Ploymint

By Garrett Ettinger

At work do you ever feel like you’re a hamster on a wheel, continuously running with no discernible start point and no finite end? Do you dread waking up in the morning, worship Wednesday as the “Holy Hump Day,” or stay up ridiculously late at night, just because it’s time you don’t have to be at your job?

If you answered yes to any of these questions it’s a good indicator that you hate your job. And if you are reading this article, it’s a better indication that you should start thinking about leaving it. In America we have built up the idea that if you work really hard at a job you hate, eventually everything will pay off. That the daily “grind” will pay dividends, and you can cash out that 401k and retire in warm weather with an incredibly boring family and a stereotypical and vapid life.

If that’s not your ideal vision of the future, it’s imperative that you start taking the steps to get out of that horrible job that you hate. Unfortunately for many of us, it’s not as simple as just quitting. When thinking about leaving that dreadful job, a number of concerns infiltrate our mind. We worry that we won’t be able to find something as steady or as stable, or maybe the pay won’t be as good; we fear an even worse situation in the future, and ultimately we are scared of the unknown.

I know these concerns because I had the nightmare of working at a job I hated for nearly three years after graduating college. As a middle class, suburban university graduate, I can say that the position was almost gifted to me. I went through the motions and ended up with a job that was about as interesting as watching paint dry. It could pay my bills and student loans but left me with a terrible rotting feeling inside. It was partially the boredom but more so the understanding that my particular job had almost no real impact on the world around me.

But I felt stuck, just like you do. I had friends that were unemployed and doing nothing, so I asked myself “why would I waste this awesome opportunity?” Simple answer? Because I hated it.

You can and will find something you like to do as a profession if you are willing to work hard for it. The first step is to understand what you enjoy doing, and what you are actually good at doing. If you aren’t ready to do it professionally you should either train more in that industry that you’re interested in, or volunteer as an intern on the side. If this is financially impossible for you, it may be time to think about going back to the bartending job so you can open more part-time career options, or look for fellowship programs in whatever industry you are looking to work in. While this seems like a scary step backwards, it’s actually a step forward in finding the most important thing in life, which is your own happiness.

Once you pinpoint what you want to do, it’s time to put the plan in action. Applying to literally a single job every day before work means you are applying to twenty jobs a month. If this isn’t fast enough for you, think about how long you’ve already wasted staying in that terrible job. Customize each cover letter specifically for the company you are applying to and not to the broad industry. Take pride in your research and apply to companies you actually want to work for, not those you’d be willing to work for. Once you start getting requests for interviews, don’t undermine your own efforts by not taking time off from your current job. Come up with whatever excuse you have to, but make sure to make it to the interviews and to pick up your phone.

Lastly, have fun, because chances are this is the first time you’ve reviewed your options in a long time and it can be exciting to do something you are passionate about. Impossible is not a word to use when looking for a job. Anything and everything is possible when you have passion. When you work a job that you hate your output is terrible. The disinterest is often palpable, and you are the first one on the chopping block if things go into the red. When you love what you do, it’s obvious. Everything you produce is done with care, and people take notice. And the most amazing thing often happens; you are happy and love your life.