Studies show that too many people dislike their careers. Many people describe their lives as one giant screenplay written by their parents at birth. Others made pacts with friends to follow their dreams only to realize the goals they achieved were not their own but those defined by their friends.

These are the people who find themselves unfulfilled.

The Professional Void

People who dislike their careers aren’t mindless drones sitting in an office cubicle shuffling paper or woefully underemployed in retail or food service jobs. They are doctors, lawyers, executives, stay-at-home moms, and teachers — and they are workers in every other profession who followed someone else’s advice and regretted it.

If they didn’t follow someone else’s advice, then they fell into the position they’re in now. Plenty of managers, executives, and vice presidents in their 30s, 40s, and 50s started with a company in an entry-level job and couldn’t pass up repeated promotions. Eventually, they found themselves in a well-paid career but working in a position they never wanted in the first place. 

A Bleak Picture

So often people think they know what they want and understand what they're getting into. Then, they reach their goal and realize they're not happy in their success.

If you fall into one of these categories, you’re not alone; you’re the majority. A 2018 article on Inc.com said that 70% of people are not satisfied with their career choice, leading one CEO to say, “I believe we have a serious epidemic on our hands.”

A Gallup Poll from 2017 takes it a step further, reporting that 85% of the people polled worldwide said they hated their job. It’s not any better with the younger generation, either. A 2019 report says that 71% of millennials do not view themselves as engaged at their place of employment.

Meet Myschelle

A mutual acquaintance introduced me to a wonderful woman named Myschelle. On the outside, you’d say she had it all: practicing NYC attorney, six-figure income and no debt — but she was unhappy. She knew two things: neither earning a paycheck nor remaining an attorney could fix that feeling.

Myschelle was afraid of taking chances, but I worked with her to help her learn how to take calculated risks. Making a big change isn’t about one giant leap — it’s about many small hops. Once she got going, she quickly figured out what she was supposed to do.

Today, Myschelle is working as an educator in Africa, teaching children in the poorest of third world countries. Yes, she changed a lot, but the biggest confirmation that she did the right thing was when she recognized she wasn’t the person who cried on her way to work anymore.

She followed her heart, and I think that says it all. 

Getting Out of Your Rut

Jump on the Internet, search for “I hate my job,” and you’ll find two things:

1. People who like to whine about their career but don’t want to do anything to get themselves out of it.

2. Lists of information so general, it’s hard to visualize how you can apply the advice to your situation.

It’s OK to admit to someone other than yourself that you feel stuck. That’s the first step in turning things around. The second step is finding somebody with a proven track record to help put you on the path you were meant to follow.

I never put Myschelle on a plane to Africa. I didn’t help dry her tears. She did both all on her own, but she admits she couldn’t have done it without help. I was simply there to help create the map for her to follow.

If you’re feeling stuck, drop me a line. Let’s see what kind of map we can create for you.