Highly Paid, But Highly Unhappy? How to Cope With Your Career Choice
The old saying is true when it comes to being paid well but unhappy at work: "Money can’t buy happiness." Sometimes, we can feel fulfilled and happy in a job that does not pay nearly as much as a job that we don’t enjoy but makes significantly more. This can lead to someone wanting a fresh start and seeing if the grass is greener on the other side.
When this occurs, it’s common to question whether or not you’ve made the right career choice. Throughout this article, we will discuss ways to cope with career choices.
How to cope
One of the first things you should do when reevaluating your career path and career choice is to figure out how much this impacts you personally and professionally. When you’re unhappy in a career, this could lead to feeling distressed or unable to sleep at night. While no one wants to admit they’ve made a misstep in their career, it’s important to do for overall mental health. The acceptance process can be slow, including denial that things are as bad as they seem and fear of what can come next.
When thinking about a new career path or how you feel about your current job, it’s important to ask yourself a few questions:
How often do you try to convince yourself that staying in your current role is best?
How much time do you spend thinking about or considering a new career?
If you stay in your current role, what needs to change for it to be better?
Think about what's next.
When deeply diving into your overall happiness and your current role, consider the anticipated trajectory you could make with your current company. This could include considering raises, promotions, new job titles, or possible management roles. If you already know that you’ve capped your current salary or there’s no room within the company for a promotion, you will have to consider if it’s worth waiting or if it’s time to look for something new.
Determine if you are ready to move on or feel burned out.
Work burnout can occur when someone feels mental, emotional, or physical exhaustion from long-term stress at work. Examples of this can include an excessive workload with insufficient resources to support what needs to be done. Another example could be someone who feels bored or unfulfilled due to the lack of growth opportunities.
Neglect burnout is another form of work burnout that occurs when someone feels unappreciated, ignored, or unsupported. It commonly occurs if their bosses or colleagues do not encourage or recognize them.
If you’re feeling burned out, consider speaking to your supervisor to see if they can help you cope with how you’re. In many cases, a supervisor will want to be supportive and help you get back on the track that you want to be on to have a more fulfilling and rewarding career.
Realize it’s okay to change jobs.
Change can be hard whether you’ve been in a company for months, years, or even decades. Leaving what’s familiar for something new and unfamiliar can be scary. If you consider all options in your current role and determine there’s no way to feel happiness and fulfillment in this role, it’s okay to want to move on to new things. At the end of the day, happiness is just as important as anything else, and your mental health and overall well-being should not take a backseat due to fears of change.
If you or someone you know is struggling to cope with your career, therapy for professionals can help. Please reach out to learn more.
