There was a time not too long ago when I was waking up every single day in complete agony over the thought of going into work. Sounds miserable, huh?
Well it was, and as much as I hope you’re not going through something similar, the sad reality is that SO MANY PEOPLE ARE.
Too many people hate their jobs, and it makes me upset just thinking about it because we spend too much time at work to hate it.
Now if you follow my blog, then you know that I got myself out of that situation, but it wasn’t something that happened overnight. It was something I worked on relentlessly for months, and eventually, I got exactly what I wanted. I got a new job doing something that I love, and I’ve never been happier.
So when I look around and see how unhappy people are at work, I ask myself, “why the heck do they stay?” And these are some of the answers I’ve come up with.
The Money Is Good
I’ve stayed at a job for money before, sure I have. That’s actually why it took me so long to make my career change now. For a long time, I thought that taking any kind of pay cut would mean I had failed, and that’s not something I wanted to face. I had worked too hard to get to a salary level that I was comfortable with, and I wasn’t willing to accept anything short of it. But then thankfully, I realized that it wasn’t failing if I was taking myself out of a miserable situation and making it better. So I took a $10k+ pay cut, and I don’t regret it one bit because truth is, sometimes you have to take a step back in order to start moving in the right direction. Moral of the story, don’t let money hold you back.
They Don’t Think They’ll Find Anything Else
Some people really believe that they’ll never find another job. They think they’re too old or too young or that they don’t have the skills to do anything else. If you’re one of those people, message me please, so I can go find you and slap you, because that’s never the case. Now I’m not going to bull shit you. It’s not easy to find a new job. Anyone who tells you that it’s easy is a freaking liar. It takes preparation, it takes time, it takes a lot of research, and most importantly it takes action. So be honest. Is this whole “thinking that you won’t find anything else” really just a cover for “I’m too lazy to try?” You’re never too ANYTHING to find a new job, so if you want it, get off your butt and go after it!
They Do Their Job Well
Someone really smart once told me that just because you do a job well doesn’t mean you should be doing it. Hands down, she couldn’t be more right. I’ve been good at jobs before. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever had a job that I totally sucked at, but that doesn’t mean that those jobs were the right fit. So to find that perfect job focus on what you’re good at PLUS what you actually enjoy, and ask yourself questions like these to help you get started.
They Have Really Great Benefits
Benefits are a huge deal now. #Adulting is no joke. Retirement plans, life insurance, vacation time, those are all great things, and I can understand that people don’t want to lose their benefits. But dude, if you freaking DIE from a heart attack because you’re so stressed out at work and hate your life every day, how much are those benefits really going to matter?! I’m serious! Vacation time is great! I love vacations! But would I rater enjoy myself two weeks out of the year, or every single day? All I’m saying is that you can’t let good benefits dictate how you live your life. I promise, your job isn’t the only place with awesome perks.
They’re Friends With Their Co-Workers
The co-worker dynamic is quite interesting to me. You see if you’re lucky, you have really bad-ass co-workers that you get along with and who you can call friends. You do happy hours and go to lunch together and you spend more time with them than you do at home, so they become your family. That’s not a bad thing. But what IS bad is when your co-workers hold you back from pursing a job you might actually enjoy. When it comes to your career, you gotta do you, and if your co-workers really are your friends, they’ll still stay in touch long after you land your new gig. You’re not dying, you’re just working at a different place, so don’t stay at a job you hate simply because you like who you work with.
Any others you can think of? Have you ever stayed at a job you have for way too long? Let us know!
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All true reasons…though sad! But money always ends up being an issue for so many people. It stinks.
Coming Up Roses
Love love love this post!!!
I totally agree with everything you said.
I hope a lot of people see this post because this is truth.
I’ve stayed at a job when I wasn’t sure what to do next!
You hit the nail on the head with this one. These are all reasons I’m at my current job. I’m hoping to be working from home soon so hopefully i can find the will to leave even though I am friends with my coworkers lol
I completely agree, which is why I am making changes to help me get where I want to be.
Great tips. It can definitely be hard to have the courage to go off on your own.
I would also add that “it’s comfortable.” It’s scary thinking about leaving your current job so sometimes, even if you aren’t happy where you are, you stay because anything else is scary.
I can definitely relate to a few of those points. I stayed at a law firm for five years as it ate away at my soul. I didn’t always dread it but eventually, I’d cry every day going into work knowing that it was going to be a bitch of a day and I’d once again be someone’s punching bag. SO I put my big girl panties on and started hunting. It took three months but eventually I found something else that paid much better and next to no stress compared to the crap before. And you know what kept me at the law firm for so long? The people. You can keep in touch with people, but don’t end up being a “lifer” at your place of employment and look back 30 years from now wishing you had done things differently.
I can absolutely see all of these reasons being true. I think it can be scary to go off into the unknown too!
Those are all very true reasons. Before I married my husband, I stayed at a nightmare of a telemarketing job for 3 years all because the pay was great and I was afraid that I wouldn’t find anything else. Thankfully those days are over and I will never do telemarketing again!
I’ve been victim of this in the past. Taking that leap is tough!
I think money and benefits keep people doing the things they hate doing for so so long. But, we can’t really blame them — there are responsibilities that are insanely expensive.
— DT | Here I Scribble
I’ve been down that road with my husband. He always felt like moving forward but didn’t want to lose his benefits. He eventually took a chance and found happiness with a better job
I once had to stay at a job I loathed b/c my husband had gotten laid off. “Good” reason, I suppose, but jumped for joy the day I left 🙂
Fear is another reason people stay…because they’re scared of the unknown and would rather just continue what they’re doing instead of making a chance.
xoxo, Jenny