Six Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Stay in a Career You Hate
Many people spend all day complaining about their job, but most stay because of the
benefits or good pay. However, hating your job only brings more stress to your life, and
stress can shorten your life span by 2.8 years. And stress isn’t the only consequence—here
are six reasons you shouldn’t stay in a career you hate.
1. Purpose Will Win
It depends on the person, but most will agree that the secret to a fulfilling life is to live it with
purpose. The newer generations are more interested in living a life with purpose and serving
others than amassing a fortune. The concept becomes more and more popular each year,
and most professionals prefer jobs that align with their values and philosophy.
When we work with a purpose, and in something that we are passionate about, we realize
that every little task, even the more boring ones, serves to reach that end goal. Then, we
don’t expect to be filled with happiness every moment of our work life. Instead, we realize
that even the things we don’t like so much are still worth it because we are working toward
something that matters.
Some older people may think that the younger generations are just a bunch of dreamers
because they expect unrealistic work environments. But, maybe they are the ones that know
the place work has to have in our lives, and how to maintain a proper work-life balance.
2. Money Can’t Buy You Happiness
How many times have you heard the phrase, “Money can’t buy you happiness”? Still, most
people don’t really believe it because we live in a capitalist world where more money
certainly does help. Everyone loves to go on vacation to beautiful beaches or buy nice
things, but most people miss that that cannot be the essential thing in life.
Staying at a job that you loathe will only bring you negative feelings that will later explode in
other aspects of your life. And staying just because it offers an excellent salary will not
resolve all the feelings that come with hating what you do 40 hours a week. Often, you
sacrifice other important things in life for money, and most of the time, that thing is time.
You can find yourself 50 or 60 years old, a lot of money in your bank account, and kids or
family members who don’t really know you anymore because you didn’t have time for them.
So, staying because of the money is a big no. Eventually, after having enough money to
meet your needs and wants, you will find that a pay raise doesn’t have the same motivation
as before.
3. Your Health Will Deteriorate
Being in a career you hate will only bring you negative thoughts. As mentioned before, you
spend, on average, 40 hours at work each week, which is a long time to spend hating
everything and being stressed. Having to deal with these feelings will only have an impact on
your mental health. Also, hating your career follows you on everything you do.
You won’t even rest easy on the weekends, thinking you have to go back to work on
Monday. The extra stress could lead to bad habits like drinking or binge eating. This will
impact your mental and physical health. In addition, excessive stress can lead to other
cardiovascular diseases.
All this will probably put you in a bad mood most of the time. And all the negative feelings will
add up to create serious problems like anxiety, depression, problems with sleep, and
headaches.
4. Your Performance Will Suffer
Most people know that the workers that perform best are the ones that enjoy what they do.
Hating your career will only have a more significant impact on your performance and
reputation as an employee. Even when you try to deny it and put a lot of effort into your
work, you will eventually get tired of it or even burn out.
Your productivity will also decrease with time if you stay in the job. Each month you will be
more stressed and moody because of work, and that will reflect in everything you do. You
may even lash out to your coworkers.
5. It Can Impact Your Relationships
All the negative feelings, thoughts, and energy that comes with staying in a career you hate
will eventually seep to the rest of your life. Your constant negative outlook in life will make
you angry sometimes for no reason, and you could lash out to family members or your
partners. All the adverse health consequences like poor sleep will only exacerbate the
problem.
It’s like a downward spiral where you stay at the job you hate and then feel horrible because
you don’t like what you do with your time. This gets you stressed, which only increases your
negative feelings and generates health issues that make it harder to perform at work.
It can lead to a point where some people suffer mental breakdowns. But if you realize that
you aren’t happy with your career, you always have the choice to make the change. Being a
career changer is difficult, but there are some resources available to help you along the way.
6. There Are Better Options
Why stay in a career you hate when there are so many better options? You could instead be
in a profession that gives you everything you want and still make money. It is true that by
beginning again, you will have to start with an entry-level salary. But working with passion
and purpose on something you enjoy will only help you climb the career ladder faster, and
you could find yourself winning more money than before in a few years.
In summary
Staying in a job you detest because of the money, benefits, or social status will only bring
negative repercussions in the long run. It will make you unhappy, bring you to stress, anxiety,
depression, and other health problems. It could even impact your closest relationships.
Instead, make the change now so you can start sooner on your new career path.