Adam B. writes...

Douglas,

I have been at a job for about a year now and am getting very burnt out.
The job is great, my boss is nice, pay is decent and everything is OK except
the fact that I am not challenged at all. My boss never has anything for me
to do and I always have to find projects to work on. I have a lot of
projects that I have thought of and have completed a few of them, but I get
the impression that no one really appreciates these projects. This place is
the kind of place that is happy with everything as long as it's working. I
never get incentives to improve upon things and I have never really been
told how much my work is appreciated.

Since it is a small financial institution, I feel that I could be more
valuable other places. I love a challenge and I feel that a much larger
institution would be a better fit to me because I feel as if I have outgrown
this place. There are others here in the same dept that have been here for
10+ years and love it because they don't have to do anything. I HATE this
and want to be able to be a part of something bigger.

I've been listening to your podcast for some time now and really enjoy it.
I just wanted to see what your insight would be on this predicament.

Adam B.

My reply...

I think that every career should have some challenge in it, otherwise you stagnate. it sounds like you have reached the point with this job where you have done everything you can. It happens.

You are in a great position, though. You have a nice steady, decent-paying job and a stable environment from which to launch the search for your next job. Despite the fact that such an environment can trap some people due to its stability, you can use it to support you as you look for the next, more challenging job. It will provide you the money and time necessary.

I know, some people will call you crazy to give up a good job, even if you are looking for a great job, but you just have to ignore them and do what feels right for you. It might not feel like it, but you are in the perfect position.

Start checking out the classifieds, the online job sites and start, discretely, letting your network know that you are looking. I can almost guarantee you will be surprised at the opportunities that await you.

Go for it!

If you have questions or comments about Career Opportunities, send them to career@welchwrite.com. I would love to hear what's going on in your career!

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