02 Dec Are your Mondays brutal?
If your Mondays are brutal…or even worse, your Sunday nights as you THINK about Monday, well, it may be time for a change.
As I reminisce about the handful of career changes I made over the course of my career, I can undoubtedly say that what pushed me over the edge was when Sunday evenings came along, and I thought to myself, “F#$K, this SUUUCCCCKKKKKSSSSS!!! And not just one Sunday here or there…but Sunday, after Sunday, after Sunday.
Of course having these feeling from time-to-time is okay, you just work through them right?
- Maybe your boss who you trusted and respected and enjoyed working for moved on.
- Maybe your team came in second…or sixth…on major proposal.
- Maybe you got a shitty night’s sleep and woke up grumpy.
These are all fixable situations or circumstances that are temporary, right?
- Maybe you get a new boss you equally enjoy, or better yet, maybe you get promoted in that role that your boss vacated.
- Hopefully you have multiple irons in the fire, so when one proposal falls through the next one hits.
- Go to bed earlier.
BUT, if you are unable to snap out of the funk that you find yourself in, if your performance and mental attitude remains sub-par, you will continue to drag yourself lower into the depths of despair. A self evaluation is certainly necessary, and if after looking yourself in the mirror you determine that it is your current job that is bringing you down, then it is time to move on to another employer.
Opportunities, especially in the civil engineering profession, are plentiful these days, and you DESERVE to put yourself in a situation where you are HAPPY. This is THE PERFECT TIME to take the bull by the horns and get your career back on track.
- Have you been forced into a role that you don’t enjoy because your firm is stretched to thin? There is an employer who would love to match your passion with their opportunity.
- Is your employer short changing you financially? There is an employer that will value your contribution.
- Is your employer’s growth static? There is an employer out there for you that has a strong track record of growth and creating opportunities for employees.
- Does your employer all but demand you work 12 billable hours a day? There are employers who TRULY have nailed the concept of work/life balance or work/life integration.
Don’t feel bad about walking away from a project. Don’t feel bad about leaving the team. Don’t feel as though you are letting anyone down.
The reality is, anyone else in your shoes would do the same. Your boss would leave you for a better opportunity. The young engineer under your wing would jump ship to take on a job with your title if not provided the same opportunity internally. You likely will not be the first person to part ways with the organization, and you won’t be the last – attrition is natural, and company’s continue to thrive and move on with business.
If you keep showing up the same job Monday after Monday, and your attendance brings you no joy…well, know the old saying of the definition of insanity, right?
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