BLT #15 | Starting over at 35, getting fired from your dream role, and more...

One of the things we hear often in our work is that people think they are the only ones experiencing something or feeling a certain way. We want to debunk this idea, so when we started putting together this week's Podcast and BLT, we thought we'd highlight some of the questions we've heard out in the wild lately.

WE BELIEVE:

You don't always have to start over to be happy.

We found this question on Reddit:
"[I] Grew to despise my dream job. How to start over at 35?"

This is a loaded question, but there's two things that we notice:

First, their word choice. The words "grew to" imply that hating their job became an eventual reality and didn't happen over night. And "despise" is particularly loaded, often relating to other sentiments like resentment or disgust. This is a really big word, and tells us that the discontent feeling this person has towards their work is real.

Second, the notion that the only way out is starting over. We think this idea of "starting over" has been romanticized in culture; we've developed this false narrative that the only way to make big change in your career is by throwing everything out the window and starting from scratch. And for most of us, we know that isn't comfortable, or feasible.So here's what we'd say to the person asking the question in Reddit: Given that it likely look many small steps to get to the point of despising your job, you can take small steps to start getting back to happy. Think about each part of your work and ask yourself if that thing made you more or less happy in your role. Your manager left the team: better or worse? You were assigned a new focus area: better or worse? CEO set a different direction for the company: better or worse? By separating out different components of your work, you can start to treat those issues individually and make progress without having to overhaul your entire career.

We answer this question in more detail in this week's podcast, along with two others.

SOMETHING WE LOVE:

"It sucks to feel alone. Even when there are people all around you."

- Unknown, but probably all of us at some point.

YOU SHOULD TRY THIS:

Ask the question you've been avoiding.

There is no question to big or too small for the team here at Career Sandwich. Shoot us a note and ask us the question that you've been wrestling with lately. We may even include it (anonymously) in a future BLT to share insights and help others feel less alone in their careers.