How to break out of a professional impasse and start growing

Torture certainly helps to achieve success in a career, but it can be fraught with many risks in addition to the obvious advantages. One day you may realize that you have nowhere to grow or that you are not interested in continuing to develop in the chosen area.

The world around us is changing rapidly, and people are no longer willing to work without purpose, pleasure, or career opportunities. We have collected several ways to get out of a professional impasse, find a profession you like, and start developing in it.

Talk to your boss about professional development opportunities

Often the feeling that you are at a dead end arises when you hold the same position for a long time, performing your usual tasks on the machine. Try to talk to your boss about the possibility of getting a promotion, find out what is required for this, what tasks will be your responsibility, how long you will have to wait, etc. Ask if your company is sending employees for internships or free training; show your interest in that.

If there is no opportunity for you to build a successful career or develop professionally in your company, it’s time to look for something else for yourself. Until you are satisfied with your position, the feeling that you have reached the ceiling and have nowhere else to strive will not pass.

Stop doing someone else’s duties for free

If your boss is constantly adding more and more responsibilities to you without raising your salary or moving you up the career ladder, it is not surprising that you feel at a dead end. Your brain realizes that you have to cope with a large volume of tasks, possibly performing the duties of your colleagues, you get tired, overwork, and burn out, without receiving any benefit.

Discuss this point with your superiors and politely make it clear that without an increase or increase in salary, you will not load yourself with someone else’s work or stay in the office longer than expected.

Periodically review the professional goals you pursue

Goals can quickly become out of date, so you need to check to see if they are up to date periodically. The first step is to stop blindly moving towards your goal in your career. Maybe a few years ago, you dreamed of taking the place of a boss in your company.

Still, over time you realized that there are practically no advantages in his position (lack of time, great responsibility, multiple restrictions, etc.). Every time you take a step towards your dream, ask yourself: “Is it worth it?”

Look for the spheres that are as close as possible to yours

If you realize that your profession no longer brings you the pleasure that you used to enjoy, perhaps you really should change the field of professional activity. But many people perceive such changes too radically, starting to look for something completely different from their past job or specialty.

It is a big mistake to cut off all connections with the past, nullifying your experience, ignoring the acquired skills and knowledge. The best thing you can do is try to find an area that is as close as possible to yours and start realizing your potential in it.

Try new

Maybe you are one of those unfortunate people who chose their profession at random, not understanding what he wants to do, or obeyed his parents, forgetting what he likes. If you have chosen the wrong profession at some period of your life but continue to develop in it, you will certainly come to a dead end. To quickly get out of it, radically changing your life, you need to explore your interests, knowledge, and skills.

Try as many new things as possible. For example, if you were attracted to design as a child, take a free master class, create an experimental business card, or try to understand how specialized applications work. The more often you test yourself in different fields, the more chances you will find your dream job.

Get the opportunity to influence key decisions in the company

Often, a feeling of unfulfillment overtakes you in those moments when you understand: you understand business processes better than your bosses. Of course, you shouldn’t go and prove your case to the boss, but at the same time, you can always offer an idea, having prepared all the arguments for it in advance. So at least you’ll feel like you’ve done your best.

Stop being disrespectful

Even if you are a first-class professional in your field who has achieved serious success, this does not mean that you are insured against disrespect from your superiors. Some bosses believe that their employees should not be praised, so they periodically devalue their achievements, ignore their advice, and try to put those in their place.

Of course, it is difficult to endure such an attitude towards yourself, and over time you will begin to feel disappointed and lost. Therefore, try to say goodbye to inadequate leadership without much regret and look for a place where your experience will be appreciated.

Try to experience discomfort more often

Growing to a certain level and staying there, feeling competent is an example of what a comfort zone looks like in a professional sphere. The need to stay in a familiar place, performing tasks, the mechanism for solving which you have practically learned by heart, can have a negative side: you will stop growing and developing.

Remember one thing: when you stop feeling uncomfortable (solving new problems, filling gaps in knowledge and skills, facing unusual problems), it means that it is time for you to move on and conquer new professional horizons.