A Free Bearing
I hate where I'm working
When work consumes most of the week, hating it can make the whole of life feel trapped inside the same building.
Wanting out is useful information. It is not yet a route out.
What may be worth noticing
“I hate my job” can contain several different problems.
It might be the work, the manager, the culture, the hours, the pay, the lack of movement or the feeling that staying is making a decision about who you are. If those remain bundled together, escape can seem like the only action and uncertainty can keep you from taking it.
You do not have to convince yourself the job is fine. Identify whether the next useful move is improving something where you are, preparing a route elsewhere or protecting yourself while you leave.
One question
Which part of this job would still be unacceptable if the pay, title and fear of starting again were removed from the decision?
One thing to do
Turn “I need out” into one route-building action.
Write three lines: What is intolerable here. What might be fixable here. What I can take elsewhere. Under the third, list three pieces of evidence from your work—results, responsibilities or problems solved. Use them to update one paragraph of your CV or message one person who understands the market you may move into.
Something to take with you
You may need to leave quickly, or you may need to build your exit carefully.
A route out is still movement, even before you resign.
A little deeper
What feels most true?
A — This workplace is the problem.
Look for the same work in a different environment before assuming you need a new identity. Speak to someone doing a similar role elsewhere and ask what varies between organisations. The comparison can tell you whether your skills still fit when the setting changes.
B — I don't want this kind of work anymore.
Do not begin with job titles. List the problems you are good at solving, the tasks you do not want to carry forward and the conditions under which you work well. Then find three roles that use the first list without depending heavily on the second. Treat them as research, not commitments.
From here
What would feel useful now?
Sometimes reading something is enough.
If it isn't, you can bring what is actually happening to a private conversation with Luke.
You don't owe Lighthouse anything for reading this.
If this was enough for tonight, let it be enough.