Ask the CHO Should you work for a year in a job that sucks - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Ask the CHO Should you work for a year in a job that sucks - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog In a previous post I argued against some commonly used phrases at work, including the idea that you can take a bad job just for a year to make some money. Dirceu asked this question in a comment on the post: About the ?It?s not my dream job, but it?s only for a year???? phrase: a person can work on a not-so-good job for one year just to save enough money to do what he/she want, just for security. Me, for example: I?m renting an apartment and paying a graduation course on a local university. If I want to change my focus from computers to, say, museums I really need to have money for security reasons. I know about the advantages of low-rent living, but with zero money, no living. :-( Please, talk more about this. And go on with the blog: it?s being, as always, very helpful. Great question Dirceu! Many, many people seem to think that sometimes youve just got to knuckle down and take that sucky job because you need the money. You can be a student paying your tuition, a new graduate paying off your student loans, a new home owner struggling to make the mortgage or any number of other situations that mean you depend on a steady income. But does that really mean that you must accept being unhappy at work? There is one question you must ask yourself: Leaving a bad job may cost you some money. Sure. But what will keeping that job cost you? Being unhappy at work steadily saps your energy, will power, self esteem and motivation. The longer you stay in that situation, the harder it gets to see any positive alternatives and to take action and move on. And it doesnt just affect you at work, it also affects you outside of work. When work is something that gives you no pleasure, has no meaning for you, gives you no victories or appreciation and is simply no fun, your life outside of work is likely to suffer too. The worst thing about this is that it sneaks up on you gradually. Your energy dissipates slowly. Youll hardly notice it from one day to the next but before you know it, the life has gone out of you. You become cynical, tired, uncreative, negative maybe even depressed, stressed and sick. The thing is, the cost of leaving a bad job is very clear to us because the effect is immediate. The cost of keeping a bad job can be much higher, but it sneaks up on us slowly, and therefore we often forget to take that into account. What is your experience? Have you tried staying in a bad job for the money and the security? How was it? Write a comment, Id really like to know! Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related