Escaping a Mediocre Career

When we were children, we didn’t dream of achieving mediocrity. We wanted to be astronauts, firemen, singers, pilots—my daughter even had a classmate in fourth grade who wanted to be a heart surgeon. As children, we never thought we would settle for anything less than our dream job. Then we got older, and our dreams changed, and it became easy to settle for something less than what you really wanted. 

In a 2019 Great Jobs Gallup Survey, 44% of employed Americans reported that they were in mediocre jobs—that’s more than 2 in 5 Americans. Furthermore, the study found that your level of job satisfaction correlates with your level of overall life satisfaction. 

If you’re in the midst of a mediocre career, this blog is for you. If you’re uncertain about your current career state, pause for five minutes and take the CSi50, the tool we’ve developed to help you pinpoint your current career health: https://www.careermp.com/ddm-survey.

If your score was between 21 and 40, you are currently in a mediocre job, and if your lower than 21 it is even worse. This might be surprising—surely everyone feels this way about their job?—but I’m here to tell you that there are better career options out there for you. You have the ability to have a happy and fulfilling career.

In my decades of consulting, I’ve met countless people who are in the same boat you’re in right now. One of these people was a man I’ll call James. James joined the US Army as a young man looking for adventure and personal improvement but soon became disillusioned with the constraints of military life. There were aspects of the job he loved, but in the process of discovering his passionate core, he realized he needed independence and a sense of control over his own destiny. After finishing his military commitment, he started an internet services business. Making the career change wasn’t easy, but James has felt more fulfilled, and therefore more happy as a result of his choice.

Escaping from a mediocre job doesn’t always mean you switch companies or careers, either. I’ve also coached people who, after discovering their passions and what they really wanted to do, were able to talk to their bosses or managers and make adjustments to their current job to better fit their needs. Sometimes they even changed positions within the same company. There are endless possibilities when it comes to finding the right career fit for you.

Life doesn’t have to be mediocre. I firmly believe that finding happiness in your career is a key element in finding happiness in your life. Everyone deserves this fulfillment, including you.

If you read this and are looking for more guidance on what exactly you can do to change your career, schedule a free 15-minute consultation with me. We’ll discuss your current needs and make a plan to begin addressing them. Now is a good a time as any to take control of your career, and we’re here to help.