There are three types of jobs.
1. The Intro
2. The Coast
3. A Career
I won’t bother going into the first one because it’s pretty self explanatory.
The Coast is a job or role performed out of circumstantial convenience. By circumstantial convenience, I mean, there are just enough perks to keep you going while you go back to school, work on your side hustle, or have enough flexibility to take care of family. Typically this is something that you’re fully versed in and can get through the day with little to no effort. With a good plan in place, these jobs are awesome! You get paid and can manage other aspects of your life.
The difference between coasting and A Career is having a mentor or sponsor. Depending on where you are in your coast journey having a good and solid professional support system can propel your career exponentially. If you’re so inclined, you may choose to be a coaster or facilitate some doors opening to better roles and leadership positions.
Now this is my long winded way of asking, when is it time to move on or step up? These are a few signs that if you’re tired of coasting in any capacity, it’s time to make a move.
During reviews your boss can’t provide any feedback to steer you into your next role.
Genuine efforts to grow within the organization are not acknowledged. Example: you’ve taken courses on your own initiative to show desire to expand your role or simply taking on additional responsibilities with positive results.
General or blanket feedback from your superiors.
Going into work causes anxiety or physical discomfort.
Simply, the money doesn’t add up to your skill set. If you’re coasting it’s because you’ve mastered that role and it isn’t challenging anymore.
Discouraged or making a lot of mistakes.
Depending on your organization you may easily find leaders or champions that can help you create a path to more satisfying roles. However, if the general consensus and vibe at work is discontent or the majority of people often say, “it’s a check” - it’s time.
For those of you fortunate enough to have positive and encouraging leaders take full advantage of it all. As far as the rest of us, brush up those resumes.
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