Why Am I at This Job?
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I've been approached a few times by my professional colleagues in confidence - no, I won't call you out by name - and they mention to me that they are struggling with a decision whether or not they should start looking for a new job. Many of us are all too familiar with those sentiments after a few grueling days but eventually the pendulum swings the other direction and you get back on track again. For others, like the people I was talking to, the difficult days become weeks or months and the thoughts of jumping ship become more real. They start asking themselves, "Why am I still here?"
When others bring this up in conversation, there is almost a tone of guilt for having this question about their situation. When someone asks for my input on this I encourage their exploration of the topic and always have a similar response. I obviously can't give any opinions of what they should do, but I recommend looking inward at three different variables about what is keeping them at their current jobs:
- The enjoyment of what you're doing. Of course there will always be those tough days but on a basic level you look forward to waking up and starting work, you're proud at the end of the day when finished, enjoy the people you interact with, feel engaged in what you do, receive needed recognition, and are passionate about your business.
You learn and develop yourself. Your job challenges you in ways that expand your personal or professional experience and adds to your overall abilities.
Your pay. If the first two variables are lacking, your pay compensates for it.
There may be a mixture of these variables, however this is what should help drive our decision making. At any moment in our professional life, we should be able to think about these three points and acknowledge a balance that we agree with. If not, it's time to get out! We should know why we are there; with all the time and energy spent at work, it's an investment we need to feel comfortable with.
No one can answer whether the balance of the three things is right for you except yourself. The measure is all relative - what I might think is a valuable learning experience may not be as important to someone else, or the huge paycheck that you collect might not seem worth the fact that you hate your job...or maybe it is.
So I challenge everyone to think about these three things and identify which of them is keeping us where we are. If there is a significant void in all three categories, it may be worth asking, "Why am I wasting my time here?"