These days, many people — young and old — are experiencing a career-life crisis, asking: ‘What do I do when I realize my dream job isn’t so wonderful after all?’
Not long after Christine Hassler, 33 years old, of Los Angeles landed a prestigious
and lucrative
job as a Hollywood agent, she found herself arriving at work with knots in her stomach and counting the minutes until the weekend.
‘I didn’t like the job, and I didn’t like the person I was becoming while doing it — stressed out, irritable
and unmotivated,’she says.
她說，“我根本不喜歡這份工作，也不喜歡因為這份工作而逐漸改變的自己──筋疲力盡、暴躁易怒、沒有斗志。”Recognize the Impact
Securing a position in your most desired field is a major achievement, and when the day-to-day work doesn’t turn out to be as great as you thought it would be, it’s normal to feel depressed, disappointed and confused.
You may feel powerless to make a decision, and this state of limbo can cause you to experience physical symptoms like insomnia
, malaise
and stomachaches.
Examine Expectations
The way to cope is first to examine your expectations. Says Ms. Hassler: ‘Often, the first few years at a job aren’t the most thrilling because you’re learning the ropes, and it may be unreasonable to think that you’ll be jumping out of bed to go to work every day, or that you’ll get promoted before you’ve had time to prove yourself.’
If you’re certain that you’ve made a wrong turn, try not to get mired in feelings of negativity. ‘If you go to work every day with a woe-is-me attitude, you are going to feel even worse,’says Ms. Hassler, who eventually left Hollywood to become a life coach and book author. She suggests talking about your feelings with a friend or mentor, but keeping your game face on at work.
Maintain your work reputation and in your free time you can start putting plans in place to transition
your career. Begin researching positions that are a better fit for your skills and interests, start saving money, and attend networking activities in different industries so that you can get plugged into their communities.
And don’t do anything rash
. Although it’s normal to make a career detour
, it’s also hard work, so you’ll be well served to consider your next move carefully. Putting pressure on yourself to find the perfect career right now will not make it happen any faster, so remove the sense of urgency.
‘Relax and spend some time getting to know yourself,’ says Ms. Hassler. ‘As we get a clearer picture of who we are, then what we want to do becomes easier to identify.’
