| TLDR: Workplace culture is awful. It makes me hate this industry, but I feel trapped by employment. I don't feel like I'm contributing to anything meaningful. Unfortunately, I am very good at my job, and I get thrown extra work without extra pay or leniency with work/life balance. I feel like going on a sabbatical to Thailand and be a monk. Do I need to shift my perspective? Or is it objectively this bad? I have started in the cybersecurity industry about a year and a half ago. The culture at my company back then was awful and it still is. People look at the ground as they walk down the hallways and barely speak to one another. Despite this, I came in hungry for work and motivated to improve everything. My first few weeks, I started making resources and guides on various tasks I was becoming immersed in, and I'm still doing so on top of my regular duties. These resources have been distributed throughout the entire organization to optimize some pretty major functions, effectively. Though, now, seeing how little it is actually helping me in my career growth (compensation, promotions, etc), I am beginning to see myself become the demoralized employee that I tried to avoid when I first arrived. Part of me thinks, Culture problem: "okay, I am just letting the external culture affect me, that's a problem with me, not them. You can be at peace regardless." Compensation problem: "You're being inpatient, it will pay off eventually" Demoralization problem: "You need to find different work before you truly become jaded about this industry and the damage to your professional life is irreversible." But the money is good, and the job security is great. Ideally, I would transfer my passion into a smaller company that I can grow with - but I'm just lost in this industry being a year in. Anyone have experience with this? Am I just complaining and need to be talked some sense in? |