In this day of finding one’s dream job many are frustrated with the job they have. It isn’t what they want to do! Newsflash: you have to start somewhere!
I don’t think that is unusual to dislike one’s job, especially in an entry level job. Most of them are not in a dream job category, unless they are in the arena where your dream job exists. Like being in a job as an administrative assistant to a marketing executive which is what you ultimately want to do. Many folks do start at the bottom and work their way up to what they want, either in the company they work for or another company they find along the way. Being an admin to a marketing executive, while seemingly rote and boring, may be the stepping stone to your dream job!
One way to get where you want to be is to be a star where you already are! Even if you don’t like what you are doing! As parents used to say about broccoli: learn to like it! I heard that about scotch too and I did learn to like that. Along with anything else that I tasted as well………
As a former manager, I used to watch for stars to emerge. The keys were people who had good attitudes, did their current job well, and looked for more to do above and beyond their current roles. We especially noticed those who solved a problem for us, maybe contributing to solving some inefficiency or finding problems that may result in loan losses. Not everyone did these things.
We had auditors who went out and audited our borrowers per the audit program they were provided; they went down the list, checked everything off, did their report and came home. We had others who went on an audit, did the list, but went the extra mile investigating something that they had discovered in their process. Those people got our attention. The others mostly just survived but were not candidates for promotions or better positions. We could also tell if they didn’t like their job too much either. I can’t imagine promoting or transferring someone to a more responsible position if they don’t like their present one. They may not like the new one either and it will show up soon. And, on the side, I wasn’t sure if they really liked to work at all!
I heard a CEO of Norwest say once that every job is important, if it wasn’t it wouldn’t exist. That is probably even truer in this environment of cutbacks and layoffs. I would say that you can learn from almost any job, get better at it, and show management that you are capable of doing more for their company. Don’t give them any excuse for eliminating your job; they can find them anyway that’s what they do these days. Get their attention via your work and you will progress!
If you develop positive habits, show you like your job and company, and do exemplary work you may get that promotion you want. If not, the habits and references you develop will catapult to a new opportunity elsewhere. Being a star can be habit forming!
An old quote is pertinent: “Bloom where you are planted” When you do you will succeed!
