Would you be happy with a stable, well paid and boring job or would you search for something more exciting?

[Eternal Sunshine]

I have a job in a niche field. In this field, there are so few qualified people that whenever there is an advertisement, single digits of people apply. Head hunters are constantly trying to poach people so you get the picture. There is a small network of us in my country and I am well known and respected.

However, I have been in this field for 15 years. Given the niche area, I feel like I have learned everything that there is to learn. I keep solving the same problems over and over again and am kind of on autopilot most of the time. Technically, I am on a highest level that there is and I am not interested in management.

I have tried to apply to jobs that are in new but somewhat related field. All of a sudden, I am a nobody, competing with 100s of people. I can't believe that they auto-sort resumes! Even when I got interviews, there are up to 6 rounds of selection process, with long take home assignments (some actually take as many as 30 hours to complete!). I am just feeling worn out and bruised by the whole process already. I have been rejected for the few jobs because I don't have enough experience in the field or because my background is too academic or some other reason that they could have seen on my resume - not after 4 rounds of exhausting hoop-jumping!

Sometimes I think that I am crazy to be attempting to enter a new field at my age, with lower pay and so much more competition. Maybe I should search for excitement elsewhere? Friends and family keep advising me this lol

[Wiseman2]

Keep your job for now and try a side hustle or volunteering to check out and try on other stuff to see how well it suits you.

Make sure your LinkedIn profile is updated and lists your education and experience.

Upload your contact lists to see who else you know on there.

Add former colleagues, alumni and friends to your "connections".

Also look for professional organizations to follow/join.

Set the table for a job/career change before going through cold call job hunting.

 

[d0nnivain]

You need to figure out if you want to feed your soul or your bank account.  It's a personal choice.  Lucky people get to do both simultaneously.  Can you get your creative juices flowing & find fulfillment through a hobby, a side gig or volunteer work for the best of both worlds? 

[Ariadne]

Maybe you should be like The Fifth Element but for real.  

Something along those lines..

[Happy Lemming]

Work hard in your present field... bank as much money as you can and retire early!!

 

[Cersei]

You have to think of your future.  Above early retirement was mentioned. But is that you? It's certainly not me. I like working and having a purpose. 

I gave up a 19 year well paying job to do something way more fun but lower paying. I was just putting in time at the other place. I want to have fun at work, not put in time. 

Only you can decide  what to do. But think long term goals.

[Miss Spider]

i’d be happy but your job is your main focus in life or if you are someone who needs more stimulation I can see how wanting more would come in

Edited March 14, 2021 by Cookiesandough

[Interstellar]

Do you have enough money saved?  I would still take the boring ass, well paid job since I have a lot of cool hobbies anyway.

I have a family member who used to work for the government. He has a high level security clearance which means he went through an extensive background investigation to get the job. He writes software that allows those cameras in space to control, zoom in and out on any part of the earth, etc...big brother type stuff. But it was the type of job that you have when you’re married with 3 kids and a 30 year mortgage. He was just bored with it, and had enough. So he found a different one in a top movie company and he’s been there ever since. He also had his name on the end credits as an animator in a movie. He’s basically using the same skill set on a different application, ie. animation.

 

Edited March 14, 2021 by Interstellar

[Trail Blazer]

Everyone is different.  I'm motivated by money.  I work only to enable myself to do the things I want to do in my personal life.  I work to live, I don't live to work.

I don't work in an environment that's truly inspiring.  In fact, I work in an industry that's harsh and unpleasant (the environment), but it pays very well, so meh...

I know of a lot of people who need their purpose in life to be intrinsically linked to their work.  If they're not being constantly challenged and feeling rewarded for their work, they hate it.

Only you can know the answer to an issue which is unique to every individual.  If it were me, I'd save the drama and stick to a job that's boring and predictable, but stable and well-paid.

For you, it could be different.  If you cannot derive inspiration and purpose from other aspects of your life, and you truly hate being bored and uninspired at work, perhaps you do need to continue on a path of career change.

[central]

For me, it has depended on my current goals, and also on how long until retirement.  Early on, I'd go for the exciting/interesting jobs, as long as they paid as much or more than I had been making.  Learning new things and facing new challenges was a great motivation .  In the 10 years before retirement, I didn't much care what I was doing as long as I didn't hate it and expected it to last until I was ready to leave on my terms.

