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The dead-end job. No one wants to end up there. It's a cul-de-sac where the
neighborhood only gets worse with the passing of time.
That's exactly why once you are in a dead-end job you must plan your escape.
Too many people stick around waiting for fairy dust to descend over a
hopeless situation. Mind you, no job offers eternal bliss. But there are red
flags that can help you sort out whether you are traveling on the rough road
or are stuck.
What should you be paying attention to? The two most important qualities to
look for in a job are personal vocation and motion. Keep in mind, vocation
is not the same concept as a career. A vocation takes seriously the fact
that you want your life's work to be meaningful. Over the course of a work
life, you want to feel like you have made a contribution. In that sense, a
vocation helps you see the purpose that drives your career. Once you get a
sense of your vocation, you are able to see how each job is a step on a
journey. There are some lucky people who take those steps in the same
company. Frankly, most companies are not enlightened enough to help their
employees grow toward the fulfillment of their vocation.
It's also true that lots of folks look at their jobs with a bed-rock belief
that they do not deserve to have a satisfying career, or that they are not
worthy of work that is gratifying for them. That keeps them treading a
feedback loop, and unless they break free from the loop it is highly
unlikely they will find satisfaction in their work lives. These people even
may believe that they do not have the ability to shape their own career
choices. They look to someone else, to the economy, or to some other
external force to make things happen. They are simply a bystander, having no
power to control future career choices.
Vocation is not so much a road map as it is a compass. For several years I
worked as an investment banker in a financial services firm. Today it is
clear to me how that position fit into a bigger picture. At the time,
however, I was not sure exactly how it would fit into my vocation. I simply
had an intuition that the job would offer me skills, experience, and a
network that would benefit me no matter where I ended up. All along I
realized that investment banking was not going to be my ultimate
destination, but I deeply valued the ride through its borders.
You will note that I use lots images for motion - traveling, roads, journey,
etc. I do so because non-movement - or stagnancy - is a vital sign that you
are in a dead-end job. Your job should offer you the opportunities to
develop new skills and relationships. If you are not "moving" in these ways,
then you are turning yourself into a cog in a machine that can easily be
replaced when the need arises. Workers are vulnerable when they do not have
the right proficiency at the right time. Their best hedge against redundancy
is to be evolving.
A dead-end job closes doors. The right job opens them. That's a key clue;
unfortunately, too many folks look at the wrong clues. A pay raise or a new
job title are certainly gratifying, but they may keep you from realizing
that you are not moving. They may even be a reward for running to stand
still.
Amid financial stress and the tyranny of the urgent - the demands of each
day present themselves as ultimate demands rather than the temporary ones
they actually are - it is easy to dismiss vocation. Meaningful work even may
seem a luxury that we cannot afford.
Let me close with an observation. I have lost count of the number of wealthy
individuals who share with me how much they pine for some purpose in what
they do for a living. On the flip side of the coin, I have never met an
individual who, pursuing her passion at work, truly loving his job, tell me
that they would throw it away for more money or status. Bottom line, a soul
is a precious gift to waste.
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