I have no idea how to move forward in my career

July 6, 2018 11:55 AM

I currently have a job with great quality-of-life perks, but it's low-pay, I'm bored and it isn't looking like there's much more career growth here. I want to move on, but I am lost every step of the way, including in deciding whether I should leave at all.

The perks are huge:
1) My office is 100 yards from the pacific ocean.
2) There is no one supervising my hours so I roll in and out whenever I please (within reason), including going for mid-day swims in the ocean if I feel like it. I probably average 30-35 hours a week- and even a lot of the time I'm at work is downtime that I can spend how I choose.
3) My office is in a separate building from the rest of the staff of my organization, including my bosses, and I do 95% of my job with no direct supervision.
4) My employees are great people who are fully capable and don't need much direction from me.
5) I have a proven track record of success in this position that means my job is reasonably secure.

Sounds great, right? Problems at work:
1) I. Am. Bored. Like, painfully bored, and when I'm bored I get depressed. I have all my job duties on lock and I feel like I'm just going through motions at this point.
2) From my position, there is nowhere to advance within my organization.
3) The CEO (who came on board after I had already been working here) rejected my raise request (give me the benefit of the doubt and believe me that it was a reasonable request given my performance) stating that I was already highly paid in my position.
4) I am the only non-white person in my organization and I am privy to knowledge indicating that's no accident and isn't likely to change.

So even if I was clear on *whether* to find a new job (which I'm not, and I'm open to your opinions on the subject), I don't know *how* to find a new job.

Problem 1: I don't know how to describe my job on a resume. My title is "Manager, Park Store." But that doesn't get across the full spectrum of my job. In addition to being the buyer, merchandiser, billing, managing 4 employees and 10 volunteers, I *also* jury an art gallery, organize (and jury) two art shows and an art auction per year, AND I put on three craft fairs per year. So how can I get all that across?

Problem 2: I don't even know what kind of job the above experience qualifies me for. I'm not particularly interested in one aspect of it over any other- I do somewhat enjoy the art gallery part of it but I don't think going into art sales is going to be a particularly practical move.

Problem 3: Every job I've ever gotten in my life has been through knowing the right people at the right time. I've never gone out on my own to pursue a new employer. How do you even do that?

posted by BuddhaInABucket to Work & Money (16 answers total)

This: There is no one supervising my hours so I roll in and out whenever I please (within reason), including going for mid-day swims in the ocean if I feel like it. I probably average 30-35 hours a week- and even a lot of the time I'm at work is downtime that I can spend how I choose.

and this: I. Am. Bored. Like, painfully bored, and when I'm bored I get depressed. I have all my job duties on lock and I feel like I'm just going through motions at this point.

are sides of the same coin, in my experience. I'll be curious what other people have to say about this.

For my part, I ended up getting a new job that pays better, but almost 100% of the time has me working in a room with other people instead of an individual office. I also have regular morning status meetings to attend.

Life in general is maybe a touch more stressful since I can't take personal phone calls and such during the day, but on the whole I'm doing much better mentally and emotionally.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 12:05 PM on July 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

Best answer: My husband was in a similarly cushy gig but making more money- so our lifestyle was fine... he made a move within the organization because of boredom/anxiety and OMG is he wishing that he could go back. He misses being able to get home before 5:30, he misses SO MUCH his afternoon work outs (which kept him sane!) and being able to go to his various appointments easily (now work is much more demanding) , take long lunches etc. and still be able to fulfill his role without a lot of stress. He’s been very depressed about it. As in, tears some mornings. So think very carefully, how much do you need to make money wise, how much money would make a change worth it and how old are you? And how ambitious? Think very carefully, you don’t get many jobs that fit your soul that often. However, if it pays peanuts and your’re young (like under 43) then maybe make a move.
posted by catspajammies at 12:33 PM on July 6, 2018 [12 favorites]

In addition to being the buyer, merchandiser, billing, managing 4 employees and 10 volunteers, I *also* jury an art gallery, organize (and jury) two art shows and an art auction per year, AND I put on three craft fairs per year. So how can I get all that across?

Literally what you just said, in bullet form, would be a great way.
posted by mosst at 12:38 PM on July 6, 2018 [7 favorites]

If you are bored, why not figure out how to spend your downtime in a better way? The grass is always greener and if you have a job where you feel on-call, stressed out and constantly trying to turn things around to avoid falling behind, I think you might miss being able to go for a mid-day swim whenever you like.

I had a job like yours in the sense that the job itself was easy. I didn't have a lot of supervision, I worked from home whenever I wanted and it was fairly low-stress except for in spurts. I didn't manage a store - it was an office job - so it's not exactly like yours, but I used all my free time to start a side career as a freelance writer. That was my passion and my hobby and it filled in all the extra time I had. I was lucky in that my main job offered me a living wage but the freelancing gave me the satisfaction of doing something I wanted to do. It turned into a serious enough side career that it became my main job when my previous company laid off everyone.