[Eternal Sunshine]

I currently feel totally heartbroken. I went for the job that sounded like my dream job in a related field. I went through 3 rounds of interviews and a presentation. I gave it my all. I locked myself in the house for a week and worked on the presentation and it was my best work. During and after the presentation everyone told me how much they loved  it and that it was obvious that there was a lot of effort and thought put into this. Even the hiring manager emailed me the next day to say thanks for that great presentation....and then they selected another candidate.

I honestly feel worse than any break-up I have had. While this was all unfolding, a head hunter called me and asked me to interview for a job that is in my current field. She basically said whatever you are paid, we can offer you 20% more. I guess I should just follow the money and deal with boredom in other ways.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Eternal Sunshine

[d0nnivain]

I'm sorry you didn't get the job.  Take the 20% increase as a consolation prize & regroup.  

[ShyViolet]

Be careful what you wish for.  A good job is hard to come by these days.  If you have a stable, well-paying job but the only problem is that it's a little boring, I think it would be foolish to give that up for the unknown.  I've had quite a few jobs in my time, and I can't even tell you how many nightmare bosses and bad jobs I have had.  I'm lucky enough to have found a pretty good gig now.  It does get boring at times.  But NO job is perfect.  Every single job has its drawbacks and will have things that you dislike about it.

You should find excitement in your life elsewhere.  Take up a new hobby.

[Lotsgoingon]

Call those folks back and express thanks for considering you. Really emphasize this. THEN ask for some help. Ask for suggestions for future interviews. Ask for consideration for upcoming jobs, and ask for contacts and suggestions for where else to search for the kind of job you like.

You impressed these people. So, even though you didn't get the job, you have an opportunity to recruit them to help you. 

[Eternal Sunshine]

2 hours ago, Lotsgoingon said:

Call those folks back and express thanks for considering you. Really emphasize this. THEN ask for some help. Ask for suggestions for future interviews. Ask for consideration for upcoming jobs, and ask for contacts and suggestions for where else to search for the kind of job you like.

You impressed these people. So, even though you didn't get the job, you have an opportunity to recruit them to help you. 

Funny you should mention that. Hiring manager emailed me today and wants to have a video call because he wants to thank me again for a great presentation. He also wants permission to use some of my slides in his future presentations. (most people would just take the slides without asking).

They also seem like genuinely nice people which stings even worse. I will ask him what I can do improve for future interviews and to consider me for future roles.

[Wiseman2]

2 minutes ago, Eternal Sunshine said:

. . He also wants permission to use some of my slides in his future presentations

Why would someone have the nerve to steal intellectual property but not hire you?

[Lotsgoingon]

They also seem like genuinely nice people which stings even worse. I will ask him what I can do improve for future interviews and to consider me for future roles.

And don't forget to ask for suggestions for where else to apply with your skillset. And shut up after you ask! Shut up! I interviewed people for my profession for ten years and when you ask a question like this one, the tendency is to rescue the other person, soften the request. "It's OK if you don' t know of anything." Don't do that!

Instead, let the silence extend!

Silence isn't resistance. Silence is time to think. You ask for tips, the other person has to really think, think specifically about you, about the industry, about his contacts, needs to run a kinda of cross-listed database in the brain ... and then come up with an answer.

So ask the  question and SHUT UP! Let the person think ... dig ... and you give them a chance to answer. 

[RecentChange]

Oh that's tough. For the most part I think this will come down to individual personality.

I don't need my job to be "exciting" in fact, I am not sure I would want a job that is exciting!

That said - I enjoy my job (and I am very excited to start the new position I accepted), because it's mentally challenging. While it involves a lot of familiarity, each day has a unique puzzle. For me, this is an important part of my happiness at work. 

It sounds like not only is your job not "exciting" but perhaps it is not challenging you. I could then understand the need for change. 

Is there no other sort of lateral move that would make it so you wouldn't lose so much seniority and clout?

While staying has its negatives, it sounds like going also has a fairly long list of cons. 

[Eternal Sunshine]

I guess I meant more challenging or even challenging at all. My current job involves solving really simple problems (that I have done millions of times before) and writing a lot of neat and tidy documentation about it for regulatory purposes (I find it mind-numbing).

So I now have 2 offers that I am trying to decide on. First offer is exactly the same job I am doing now, only for 20% more salary and at a different company.

