Feeling stuck on a wrong career path is one of the most difficult things to handle. In most cases, the typical reaction to this includes panic, desperation, and discouragement. When you’re feeling stuck in a job, there are several not-so-good actions you may take. However, there are other things you can do to cope with this situation. One of them has to do with career counselor.
Why do people feel stuck?
A 2021 study by Oracle and Workplace Intelligence revealed that 77 percent of the workforce in Asia-Pacific countries feel stuck professionally. In most cases, people who are feeling stuck to their job are dissatisfied, be it of its salary, working conditions, or other things. In addition, they may also not know the value of their own skills, which in return creates the feeling of deep professional dissatisfaction.
If you’ve experienced a similar situation, your most logical action to take may involve switching your career immediately. However, that may not be the best way to cope with this.
What to do when you’re feeling stuck.
- Reconsider your decision
Instead of switching your career path immediately, reconsider your choice by pinpointing the exact reasons why you hate your job. There is a chance that your dissatisfaction with your job may stem from the way your coworkers treat you or the way your micromanaging boss always gets in your way. If that’s the case, switching your career path immediately may not be the best action to take.
- Identify your transferable skills
If you decide to make a drastic change to your career, you may feel discouraged from starting from the bottom. However, you don’t need to start from scratch when creating your new career path. There is a chance that the skills you’re currently possessing will be useful for your future career.
For instance, you may be feeling stuck working as a journalist. While you may want to distance yourself from a journalism job, your passion for writing is still alive. Instead of starting from scratch, you just need a different way to apply your passion in different mediums. So, you can start your new career path as a copywriter, marketing writer, etc.
- Encourage yourself
Contrary to popular beliefs, taking a 180 degree career turn isn’t always bad. While challenging, forming a new career path is possible. So, instead of feeling discouraged, give yourself a pep talk to pump you back up. While sound cheesy, self-encouragement has been proven to be effective when making a difficult decision like changing a career path. In addition, you may seek encouragement from friends and families as well.