I don't know enough about your field to advise you on finding a new job or your resume. But as for Problem #3, I'd say you already know how to do it since you've used contacts to get jobs before. Just get networking again. Get coffee with people. Get back in touch with people. Let them know you are looking and to keep you in mind.
posted by AppleTurnover at 12:38 PM on July 6, 2018 [4 favorites]

On a practical note - the header for the relevant section of your resume can totally be written as 'Official Title (More Accurate Title/Description).' I did this last time I was looking.
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:55 PM on July 6, 2018

Dear God just take up knitting or reading or write a novel at work.
posted by DarlingBri at 2:25 PM on July 6, 2018 [4 favorites]

If you wish to stay with this organization, it might be worth initiating a conversation with your lead or CEO about career growth in your org, and if there's another position that you can shift into eventually. With a raise, of course.
posted by spinifex23 at 2:32 PM on July 6, 2018

Best answer: One time I had a job that would have been a dream job to so many other people, mostly because I could work from home full time with good pay and a pretty easy job and great work-life balance, but it took me too long and too many panic attacks to realize: just because it's a dream job/structure to other people does not mean it's a good job for me.

I'm in a different job now that is way busier, for sure, but in a reasonable way that spans about 45 hrs a week, and I am so much happier. I have professional relationships that actually challenge me (in good ways). I do more different things. I am proud of what I accomplish, because I've put serious work into it. I am much more fulfilled. My mental health is 1000x better. I don't care how prized those flexible jobs are to other people, I would be much less happy back at one.

I say this not because I'm necessarily the same as you, but just so you take the time to examine: do you like your current work/life balance because it leaves you happy/fulfilled or do you just feel like you should like it because it's such a prized thing in ~society~? Get in touch with what helps fulfill you, and then go pursue that. If that's using your free time, great. If that's in a different job: go pursue that instead!
posted by mosst at 3:13 PM on July 6, 2018 [5 favorites]

Could you come up with a project that has a solid ROI? Could you pitch it and ask for a bonus or raise tied to it if KPIs are met? Sounds like you have the capacity. Alternately if you don't have a project you could also ask management, but then you risk exposing yourself, so you might want to go be careful about it.
posted by furtive at 3:25 PM on July 6, 2018

You could parlay some of your experiences into event planning. Your background also means you’re good at working with a budget, which is a great skill to have for jobs like that. Look into some of the arts nonprofits near you. Your job sounds like a dream but I know how hard it is to be bored (and underpaid!)
posted by cakelite at 3:43 PM on July 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

I had a super flexible job and changed for a job with more chances to learn, get promotions, grow, etc. It's been good. Sure, there are some downsides. But change is good. No longer being That Person and getting to be This Person is good. Your job is what you do all day long every day. If you're ready to spend those billion hours doing something else, something in which you're actually learning, then I wouldn't scare yourself out of being open to the universe of options.
posted by slidell at 4:41 PM on July 6, 2018

Yeah I left a cushy job that bored me, but the pay was good (for the area), the benefits were amazing, I had time and freedom to read and work on honing my illustration skills/pursue freelance work, develop my professional skills as I pleased, a private office, could take time off as I pleased, and my supervisor was 95% hands off. I left for better pay (about ten grand more a year) and more "opportunities". I was constantly stressed and got fired 6 months later as cannon fodder in a bullshit political fight between my supervisor and a project manager. I regret leaving, because being fired fucked up my plans and my finances significantly, but it did push me to value my ability to thrive outside of my comfort zone. So it really depends on your priorities.

As mentioned maybe take up some freelancing gigs that you can fill the downtime with to build skills and connections and fill in the income gap?

P.S. I would kill to swim in the ocean every day, holy shit.
posted by Young Kullervo at 5:33 PM on July 6, 2018 [4 favorites]

In terms of process, you could always just start talking to your friends, especially ones in your work world. Nothing serious, just that you've started wondering what your next adventure might be.
posted by slidell at 5:51 PM on July 6, 2018

Since you have freedom at your current job, went not start looking? You are in a nice position. You don't have to take any job that comes your way. You can be selective. Have honest conversations with the hiring manager to find out what they want and expect. If it's a match, you can leave. If it isn't what you want, you can always stay.

I had a boring job once. I felt like my mind was rotting and I would come home in tears because felt so bored. I have also had a job in a toxic environment. Both are awful, but in different ways.
posted by parakeetdog at 6:47 PM on July 6, 2018 [1 favorite]

Consider having the mods anonymize this question.

There's a *lot* to be said for a fantastic location and a job without a lot of pressure. You're disappointed and maybe a bit angry about no raise. Presumably you keep sales stats. Set a goal for increasing sales Maybe that means carrying more expensive stuff, or selling more small stuff, Internet sales, whatever. Having a goal and benchmarks to measure your performance against is satisfying. Also, if you increase sales 15%, a raise looks more likely.

Use some free time to develop the skills and credentials (certification, courses) for whatever you want to move towards. Goals are a good antidote to boredom.
posted by theora55 at 8:44 PM on July 6, 2018 [5 favorites]

Look at what's out there. Apply for some jobs. See how that goes. If you get an offer, you can then decide if that offer is good enough to make you change jobs.

"Manager, Park Store." But that doesn't get across the full spectrum of my job. In addition to being the buyer, merchandiser, billing, managing 4 employees and 10 volunteers, I *also* jury an art gallery, organize (and jury) two art shows and an art auction per year, AND I put on three craft fairs per year. So how can I get all that across?

Something like this, with more detail emphasizing things like profit growth and employee retention. Look at resumes on linked in to see how other people are describing similar work.

January 2016 - Present - Manager, Park Store
* Buyer and merchandiser responsible for x and y
* Billing for x accounts on a monthly basis
* Manage 4 employees and 10 volunteers - mentor train and develop individuals yadda yadda
* Organize and jury 2 art shows and one art auction per year
posted by bunderful at 12:18 PM on July 7, 2018