Having a career is about progression, climbing the ladder to advance our work prospects; which could lead to more pay and more challenges.
Some people are in jobs that they hate, but it pays the bills, there is a high level of job security, and they are comfortable.
Being stuck in a career that has little chance of progression is restricting, for me.
Are you in a job that you don’t like and are scared of taking a leap of faith?
Read on and have a think of your current position and your end goal.
I have had many jobs, so let’s go down the list.
My first job was a volunteering position around the age of 15/16. I worked at my local library, helping young students to develop their reading skills. The job was ok, I didn’t really have any problems. My co-workers were cool, and my manager liked me so 2 thumbs up.
During summer 2012, I volunteered in New Orleans, USA. Looking back, this job was more of a holiday. I went with a couple of girls from my college, so I was comfortable. The work entailed rebuilding homes that were affected by Hurricane Katrina, so it was a passion project in a sense. It was a fantastic experience. I’ll definitely do it again.
Then I took some time to focus on my A-Levels, and everyone told me to focus on my exams and not the coins that I could be gathering.
A couple of years later, during my first year of university, I got a waitressing job with an agency. It was horrible! The pay wasn’t the best, but it was my first paid job. I have several reasons why I did not enjoy the job: I could not carry 3 big plates! I worked at significant events, so we had to take as many dishes as we could. I couldn’t do it! Plus, I burned my hand, trying to carry the plates BO!
During one shift, I dropped a knife on a customers lap!! Embarrassed isn’t the word to use how I felt. I apologised and rushed off. I think that was my last shift and now that I think about it, I worked roughly 5 shifts. Also, we were on our feet all shift, and that began to hurt my back. Although the shift was only 5 hours, my back and my feet couldn’t take it. Besides, employees were told to be very professional and ‘clean’ cut. Piercings and I are best friends. Most of my piercings are very small. At the time, I had 3 forward helix piercings which could have been hidden by my hair, but it was brought up my managers and supervisors often. Personally, I don’t understand what that has to do with my ability to work.
A year or so later, I moved abroad as part of an exchange program; hence I didn’t work during my time overseas.
The following year and my last year of my bachelor’s degree program (2016), I volunteered at NSPCC as an email counsellor. The topics discussed were overwhelming at times, but everyone was accommodating, and I liked the role. I wouldn’t mind doing it again.
After graduation, I worked at Gatwick airport cleaning planes. Guess how long I stayed at this job? 2 weeks. My manager and I met once. She worked on the day shift, and I worked 6 pm-6 am so we never crossed paths. Working with a rolling rota was not ideal; 4 days on and 4 days off. Never again! (I said knowing little of what the future had to bring) I didn’t make any friends; people hardly talked to one another; it wasn’t the best environment for growth or even career progression.
The end of 2017 was interesting. I started volunteering as a befriender; talking to people who experience psychological distress. I love it, and I am still volunteering with the charity. There is always a chance for different opportunities; both paid and voluntary, plus I get reimbursed for petty cash. Win-Win.
Simultaneously, I was a Christmas temp at a department store. My colleagues were cool, but everyone avoided my manager like the plague. NOT FOR ME. Not to mention, I had a breakdown in front of my manager, which was awkward, to say the least.
January 2018- I was…drumroll please… a pharmacy assistant. I know what a change. The pay was the best yet, but my employees and manager was something else. That job made me stressed! The work itself wasn’t too bad, but the energy of the place was not good! Everyone was on edge; yet again, it was NOT the environment for me.
July 2018- From pharmacy assistant, to support worker. The job was challenging at times, but I liked it. The hours were hectic, and the pay wasn’t enough (that’s all of the health and social care roles, in my opinion).
May 2019- Bye Bye, support worker! My mental health started to take a dive, so I figured it would be best to leave the position. Besides, many other things occurred at the role that really put me off from working there.
August 2019- Did someone say, nursery assistant? Yes, I was a nursery assistant with an agency. And I worked 3 shifts. I told myself that I am not working with an agency EVER AGAIN. Ha said the universe.
November 2019- Another Christmas, another Christmas temp. I worked at footlocker, and it was the first job that I could see myself working in for a long time. Management cool, employees super cool, the pay was cool…everything was solid! But I DID NOT LISTEN TO MY GUT. Before confirming my job, I had another interview that I was successful, which was due to start in January. Therefore, I figured I’d stay at footlocker until the new year—bad idea.
January 2020- Sports and leisure assistant was my new title. Initially, the job was pretty laid back. The hours weren’t too long; a few hours on the weekend but that resulted in little pay. Things started to change and not in the best way plus, management was a hit and miss. NOT AGAIN. During this time, I was doing my master’s degree, so I didn’t need the additional stress. I handed in my notice and left just after the other (and only employee for this site) employee left. I contacted my old manager, yes, my footlocker manager and asked if he still had ‘space on his team’. He didn’t hesitate, which was ideal!
