What’s the Payoff of That Job You Hate?

You say you hate your job, yet there you still are… Why?

It’s not just about the money. It’s NEVER just about the money.

Maybe it’s fear- you know, the devil you know being better than the devil you don’t know. Maybe in spite of your insistence that there is nothing you like about your job, there is something. You love three out of your 100 co-workers- or you love just one, but that commaraderie is something you can’t imagine living without, the endless happy hours spent commisserating over margaritas about the horror and misery that is your shared work life.

Maybe you really like dealing with your total jackass of a boss, proving each day that you can conquer the beast, or at least survive him. It’s a challenge. One you hate, but that you simply can’t imagine not waking up to. Or it could be simply the familiarity. In spite of your lust for change, sitting surrounded by the same four walls day in and day out for years provides some kind of comfort in your otherwise chaotic life.

Or you could just like not having to face the felling of fear that just the idea of change causes to bubble up in your gut. (A common cause people stay stuck in many situations that are no longer happy and/or healthy.)

As you embark on a job or career change, you need to get clear about what’s kept you there for however long you’ve been there. That will help clarify what you need in your next position. For instance, if you love the challenge of your jerky boss, you should seek out a job with another challenge, a more joyful- or at the very least, less dreadful- one.

And if you are still there because you are sharing the same musty foxhole with a close friend who is equally dissatisfied, you need to talk to her about embarking on her own transition process. If she is not ready, you must gather your courage and go first, go it alone. She may not like it, but once you find your way out, she may just get inspired and get out, too. And you can meet for happy hour, a truly happy hour, where you both come from jobs that give you personal satisfaction, and not just something to complain about.