When you are working full time, you likely enjoy parts of your job at some times and dislike it at others. While you may never wake up in the morning eager to go to work, there are some things you can do to ensure your career is a bit more enjoyable.
Start Learning New Things
If you have spent a while doing the same tasks over and over again, it’s not difficult to get bored in your position. It’s important to continue learning and growing to challenge yourself and ensure you do not reach a plateau. Consider offering to help other coworkers or with a different department. By taking on new responsibilities, you can continue growing, learning, and advancing your career. You should also attend professional growth opportunities, such as conferences and seminars. You might even consider advancing your education by getting another degree. If you are thinking about getting your degree in a relevant field, you can get matched to eligible scholarships for college to reduce the tuition expenses that continue to rise year after year.
Getting the Things You Want
Instead of waiting to be asked about the things you like and don’t like about the office, consider asking for the things you want. Your manager might not even know what you are looking for, and if they don’t know, they won’t be able to offer these things to you. Instead, consider speaking about your goals at work and ask what you can do to achieve them. If you receive annual reviews, you can ask for a raise or bonus. If you think a project should be managed a certain way, offer to take on more responsibility. By working toward clear goals, you can be more satisfied in your job as you gradually make progress. That way, you can begin to drive your career in the right direction.
Starting a Side Hustle
If you aren’t expanding your skills as quickly as you would like at work, consider taking on a side hustle, where you can continue to learn. Depending on the direction you go with your side hustle, you might find these learning opportunities allow you to not only grow relevant skills, but build an emergency fund, help with retirement goals, or afford you annual vacations.
Changing Aspects of Work
At work, you can control some things but not others, so try to change what you can. That means while you might not be able to get new coworkers, you can have a positive attitude. Show this attitude by thanking someone when they do something nice for you, recognizing others’ hard work, and thinking about something positive that has happened each day.
You can also change your workspace, whether it is in an office or from home. No matter where you work, you most likely spend about 40 hours or more a week in this area. If you don’t like the area and never change it up, work can become monotonous, leaving you feeling dissatisfied with your ob. Move some furniture around, bring artwork in, or add some plants.
