How to reroute out of a dead-end job

Eve Tahmincioglu • Profile • E-mail

Did you give thanks last week for your job? Natasha from Columbus, Ohio, didn’t.

“I would much rather stab myself in the foot than to go to work every day,” says Natasha, who’s been in customer service for eight years.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who are unhappy or feel stuck in their jobs today, because of financial issues, or they think a crummy job will someday lead to a great position, or they just don’t know what to do instead. Others feel stuck because they like their work, but hate the hours and the time away from family.

I recently did a search of my reader emails and the word “stuck” showed up 30 times in 30 different emails.

Indeed, about 47 percent of U.S. workers are satisfied with their jobs, according to business-research frim The Conference Board, which reported that job satisfaction 20 years ago was more than 60 percent.

“Although a certain amount of dissatisfaction with one’s job is to be expected, the breadth of dissatisfaction is somewhat unsettling, since it carries over from what attracts employees to a job to what keeps them motivated and productive on the job,” says Conference Board economist Lynn Franco.

So how do you find a job you’re thankful for?

It’s all about risk taking, says Annie Stevens with career coaching company ClearRock Inc., who maintains people are more risk adverse these days because of everything from political turmoil to rising gas prices. “Letting go of a bad job to go look for a new job is a high risk proposal,” she says.

“One way to get unstuck,” she adds, “is through analysis. What are you good at doing? What are your technical skills? What do you enjoy doing? What are your values?”

By understanding all these things it’s easier to take a chance and go for that perfect job. “If you’re just in it for a paycheck then you’re selling your soul,” she warns.

Here are some of your questions:

I am currently working in the corporate world as a provider relations account manager which was a significant increase in salary, but also days worked.  As a nurse I was working 3 days a week but required weekends and some holidays.  It is of interest to mention that I have a four year old and a twenty-month.  In taking this job I first thought of the money which was about $1,000 more a month and no holidays no weekends; however now I am working almost 50 hours a week when you consider travel time and it is taking away from my family. I recently got offered a position to go back to nursing, which btw I LOVE. I would be equal in pay to what I am compensated now because of the savings in childcare.  The question I struggle with is the difference between the corporate ladder and the healthcare, clinician pathway.  I realize I won't have a lot of room to grow but I would like to be there while my kids grow. 

-- Stuck in the middle

There is no way around it, if you leave the Corporate world it may be harder to get back on track in the long run. But people are a bit more understanding these days if you make changes to your career to accommodate kids, or ailing parents.

It's not like you're checking out of the workplace entirely. That could really come back to haunt you.

If you know you're going to leave this job, go to your employer and offer them a schedule you create. Propose you work three days a week, for X hours a day. You can ask for anything since you're just as happy to leave this job and go back to nursing. What do you have to lose?

Suggest you work remotely, advises Marti Barletta, founder of consultancy The TrendSight Group. “There are a lot of jobs where you don’t have to be face to face,” she says.

Then, if it's a no deal, head back to the profession you love, nursing. We need great nurses today given the shortage of people in your field.

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