What If You Don't Love Your Job--Yet

If you've talked with our CEO before, you've probably heard her say, "Work should be fun." Michelle truly believes people should love their jobs, and it impacts everything we do at EPI.

 

Some of you will read that and think, “I wouldn’t mind having a job I loved, too—but here I am, stuck with this one.”

Maybe you only dislike a few aspects of your job, maybe you wish it offered more flexibility, or maybe you want out of your current field altogether. Whatever the situation, there are steps you can take to try to improve it: the key is that you choose to take action. Even if you are only seeking a small change, don’t wait around for someone to walk into your office and hand it to you. Take responsibility for loving your job!

There are always reasons to feel that now is not the time to seek something new. Sometimes those reasons are valid (and sometimes they're just excuses to take the easy route and stay where you are). If you don't feel like you can jump ship and swim to something better, here’s what you can do to improve the job you have:

·    Identify the parts you do like, and why you like them. Is it the people you work with when you do the tasks you like, or the task itself? Is it working with a specific tool or software that really gets you excited? Be specific.

·    Communicate what you discover to your supervisor and discuss ways you might be able to spend more time doing those tasks you like, or other similar tasks. Maybe there’s work waiting to be done you don’t know about!

·    Volunteer for new opportunities at your company. Now that you know what you like, find ways to use those skills. Try them out on a small project or committee before leaping into a new position.

Of course, if you’re looking to change industries completely or feel you have maxed out the options at your current company, getting to the job you love will take effort outside your current workplace. Here are a few ideas: join an organization in your desired field, volunteer for your favorite non-profit doing similar work, or work your connections for an internship with a respected organization. Forget about getting paid, if possible, and find ways to start establishing a track record in your new field. You’ll be sacrificing your personal time (and possibly even more), but you’ll walk away with experience and references you can use to finally get paid to do what you love.