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Writer's pictureConnect Magazine PWN Vienna

Why Your Current Career isn't for You


By Artur Meyster




There are many ways to know if you are in the wrong company. If you graduated from college and got a related job, that doesn't mean you're in your ideal workplace. Why is your current career not for you? Many people don't know what the real impact of a bad job is. Being in the wrong job can be worse than you think. If you don't know if you are currently in the wrong place, pay attention to the following five points to help you find an answer.


You Feel Dissatisfied

According to Forbes, more than half of Americans are dissatisfied with their current job; that is almost 80 million people. Why do employees feel this way? They may feel bored with activities and cannot find motivation. Another element that causes dissatisfaction in employees is the level of competence. If you were a student very excited about your future while in college, maybe a job without big goals will make you sad. It does not mean that you have chosen a lousy career. Perhaps you are just in the wrong company.


Your Physical and Mental Health Has Worsened

A demanding and strict job is not always good for you. In the United States, the work culture has led us to believe that hard jobs are essential to be a good worker – completely false! When a company demands a lot from you, sometimes they do not consider your health. Overwork can cause many mental health problems, such as stress, anxiety, and depression. These types of jobs can also reduce physical performance, cause spinal injuries, headaches, and many other symptoms.


If you feel like your health is getting worse in your current career, you should take a breath and see if you are in the right place.


You Don't Have a Good Relationship With Bosses or Colleagues

One of the main reasons jobs tend to be hell is because of bad bosses and co-workers. This is known as a 'toxic workplace'. According to a Harvard Business Review (HBR) study, 41.4 percent of American workers reported being exposed to psychological assaults in the workplace.


Aggression can come in different ways. For example, some signs of abuse are theft of belongings, bullying, competition, insults, and conspiracy when it comes to colleagues. While bosses tend to act in a more 'administrative' way: threats of salary reduction or dismissal, obligation to work overtime, interruption of break time, or not taking employees into account at all. If this happens at your job, life gives you warning signs to get out of there as soon as possible.


Your Salary is Meager

Before accepting a job, you must be sure that the salary is right for you. Don't choose a company just because it's related to your college career, the bootcamp you decided on, or the course you just finished. There are always better options for you. Some students in online classes or bootcamps don't know their potential until they check the background. Did your boss tell you that your salary is low because you are not a college graduate? Unacceptable!


In the United States, a graduate student from a bootcamp has the same (or even more) chances of getting a job at a significant company with an excellent salary. Lambda School, one of the largest bootcamps in San Francisco, has sent its graduates to companies like Walmart, Bank Of America, Citi, Google, Microsoft, and many others.


Your Duties Fall Outside Your Expertise

When someone chooses a career, they need to think about what their passions and motivations are. That's what this business is all about, but what happens when you don't do anything you learned at work? Perhaps you have not thought about that before, but now you must analyze the following question: What activities do you do in your company?

Many bosses often hire people to cover tasks in a section, regardless of whether it is their default area. This isn't good for you, as your theoretical and practical knowledge begins to lose meaning. If you don't practice, your professional skills will start to disappear, which can hinder your future, especially if you think about looking for a new job. If you have been part of a company for many years in which you do not do tasks related to your career, the time has come to say goodbye!


Conclusion

Low salaries, bad bosses, wrong colleagues, and bad companies are dangerous ingredients for your professional passions. Use this article to identify the signals that your current career is giving you to get away as soon as possible. Please do it for yourself, for your health, and your professional performance. In the end, you will be grateful for having decided on time.


About the Author

Artur Meyster is the CTO of Career Karma (YC W19), an online marketplace that matches career switchers with coding bootcamps. He is also the host of the Breaking Into Startups podcast, which features people with non-traditional backgrounds who broke into tech.


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