of time, you may be dealing with something else. So, if you sense that you’re no longer excited about your job and feel a lack of purpose with it, you might be dealing with a career rut.

career rutHow might you know this? Typical signs include complaining about your job most of the time, feeling under-stimulated at work (things are boring to you) and being apathetic and uncaring towards your responsibilities. Joint research by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, and Gallup revealed that over 50% of workers are unhappy with their jobs because they can’t find purpose in what they’re doing.

That’s not a great place for anyone to be. For most, a career is such an important part of their lifestyle and personal identity. The impact of not enjoying work, will leak out and find its way to impact other areas of your life.

Fortunately, you don’t have to remain in this situation forever. You can get yourself out and have a rewarding career. Here are some things that’ll help you break free and move on to something better. 

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Breaking Out of Your Career Rut

If you want to break out of your career rut and find renewed purpose in what you are doing or move on to something else, these actions steps will help:

Carry out a personal evaluation

There might be several reasons you feel trapped in your current job. It’ll help if you take some time to examine what those factors could be. You should do this by asking and answering questions.

For example, have you been able to achieve the career goals you’ve set for yourself so far? Do you feel underappreciated or unfulfilled at work? Have you outgrown your position and don’t feel challenged anymore?

Reflecting on such hard truths will help you determine where the frustration might be coming from and what you can do about it. Knowing what’s wrong is the first step in overcoming this situation.

Make a decision

Now that you’ve identified the issue, your next step is to decide on what to do. You can’t stay in limbo forever. You need to decide whether to stick where you are at or move on.

You may still love your job and be reluctant to leave it behind. In that case, it will be necessary for you to find the right channels by which you can voice your concerns or grievances to your supervisors. If you have concerned they need to be voiced and addressed at a level that satisfies you. 

However, if you decide it’s time for a career change, you must first equip yourself properly. That may mean going back to school to get a degree. For example, if you love listening to and helping people, then a psychology major might be in order. Or if you have business skills you might look at an MBA. If you have knowledge about particular subject area, a new career as a teacher may interest you.

The good news is you may not need a completely new degree. You can also take many short online courses to develop your skill set further or to gain the accreditation related to your job to keep you up to date. 

The important point here is to make a decision and then act. Don’t wait around hoping things will get better. They probably won’t.

Related Content: 5 Practical Steps to Consider When Making a Career Change

Create a career plan

Having a clear plan is also vital in helping you know what to do next to get out of your career rut. This helps you set personal targets for your professional development and track your accomplishments.

Remember, the goal is to be happy with your career. So you must thoroughly research and identify your options and match them with your skills, interests, and values. This will help you decipher the perfect one for you. You can then spot companies that suit your needs and compare them to see the ones that’ll be best for you.

Part of having a plan will be to set some new goals. You will need to identify what your short and long-range ambitions are as part of this plan. Setting appropriate goals will go a long way in making your plan successful.

Related Content: How to Set Goals: Make Them SMART

Take some time off

There’s nothing like coming back refreshed after a well-deserved break. This helps put some things into perspective for you. It also allows you to determine whether you want to give your job another go or whether it’s time to move on.

Taking some time off also helps improve your attitude. It gives you fresh energy to face the tasks ahead. Sometimes, all you need is a little time to clear your head and focus on other lifestyle things that matter (i.e. family, friends, etc.) before you get back to the drawing board. 

Finding a career that works for you is very important for your well-being. If you choose to remain in your current job, be innovative. Bring on board ideas to challenge you and your colleagues to bring out the best in them and in you.

You can also try other jobs alongside your current one to satisfy your need for excitement and purpose. But make sure that your output at work isn’t affected by your side job. And don’t let your side job distract you from making things better for yourself in the long run. 

Leave a Comment or Answer a Question Below: Are you stuck in a career or job that you don’t enjoy? If so, what has you turned off? Have you ever made a career change? What was that like? What obstacles did you face that you were not anticipating? What advice would you give to someone who is stuck in a rut and wants to make a change? 

Image courtesy of Andrea Piacquadio at Pexels.com

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