I have often said that a job is like a relationship. You invest a lot of time time in finding the right job. You want the right fit, someplace you feel comfortable but challenged. You want a job that looks good on paper, but one you can connect with in real life. You search, you apply, you may even be lucky enough to go out on a first date with a job (more commonly known as "an interview"). But perhaps it's not quite right. You may reject or be rejected by different jobs. Still the search continues; until one day you find The One. You choose the right job, and the right job chooses you. Offers are made, handshakes exchanged, paperwork is signed (sort of like an employment pre-nup) and the excitement begins.
In the beginning, the whole job is new and exciting. You have butterflies when you walk in the door; the "what will I learn today", feelings and expectations. Then after a few months you and your job start to settle into a routine. You may not have butterflies when you walk in the door, but you're still happy to be there, there are the occasional challenges and obstacles to overcome, and occasionally you learn new things about your job. Days turn into weeks turn into months and the next thing you know, you've been at your job for one year....or five...or maybe even ten.
But what happens if one day you wake up, look over and wonder...why are you still with your job?
The ideal answer is that you keep going to your job because you find enjoyment in it. Sure some days are the same, but then there are times you learn something different or find ways to challenge yourself and it's suddenly new and exciting again. You like seeing your job; after all, you're doing something you like, and you're getting paid for it!
Or....
You're going to your job because it's there. It's not the ideal job, it's not even a job that you like anymore. But you've been there long enough that it's comfortable, it's what you know and you're still getting paid for it - it beats being without a job.
Or....
You absolutely hate your job. You loathe getting out of bed for it each day. Your job has nothing to offer you, it's a drag, it's monotonous, it makes you feel worse by the end of the day than when you started, and the pay isn't worth the hassle. You don't know why you keep doing this to yourself day after day after day.
Any of these sound familiar?
I've seen several friends and co-workers live the last of my three scenarios - and inevitably I ask them why they stay if their job is making them so unhappy. Some will say because they're scared to start over again, that they may hate where they are, but overcoming their fear of the unknown is too daunting a task to undertake. Others have told me that they're waiting for the day it gets better; that they've been there so long and have invested so much personal time into it that they can't just throw it all away. They'll just wait out the bad times and wait for things to turn around. And I've had one or two people look at me blankly as the reality of their situation suddenly becomes clear and say "I just don't know why I stay." But think about it, if you spend a third of almost every day at your job, how could you not want to be somewhere that at you can tolerate at the very least? I've had jobs that I loved and jobs that I hated and stayed at because I didn't think there was anything better. I've had brief flirtations with employment opportunities, and I've stayed long term. There are times where I had to leave my job - and there have been times where my job told me it was over.
So whether you're at the end of your work week or just getting ready to kick off a 10-day stint, hopefully wherever you're going finds you just as happy at the start of the shift as at the end. But if you find that you really are unhappy with where you're at, then maybe it's time to pack up your red stapler and move on. No relationship is perfect every day of every week, but everyone deserves to at least find contentment in the one they're with.
Now if only the employment offers came with jewelry....
