I Am Not Happy With My Job…But This is My 9th Job in 2 Years!

Last week I met up my friends for lunch. It was a pretty nice lunch until one of them started complaining about her job.

Listen to what she said: I am not happy with my job. Maybe this is my destiny. Wherever I go I keep meeting the same type of people – Difficult boss. Unreasonable Boss.

“So are you going to change job?” Another friend asked.
She put her face in her hands to hide the despair it will show: “This is my 9th Job in 2 Years!”

I will never forget the look on her face. She was completely helpless.

I am also intrigued by what she said: Wherever I go I keep meeting the same type of people – Difficult boss. Unreasonable Boss. Let me interpret this statement from another point of view: She is hoping the next boss will be a nicer person. So she kept changing jobs to look for the perfect boss and that’s why she ended up with 9 jobs in 2 years.

Same methods ? Different Results

There is this great quote from Einstein – Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, it is called Insanity. This is a simple yet powerful insight, but how many of us have fallen in the same trap when comes to managing our own career?

• Have you ever switched job just because you want to run away from the problems you were facing at work? (I have)
• Have you ever felt regret in quitting your previous job because you new boss is even more unbearable? (I have)
• Have you ever accepted a new job offer simply because it offered 15% more in salary, and you eventually noticed you were basically doing the same thing as you did – there is no growth at all? (I have)

All these attempts failed because we were doing the same thing (get ourselves new jobs) over and over again and expecting different results (new boss will be more reasonable, it is a bed of rose in new working environment, easier to get promoted, etc) without introducing a new variable in the equation of finding next job – For example improving our core skills.

Why do you need a new job?

If you are looking for a new job, stop for a moment and ponder over this question: Why do you need a new job? Be brutally honest with yourself. If you have attained significant growth in the current job and the next job could offer you the platform to elevate your level, probably it is a right move.

If you simply want to escape from the stresses of dealing with difficult boss or to avoid difficult situations at work, you need to think twice. You will never know the actual issues you will be facing at work and the real character of the new boss in the next job.

Changing job and hope for the best is just like gambling.
Unless you are prepared to change job again whenever thing doesn’t go as planned, learning how to deal with the situation is the solution. And the solution to the problem in your current job – Often you can’t find it in the next job.

This article is contributed by Deanie, the founder of Deanieyap.com. She believes everyone possess the potential to create an extraordinary life. When she is not busy with her day job as Structural Engineer she enjoys writing career advices for young people.