Stuck At Work? What Happens If You Stay Another Year?

What if you don't hate your job and you're wondering what happens if nothing changes...

Brian knew his job, his market, and his clients. He also knew how to do his job to a high standard. What he didn’t know was his hiding from him.

His road ahead.  

When Brian looked, he didn’t see an awful lot in front of him, apart from the same job, the same clients, and the same conversations.

Throw in the same problems, and the same level of responsibility, and we’re looking at the same amount of comfort. Let’s be honest for a moment, when this happens, we’re comfortable at best, right?

There are plenty of us like Brian. We might be happy in our jobs, but somewhere under the surface, there's a nagging feeling that we're becoming good at standing still.

For the record, Groundhog Day may throw the occasional new challenge or learning at us, but it’s not the same as learning and progressing.

What else might be out there if this is all we've known?

Am I wasting my potential staying here?

It’s a question we should all ask ourselves. Are you staying afloat?

Maybe you’ve stopped feeling challenged or inspired. That's an uncomfortable thought in itself when there's nothing obviously wrong with your job.

But career growth is more than getting a promotion or a bigger pay packet. It's also about becoming more capable.

Ask yourself if you’re learning from people who know things you don't. Check if there are opportunities to tackle harder problems.

Are you developing your expertise by moving into new areas, categories or disciplines? What about having more responsibility or being stretched enough to occasionally think, “I didn’t know how to do this before.”

If you're no longer doing these things, you may still be gaining experience, but are you still growing?

The cost of staying comfortable

Stagnation doesn’t waltz into a room announcing itself.

The signs creep in. It could be that you start feeling a little restless. Maybe uninspired. Which is followed by the full-blown feeling of frustration that you're capable of much more, but you don't have anything to show for it.

Like your resume. Your big ticket away from the feeling of staying stuck, but you’re struggling to add weight to it.

So, you start looking around and wondering what other people like you are learning, who they're working with and what they're being trusted to work on.

It all adds up. Eventually comes the question…

What happens if I stay another year?

Maybe the answer is nothing. That might be the answer you need to make something happen.

One year can become two, three, and so on. Before you know it, you've got a few more years on your resume, but not a few years of meaningful development.

That's the bit ambitious people usually worry most about. Being under-challenged for too long eventually hurts.

Because the longer you stand still, the harder it becomes to remember what it felt like to grow, and feel excited about what comes next.

So, what's ahead?

If you’re the ambitious type, the good news is, you don’t have to put yourself on the market.

There could be a new challenge where you are. More responsibility, somebody new to learn from, someone you aspire to be that you can work with.

It’s worth having that conversation about where you want to go next. At the end of it, you should be able to see something ahead.

Things like:

• Bigger challenges.
• Deeper expertise.
• Greater responsibility.
• People who make you better at your job.
• A career that gives you something to chase.

 

Your ambition needs somewhere to go. A road ahead. Maybe you need to see yours again…

We can't promise we're the right destination for everyone. If you're a recruiter who knows there's a lot more in you, we can show you what your road ahead could look like at MPI.

If you work in mining and you’re feeling trapped where you are, get in touch to see what the lay of the land is like. You’ll always hear back.

 

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