When You Hate Your Job... But Can't Quit

by Paige Cohen, Senior Editor

My first memorable job was at a social media startup. I was one of the first editors on the content team, and after a stint in the publishing industry, I was ready to put my all into a new path.

When I started, I felt like anything was possible. We were innovating new ways to tell stories on a mobile platform. We were sharing user-generated content with people around the world. We were helping spread knowledge and build connections — and we were doing it all very fast.

Inevitably, time caught up with us. As often happens at startups, the team quickly started to expand. Some people were promoted into roles they weren’t prepared for (including myself). Some people were shifted into positions that didn’t align with their goals. There were layoffs, restructures, relocations, and confusion surrounding the product vision. As the tech grew more and more advanced, many of us felt we were there to train the AI more than to build new skills, offer our perspectives, or advance our careers.

Around a year and a half in, I became demotivated. It wasn’t because of the day-to-day work. It was because the work environment was rife with uncertainty and stress. My mental health and self-worth may have been at an all-time low, but I was living in New York City and needed the paycheck. At the time, quitting wasn’t an option.

This is a problem many professionals are facing today. Sixty percent of employees feel emotionally detached from their jobs and 40% of Gen Zs want to quit their jobs within the next two years. While the reasons may vary, a high workload and poor mental health are among the most common. Today, only half of the millennials and Gen Zs feel they can pay their living expenses each month.

If you’re a new grad or early in your career, you may not have the flexibility to leave a job that isn’t good for your health. With talk of layoffs and a recession, some may even feel lucky to be employed right now. It’s not fair, but you might feel stuck.

This newsletter is for all the people in a job they don’t like, a job that’s making them miserable, or a job that they can’t quit. What can you do in this scenario?

Here’s some wisdom from our authors that I hope will help you get through. Remember, this is just a stage of your career, and you will come out the other side.

Recommended Reads

When You’re Stuck in a Job You Can’t Quit

Reframe, reexamine, redesign, retrain.

Read the full article here.

Understanding the Power of Intrinsic Motivation

This is how you make boring tasks interesting.

Read the full article here.

Use the Science of Flourishing to Increase Your Well-Being

Develop habits that improve your well-being and protect you from burnout.

Read the full article here.

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