Why You Hate Your Job And How To Make It Slightly More Bearable

Job advice compiled from interviews with friends, family and coworkers. This is for the Editorial Fellowship.

Adeolu Eletu / Via Unsplash

I’ll be the first to admit I’ve had some jobs I hated.

When I first moved to LA, like many people, I bounced around between temp jobs looking for full time work. The jobs ranged from mind-numbingly boring to overly stressful, and even a little dangerous in some cases. I quickly learned how to discern whether a job is worth it, but I’ve never been sure if others have had similar experiences.

In order to learn more about how people relate to their jobs, I sat down with 5 friends, coworkers, and family members to talk about their past and current career experiences. I wanted to have an open dialogue about how it feels to be in a position you find boring or unfulfilling.

While talking with friends, I could really sense the feeling of discomfort friends had while trudging through bad memories, but what I discovered was that every single person I interviewed had a piece of advice for the next person. Here are my main takeaways from the interviews:

Everyone has had a bad job

There wasn't one person I interviewed who has loved or even liked all of the jobs they have had. I think we can all take comfort in that fact.

In fact, according to J. T O’Donnell at Inc(.com), more than 70 percent of workers say they don't feel satisfied with their career choices.

Most people I interviewed cited early retail and food service jobs as the worst they've ever had.

Bosses micromanaged them. Hours were either too long or completely nonexistent. And many experienced some form of discrimination from superiors which led to them to want to quit after 6 months or less.

Main takeaway: If you are early in your career and have one of these low paying gigs, don't be afraid to quit and look for another position. It’s worth it in the long run.

Trust your instincts on bad jobs

“Most of the time you know immediately (if the job isn't right for you). If you want a creative position, and the job is all data entry, you know you won't be fully happy there.”

All but one of the people I interviewed said they knew the job wasn't great within the first couple of weeks. You have to be honest and upfront with yourself about what you want out of a job. It takes time to nail down a great position but it’s better for your mental health and career in the long run.

Main Takeaway: If you don't like your job immediately, use the first 2 months to start looking for another while giving yourself the opportunity to get accustomed to three current one. It's amazing what the mental escape of finding another job can do for your morale

The boss makes the job worse

The #1 word that came up while describing a bad boss was micromanaging. When I started the series, I expected the actual boring or difficult work to be the main reason people hated the job. But it turns out it's a bad boss.

Bad boss experiences ranged from passive aggressive insults to sexual harassment. There is no excuse for this, and the best thing to do is be vigilant and tell someone immediately.

Main takeaway: Keep a journal or tell a friend of every single negative experience. It serves as a mental release and an accurate record if you need to report someone.

It's OK to have a breaking point:

Everybody has a breaking point.

Some friends admitted that their anxiety became so bad that they had no choice but to move on. Others cited being so fed up with their boss that they knew they had to leave or risk exploding on them. Dishonesty in the company’s practices when talking to customers also came up often. One friend mentioned how guilty they would feel about lying to their customers in order to sell their product.

Takeaway: Everyone had different reasons for leaving, but almost everyone agreed that in the long run, no bad job is worth it.

The most important thing to remember when it comes to your career is that you bring value to company. I often thought of my employer as someone who is only doing me a favor by hiring me, especially when I had just graduated from college and was really desperate to find work. But through these interviews I’m learning to keep in mind that a job is a two way street; you provide each other with value in the form of ideas, skills, and time.

And if you’re ever stuck in a job you hate, a friend gave me a great quote: “Your employer is your investor. Take the money and skills you earn there, and invest it into growing your career somewhere else.”