You look around and see people still in their late 30s with all the energy drained from their faces. They’re not happy, they’re not content, and they’re your coworkers. They hate their job. They go to the same cubicle, in the same cold and lifeless building, and they grumble every day about how the coffee in the breakroom is lukewarm.
One day you look up and realize that you’re grumbling about the breakroom coffee too. You hate your job, and you’re starting to see yourself in your coworkers.
“This was not the plan!” you think. You didn’t accumulate $80,000 in student loan debt to crank out spreadsheets and sit in endless meetings while sipping coffee that tastes like dirt.
Don’t completely freak out. When you’re in a job you hate, it’s normal to feel a bit of despair or even panic. But we’re going to get all Pollyanna on you for a second. Being at a job you hate can actually be empowering if you frame the experience properly.
Hating your job is a sign that you’ve tapped into the fact that there’s something else in this world that you’re supposed to be doing. It’s just up to you to shift your actions and spend time plotting your next steps so that you can quit ASAP.
Being caught in office drama or toxicity isn’t worth your time. If it happens, don’t dwell on it and get caught in a cycle of complaining about your situation. Own it and figure out how to get out.
If you find yourself hating your Monday-to-Friday gig, consider these pieces of wisdom to help you reframe the experience as you plot your escape.
You will have multiple careers in your life, so stumbling into one bad gig is bound to happen.
According to a study done by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, people between the ages of 18 and 48 will have an average of 11.7 jobs during their lifetime. So, one job won’t define your career. Often, people have to take a job to pay the bills only to find out that they utterly hate the work they’re doing.
If you find yourself in a bad gig just to pay the bills, start thinking of other ways you can make the money you need. Can you sell things online? Can you cut your overall expenses so you don’t need the job?
Be creative in your thinking, and talk with other people who’ve been in a similar situation — they might offer ideas you wouldn’t think of on your own.
Don’t listen to people who tell you to stay.
People will tell you to stay in a job you hate because “At least it offers stability.” Ignore them. Have you ever heard the expression “Misery loves company”? Yeah, that applies to them.
Now is the time to take advice only from people who are living the life you want to live. They will support your vision and help you figure out a way to get out of your situation.
Now, on to your boss. Do you feel bad quitting a toxic job because it would mean letting your boss down? Does your boss tell you how much he or she needs you? How you’re an asset to the company?
Just think about that word, “asset.”
It’s what you would call a piece of equipment, like a computer. You wouldn’t call someone that in person – not in this day and age. Your boss just doesn’t want to bother hiring someone else to take your position, at least not right now. So, thank your boss for his or her kind words, and get back to masterminding your plan to quit.
Remember that you’re expendable anywhere, so make a multi-layered plan for your financial security.
Surely you’ve seen or at least heard about people getting laid off, fired, downsized, or whatever other term the company used. That could easily be you in the future.
Don’t feel like you owe it to a company to stay when that company can replace you in a heartbeat. The pain of being in a job you hate and realizing that you could be let go in a second is the ultimate reality check. It’s a stark reminder that you always need multiple flows of income to build real financial security.
Lean into the suckyness of your current situation and use that as fuel to start building side hustles and forms of passive income so that you’ll never have to take a crappy job again.
Quitting something you hate is a great opportunity to demonstrate your self-reliance and commitment to your values.
Making a big move is your next step. It’s super scary, which is why most people don’t do it. They just stay stuck in a situation they hate.
But you’re bolder than that. You’re not going to settle for a mediocre situation. Making a big move, like quitting a terrible job, shows others — and yourself — that you’re serious about your goals.
You’re willing to do what it takes to build a life you love. You respect yourself enough to move on when a situation is hurting you more than it’s helping you — and that’s something to celebrate!
Now, take some time to think about what that move would look like for you. Do you want to start a business? Be a freelance writer? Have a brick-and-mortar store?
It’s up to you.
When you have a vision and a plan, kick that lousy job to the curb and start making your big, bold moves in this world.
