| There are truly horrible jobs - I said it just to get it out of the way but ... The rest of this comment doesn't apply to convenience store clerks with degrees in computer science. Many times when I hear people say something like this, they're working in a job they hate because they're making good money. If you can't make job change because you're expecting the same wage, that's a different problem (Dear Santa - please include personal budgeting software). Fortunately, unless you have one of those truly horrible jobs, there's a better way to get the job you want. Change your own job - and you start with changing your own behavior. This method requires a lot more work than sitting in your cube all day (playing with your red Swingline stapler) but broadly try this (not every problem will require all the steps): 1) Exceed your bosses expectations but still be on time. 2) Change how you do the job so that you're enjoying yourself. 3) Learn something new in the process of doing 1 and 2 above. 4) Use an appropriate new technology to replace something old - make sure you can justify why you replaced the old (presumably working) way. 5) Teach others in your office how you achieved more by doing things this new way. This makes a few changes: 1) You think differently about your job and the enjoyment you get from it. 2) Your boss thinks differently about you. 3) Your coworkers think differently about you. Don't underestimate the important of your perceptions - you can probably do your current job in a way that you find enjoyable if you tweak the job and change your attitude! |