March 2020- TWO DAYS BEFORE I WAS DUE TO START BACK AT FOOTLOCKER, THE COUNTRY WENT INTO LOCKDOWN. My contract already started, but I had yet to work on shift. As I was on probation, I was let go.
Now, let me bring you up to speed.
September 2020- Special Educational Needs Teaching Assistant was my new title. Yes, me. Guess what? IT WAS AN AGENCY. And you would never guess what happened, I worked 3 shifts. Literally, I called the agency because I was expecting to work full time. Due to COVID, many schools are not keen on hiring new people, so that’s that. Technically, I’m unemployed or am I? Who the hell knows?!
So it is safe to say that I am VERY experienced in the world of work. HAHA.
What are you willing to sacrifice for your career?
Travel costs– In London, travel cards cost almost £100 (zone1-9) for a week. That is a lot.
Have a car? How far are you willing to drive? Are you able to wake up earlier than your peers to get on the road to beat the traffic? When I was working in a hospital as a pharmacy assistant, my workday was from 9am-4:50pm. My mum also worked at the same hospital, but it was a 35-minute drive which wasn’t too bad, but there was so much traffic, so we had to leave home around 7.10am Double BOO! Would I do it again? Not for that job, no.
Time-For many jobs, hours are varied. People on the front line (health and social care, education) can work 50+ hours a week efficiently. Are you willing to put your social life on the back burner for a while? Are you ready to sacrifice sleep and having a fixed schedule? When I was working as a support worker, my hours were never set in stone.
One week, I worked 50+ hours and then another week, I worked 40 hours. It made it challenging to plan meetups with my friends. Sleep was a problem. I had to do waking nights (10 pm-8 am). Sleeping during the day was near impossible, safe to say my life was in shambles. Would I do it again? Possibly but I would not do nights, and I’ll opt for fixed hours which is unprecedented in such a role but hay. Maybe it isn’t for me, and that is fine.
What are you happy to do?
Are you open to trying new things they may advance your career?
Finding the perfect job isn’t easy to come by, especially during these times.
You may think that you know what your dream job is. Once you are in it, you may realise that everything isn’t sunshine and rainbows. You could like the job but detest your colleges; I’m not trying to be negative, just keeping it real. Ask yourself, “what am I willing to tolerate?”
These days, there are online tests for almost everything that you can think of. I’ll suggest doing a personality test to identify roles that you could be suitable for. I took this test, and my results showed that I am ideal for the following jobs: counselling psychologist, special educational needs teaching assistant (HA), staff nurse, customer service advisor, support worker…basically what I’ve done (and what I am going to do- SPEAKING IT INTO EXISTENCE)!
Try it for yourself.
So what if I don’t know what I want to do after the tests?
Do your research!
Once you’ve done the above, research each suitable job/career and identify: typical hours, pay, the chance of career progression, qualifications needed in your potential career, any reviews left by current/previous employees (check indeed for this) to get an understanding of a) the company and its practices b) the role itself. If you are right for money and you are willing to give some new positions a go, look for temp/contract jobs. That way, you can see if it is something you will enjoy doing in the long term.
What’s next?
I know my dream career and I know what I need to do to get there. Moving forward, I am going to be mindful of the jobs I apply for. I will keep in mind: the experience it will give me, the money I could make, what I would need to sacrifice, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, how taxing it could be on me, MENTALLY.
I have tried many things, so I know what I can do and what I will not do. I can not compromise my mental health for a paycheck. I aim to live not to survive.
So what is next for you and your career?
Take your time, analyse your steps and go for it.
Have you secured a new job? Click here to read about tips for starting a new job.
Good luck!
I am rooting for you.
I LOVE this!!! I think I have found my job but I’m not 100% sure. Going to work it for a few more years and then make a decision because I’m still young and have time to change my mind if I do decide to. This is so good!
Congratulations! Hopefully, it is what you hope it to be down the line. Thank you so much for reading and all the best!
i love this! and with my job right now, i am so much thankful and blessed to have it!
Yes! Having a job right now is such a blessing. Thanks for reading.
I love that question: What are you willing to sacrifice for your career? I often asked myself the same when I was a student and chose to stay in studying instead of going out. It’s the same when I chose to move abroad for a job.
Good luck in your future endeavours!
There is always a sacrifice that we will have to make, unfortunately. Moving abroad for a job?! Respect! Thank you so much, and thank you for reading this post!