Bear a Job That You Hate

You hate your job. First, consider whether you are in a position to quit and/or find another job. It may not be easy, but you can always get free. If you can't change your circumstances, then find a way to change your perspective. Learn from the situation, stay positive, and try to focus on the present. Slowly but surely build up your resume and find another job.

Steps

Keeping Perspective

  1. Keep a good sense of humor. Strive to maintain a lightheartedness about what you're doing. If you can't stand the people you work with, then laugh about how reliably silly and petty people can be. Imagine that you're living in a sitcom. Turn monotonous tasks into games.Be playful and try to have fun.
    • Play pranks on your coworkers. Have fun, but make sure not to do anything that will get you fired! Unless, of course, you want to get fired.
    • Organize events with your coworkers. Invite them out for drinks after work, or plan a party in the office. Start a book club or a fantasy sports team.
  2. Be optimistic. Let go of your frustration by changing your perspective. View your job as a temporary situation, not something with which you'll be "stuck" for the rest of your life. Look at the big picture. Remember that change is the only constant in life. All things go, and so too will this job that you hate.[1]
    • Ask yourself whether you will still be working this job in a year. If so: why? Try to find a way out.
  3. Focus on the good things in your life. Think about your friends, your family, and your community. Bring your attention to your hobbies and passions. Notice the beautiful place where you live, and be thankful that you are alive.[2]
  4. Live in the moment. One way to avoid getting lost in your frustration is to get so lost in the moment—the minute details of what you're doing, and how you feel when you're doing it—that you forget about all of those negative thoughts. Optimism asks you to look at the big picture, but living in the moment involves looking at the tiniest picture possible. See if there is a way for you to cope with this job by accepting your place in the present.[3]
    • Do not dwell on the past. Whenever negative past events pop into your mind, bring your attention back to the task at hand. Similarly, don't imagine about the future. Oftentimes we imagine future events that never happen, so we worry for nothing.
    • Living in the moment is not always easy to do. Meditation or mindfulness meditation can help.
  5. Lose your fear of being fired. Perhaps you hate your job even more because you feel that you need it to survive. Don't be a slave to the job! Your livelihood is, of course, essential to keeping yourself afloat and maintaining your lifestyle – but living in fear is no way to live. Consider which you value more: freedom or stability. Happiness or safety?
  6. Pray. Prayer can help you get through the toughest of times. It can help to ease the mind of all tension, and it may lighten your heart. Change your attitude to, "Yes, there is going to be a happy ending." Keep an eye out for the wonderful opportunities that you encounter on the way![4]

Making the Most of It

  1. Keep your mind stimulated. Even if you hate your job, there are always opportunities for you to learn something new. Ask for alternative tasks you can do in place of your current workload. Start taking classes online in areas that interest you. Pick up a new craft or hobby outside of work. Read about something fascinating.[5]
    • Don't give up on your desire to learn. Let your passion be the light that guides you through this time.
  2. Learn from the situation. Remember that even an awful job can be a huge learning experience. You may not be doing exactly what you want to be doing – but you can learn a lot about what you don't want to be doing! Identify skills or projects that might come in handy during your next (more exciting) job. Spend your time focusing on improving these skills. Use your current job as a launchpad into the next big thing.
    • Think about how you got to this point, and assure yourself that you will never get yourself into a job like this again. Focus on getting free.
  3. Commit random acts of kindness. How much can you surprise people with your kindness? Even though your situation is frustrating, you can still brighten your coworkers' days! Make your job less unbearable by trying to keep an upbeat attitude. Be the change you wish to see in the office.
    • Try to avoid accidentally coming off as condescending when you're being kind. Some people aren't used to being treated nicely for no apparent reason!
    • Keep a journal or start a blog. View it as a social experiment. Write in/on it every day.
  4. Do the bare minimum. Find a way to look busy at work without really working. Figure out exactly how much work you need to do to keep your supervisors off of your back, and then use the rest of your mental energy thinking about the things that you'd rather be thinking about. Be careful! If you get caught, then you might not have the choice to bear the job.
  5. Learn how to deal with a frustrating boss. In many cases, a miserable job is closely linked to a supervisor that you hate. Try to empathize and understand why your boss is the way he/she is. Figure out whether there is a way for you to work productively with this person. If not, then it might be time for one of you to leave.

Getting Out

  1. Look for another job. Keep your CV or resume up to date. Commit to spending a portion of each day or each week on the job hunt so that you can always see a light at the end of the tunnel. Network, search online, and ask your friends and family to pass job opportunities your way.[6]
    • Look online. Spend your free time searching the Internet for jobs that excite you. Choose from a wide selection of job-search websites.
    • Make connections. If you know anyone working in an industry or company that you find interesting, ask him/her for advice and recommendations. Consider going to career fairs and conferences.
    • Keep your eyes peeled. Notice job postings on the street, in the paper, or on the banner ads of websites. Always be looking for a way out.
  2. Take time off to clear your head. Create a better work/life balance. Take a mini-vacation, or call in sick when you need a day off. Use your sick days and your vacation days to create space for yourself to breathe. Just don't take too much time off, or else you may not have a job to hate![7]
    • Get out of town for the weekend. Go camping, or visit another city, or just drive as far as you can until you need to turn back. Clear your head. Remind yourself that the world is wide and waiting.[8]
  3. Quit your job. If you just can't take it anymore, then it may be time to let go. Make a plan for how you're going to hit the ground running: pay your bills, support your family, and actively look for another job. It helps if you have some money saved up. Give your two weeks' notice, and then take the leap.[9]
    • Try not to burn your bridges. You never know when someone from this job might help you out down the line! Clarify that you hate the job and not the people.[10]
    • Consider whether a life spent in waiting is a life well-lived. So you hate your job. Does that mean that you need to hate your life?
    • If you get fired, then you may be able to collect unemployment checks for a matter of months. You will need to prove that you were fired through no fault of your own, and that you are actively looking for a new job. If you can figure out how to get fired, then this option can give you a convenient financial buffer.[11]

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://lifehacker.com/5440563/how-to-survive-a-job-that-makes-you-miserable
  2. ↑ http://www.xojane.com/relationships/what-do-you-do-when-you-hate-your-job-with-every-fiber-of-your-being-but-cant-quit
  3. ↑ http://www.forbes.com/sites/dailymuse/2014/01/10/how-to-get-out-of-bed-when-you-hate-your-job/#268b9e8b5a8e
  4. ↑ http://www.wisebread.com/how-to-survive-and-thrive-in-a-job-you-hate
  5. ↑ https://www.experience.com/alumnus/article?channel_id=career_management&source_page=additional_articles&article_id=article_1170473321734
  6. ↑ http://www.erinpavlina.com/blog/2012/07/how-to-let-intuition-get-you-out-of-the-job-you-hate/
  7. ↑ http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2015/03/05/what-to-do-when-you-hate-your-job-and-cant-quit/
  8. ↑ http://michaelhyatt.com/what-to-do-when-you-hate-your-job.html
  9. ↑ http://liveyourlegend.net/how-to-hate-your-job-or-16-things-not-to-do/
  10. ↑ http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/01/30/how-to-quit-a-job-without-burning-bridges/
  11. ↑ https://www.themuse.com/advice/everything-you-need-to-know-about-putting-in-two-weeks-notice
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