‘I Work a Dead-End Job. What Else Could Be Out There for Someone Like Me?’
Brick by Brick is a new monthly column that helps professionals tackle the intricacies of workplace issues and answer questions about career growth and advancement. In this edition of Brick by Brick, our columnist responds to a letter-writer feeling like he's stuck in a steady but ultimately unfulfilling job.
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Hi Esquire,
I wanted to ask for your advice about a problem I’ve been having. I’m 27 years old and have been working in the administration department of a large local company for about three years now. I graduated with a degree in organizational communication from one of the state universities and somehow found myself employed in this company. Overall, it’s not bad. It’s a typical office environment with the usual workplace drama and politics. I’ve trained myself to tune out these unimportant issues and just do the work.
My question is about my future in this company. I do not harbor dreams of becoming the big boss, but I do want to find meaning in my work and hopefully get paid more in the coming years. But lately, I’ve been feeling like working in the admin department is a dead-end job. In terms of vertical mobility, there’s not a lot of options. Either I replace my boss (which I don’t think is going to happen anytime soon because he seems to be set on staying here his whole life) or I ask to be transferred to another department, which isn’t a good idea also because I’m pretty sure I will be targeted by my colleagues as not being a “team player.” Besides, I’m not very interested in either choice because I’m just not that invested in what I do.
It doesn’t help that it sometimes takes me over two hours to get to the office from where I live, so I feel like I’m always exhausted and barely have any time left for any life outside of work.
Don’t get me wrong: I am very grateful I have a job at all. I know how hard it is for a lot of people to find work even remotely related to their college course. But somehow, after three years, I’m ready to see what else is out there. The problem is I don’t know where to even start. What else could be out there for someone with my qualifications? Help!
Ferdie23
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Dear Ferdie23,
Thank you for writing in and pat yourself on the back for keeping a steady pace over the past three years in your job. The first thing I would like to say is that it is completely normal to begin to wonder about “what’s next” in one’s career especially after things have become quite routinary and the sense of weariness sets in.
Coming out of college and experiencing the “real world” for more than a few years may make one feel that they’ve hit a plateau or come to the realization that this current job is not what you had imagined you would be doing, much less what you would continue doing for the foreseeable future. But guess what, these feelings you are having are an indication that you are now ready for your next level of growth. This “problem” you have is not a failure—it's a starting point.
Building your foundation
When we are surrounded by a lot of unknowns, the best place to begin is with something that you do know: yourself. Consider the last three years as setting up the foundation of your corporate career. Administration is a basic building block of how organizations work where you learn about coordination across departments, attention to detail, process efficiency, project management, and managing stakeholders. Take an inventory of all the knowledge and skills you have built over the past three years.
Now, think of which areas of your job did you particularly excel in or enjoy most? Which parts did you least excel in or enjoy? Which parts do you see opportunities to develop further? And finally, what has your job taught you about professionalism, your organization, and your industry? The competencies you have built over the past years and are continuing to build serve as the foundation for the next stage of your career.
Building your paths forward
Beyond the corporate experience you have built over the past three years, you also have your organizational communication background. Moving forward or upward in one’s career is not jumping from one path to another, or from one level to the next; it is pivoting from one point to the next point. Your experience and strengths are the pivot point.
In your current role, identify ways to apply and demonstrate your organizational communication skills. Integrate communications in your work by focusing on internal communications or employee engagement aspects of the job, highlighting change management for projects or processes you are leading, or taking a marketing approach and developing content applicable to your department or company. It could be as simple as making suggestions on how your department can better communicate your administrative policies and procedures or volunteering to be the communications lead for a special project. Consider it as a side quest for you put a touch of org comms into your daily routine.
In a practical sense, learn to see your current job as the place where you can strengthen your resume by developing new and transferable skills. Take short online courses to refresh your knowledge in your field. Talk to people whose jobs interest you and find out how they got there. Seek advice or mentorship from people you respect, inside and outside the organization. By leveraging and reshaping your current role today, you can build your portfolio for organizational communications as well as your credibility as a practitioner which may open doors to other roles within and beyond your organization tomorrow.
Building a tower of you
These days, we are surrounded by all these messages, amplified on social media, about “living your best life” and “finding your passion and purpose.” It creates a sense of pressure that to be “successful,” one must have it ALL figured out. Your 20s aren’t for finding the perfect job in a perfect company; it’s about finding out what works and what doesn’t and what brings growth and meaning for you. Start with yourself and pay no mind to co-workers who may “target you.” Be kind and helpful and know that they are on their own personal and career journeys as well. Your career is yours to build, not theirs.
Building a career is not a linear path. You can switch roles, companies, industries, and even fields of expertise. And over your 30s, 40s, and beyond, there will be points where you will feel stuck and confused in your career. The key is to lead with a sense of curiosity and building on the learnings from each experience one layer after another towards a tower of what excites and energizes you and where your strengths are best used to make the most impact for others.
Starting today
Lastly, while every day is an energy draining two-hour commute, you can use this time to give yourself permission to daydream (safely) and reflect on the points I just shared: what do you know to be true about yourself today—your foundation, what ways can you reshape your current job to build ways forward tomorrow—your paths, and where does your curiosity, excitement, and energy lead you—your tower.
All the best Ferdie23! Excited for your next adventure.
Myke
Myke Santos is a strategy and HR consultant, a university faculty member, and the founder of Brick Management Consulting. His focus is on facilitating change for individuals and organizations by shifting perspectives. He is a certified coach for Transformative Coaching and The Leadership Circle, and a certified facilitator of the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Method, which he helped pioneer in the Philippines. He is a seasoned executive and HR leader with more than 25 years of experience in Human Capital Strategy specializing in Organization Development, Change Management, and Mergers and Acquisitions. Myke has led various enterprise-wide initiatives in business and people strategy alignment, corporate restructuring, talent management, and culture transformation. Having worked in a variety of settings, from startup to corporate, local to regional and multinational, has given him a broad perspective of the dynamics of business, organizations, and culture.