Second offer is a job in a new field that I would love to do but salary is 10% lower than my current job. Also, it's 2 levels less senior than what I currently have. The company is smaller so obviously more risky. I have been applying for jobs in this field for about 6 months and got nowhere. This is probably the best offer I am going to get as a starting point.

I really want to accept the second offer but is it too crazy? I may end up unemployed. Also, I am not getting any younger so if I want to do something risky, now is probably the time?

[Wiseman2]

Even a dream job will have it's down side. If you look forward to work on a regular basis, you're ahead of the game.

[Lotsgoingon]

Go for the second job, for sure. 

When we change specialties, it is not unusual to have to take a pay cut. We're moving to a different lane, and even though we like the new challenge, we haven't yet proven ourselves in that specialty.

I would ask hard questions of both companies. Make sure you know the real hours. Interviews are so misleading. You can only get the real skinny by asking the company to recommend some people you can talk to about the job. Usually companies will eagerly agree. Find out what the pressure is like, what the hours are like ... There are a lot of jobs that are 9 to 9 that don't ever advertise as such.

You can always come back to what you're doing now. But one doesn't turn down a dream opportunity because the pay is 10 percent less than what you get now. I always found that when I'm in a job I don't really like, I end up spending more money on all kinds of things just to cushion the blow of the boredom. Also some jobs take all your energy. I found that certain jobs that got old would really demoralize me. 

Absolutely you can choose based on your long-term goals.  BTW: the theory here goes like this. If you're good in this new job that hopefully you will like, you'll likely soon catch up to the pay of the boring jobs you don't like. 

[Eternal Sunshine]

1 hour ago, Lotsgoingon said:

I always found that when I'm in a job I don't really like, I end up spending more money on all kinds of things just to cushion the blow of the boredom.

Above is so true! I have 5 iPads and don't even use them. I go on random shopping trips out of boredom all the time 😛

This also reminds of the time when I got a housemate to save some money. I ended up going out all day, every day just to avoid him. I ended up spending so much money on restaurant food and cinema that in the end I was actually financially better off without the housemate.

[Lotsgoingon]

That housemate story is a great one ... I think people buy bigger cars to justify jobs, bigger stereo systems, all kinds of stuff that ironically does NOT improve our happiness or wellbeing. 

Here's an older person's perspective. Basically people when they get older always regret NOT taking the chance. Because even if the chance doesn't work out, you know you gave it a try. Now we should update this piece of wisdom. In fact, if new job doesn't work out, keep looking for another job in the same new field. There's no rule that says moving to a job we think we'll like more always works out. Sometimes it doesn't. But the best step is to find another job in the field we want, not to immediately run back to the safe job. In fact, it takes exposure in a field often to be able to figure out the range of jobs in the field and the companies and workplaces where we could search for a job.  We can also use the contacts we make at any new job (even a job that doesn't work out) for info and tips in going forward.

I think you're doing something really right to impress those folks, even though they didn't hire you. That's an achievement. 

BTW: this is the best article I've seen about the process of changing jobs, changing into a new field.(The authors call this "transition.") It has incredible insightful (sometimes counterintuitive) tips on how to talk about why you're changing in a job interview or networking event. And what's interesting is that the tips the authors give for "presenting" yourself are actually great tips for understanding yourself, and understanding why you want to make a change. 

https://hbr.org/2005/01/whats-your-story

 

 

Edited March 19, 2021 by Lotsgoingon

[Weezy1973]

I wouldn’t worry about being unemployed. If it happens it will be short, and I’m sure you have some savings to cushion the blow. As a hiring manager, I know how few quality people there are. You’re obviously one or you wouldn’t be getting random offers for 20% more than you’re currently making. Quality people can work in many different fields. Take the risk, if it doesn’t work out, meh, you’ll land on your feet.

 

Also not sure how Covid restrictions have impacted you, but there are far fewer exciting things to do outside work at the moment. I suspect many “work to live” folks are also experiencing something similar to the feelings of boredom you’ve described.

[Watercolors]

Can you use your meeting with the hiring manager (about your slides) to get a referral from him to one of these two job offers? Maybe that was the whole reason for your presentation there -- not to get the job, but to get him to refer to you to a better job (one that doesn't seem like an obvious choice given your 15 year history in your niche field). Always look at situations like yours from different angles, b/c the opportunity is often hidden in plain sight.