Bored on the job? Before you quit, make these 3 changes first
I'm 10 years from retirement and fine where I am. I think I want to do something else but am unsure what. How do you decide whether to stay or try something new? – Design Professional
Job market trends for 2025 point to a cooling job market. When hiring slows down, you need to play good defense against an unnecessarily difficult job search. For this design professional, leaving an otherwise “fine” job to “try something new” is unnecessarily risky.
There are other ways to improve your work situation that are less disruptive than quitting your job. Here are three changes you can try first:
1. Change Your Life Outside Of Work
Maybe this design professional wants to try something new to advance their career, learn something, or just satisfy a curiosity. You can advance your career outside your job with activities that raise your visibility and stretch your comfort zone. You can pick up new skills by taking a course or volunteering in a different capacity from your day job. Satisfy your curiosity for free by attending meetups or reading books around a new topic.
Even if you decide to quit your job later, your new activities will give you things to talk about in networking meetings and interviews. If you’re trying to make a career pivot, having hands-on experience in your new target field will make you a stronger candidate. You may find that doing something new outside of work is enough, and you don’t want to quit your job after all.
2. Change Your Job Without Quitting
A lateral move within the same company is when you move from your current department to another one, or switch offices if your company has multiple locations or change from line of business to another if your company offers multiple products or services. You get the benefit of doing something new, but without losing the tenure at your current company. Some companies encourage or even expect employees to work across different areas, so moving laterally may be an easier switch than finding a new job at another company.
If you can’t or don’t want to make a lateral move, you can still change your job without quitting by talking to your manager about switching up your responsibilities. Check if there are cross-functional projects that need your expertise so you can flex existing skills in a new way and with different colleagues. If your company has employee resource groups, getting involved in these is an opportunity to meet new people and work on new initiatives.
3. Change Your Mindset From Leaving To Arriving
When you find your current job unsatisfying, it’s tempting to fantasize about something better elsewhere. However, that mindset is focused on leaving – you’re leaving the boredom, the negative work environment, the poor pay or whatever grievance you have with where you are. Instead, focus on arriving somewhere specific – i.e., an industry more aligned with your interests, a company culture aligned to your values, compensation at [insert specific number here] .
By changing your mindset to focus on where you’re going, you make empowered choices. You’re not just running away from something negative; you’re aiming for better. If you actually do leave your job, changing your mindset to focus on the future will make you a more attractive candidate. Prospective employers want candidates who want to join them, not just escape wherever they are.
