When you realize that you hate your work being 50 or older, this can be a big shock. Some of you will prefer to stick to their job for fear of not being able to find a better one, or worse, not finding any new job at all. Some others will try and find professional fulfillment elsewhere.
Do not believe in the long-held opinions that you are not capable of changing career successfully after 50. There are plenty of options, either within your actual workplace or by changing your job. However, pay attention to the reasons why you hate your current job in order to optimize your search for a future position.
It all depends on your motivation, skills, and a strong will to succeed.
What is it like to hate your work?
Do you hate getting up in the morning, especially on Mondays? Are you reluctant to start your work week and are you regularly in a bad mood when leaving your home for work? This is a strong indicator of something going wrong in your job. Sometimes these symptoms can intensify as much as making you seriously ill, causing physical and mental dysfunctions. Then it is time to consider the problem seriously and find appropriate solutions.
Search for the reasons
If you feel bad in your current job, the first step to take is to look for the reasons that make you unhappy. For this, it is important to step back and invest enough time and effort in the search for answers. You can then draw your conclusion and decide which option to take. Very often, the problems that appear can be solved without leaving your current job. Sometimes, changing your job will be the most obvious solution. The only thing that matters is to choose the best solution to your problem.
Is your job monotonous?
What exactly is wrong with your work? Is it the tasks you have to perform every day which you do not like? Perhaps your tasks are too repetitive and the lack of change makes you feel bored. In this case, you should ask your supervisor to help you vary your workday. Depending on your job, this is sometimes easy to manage and the benefit can be huge.
For example, you can share tasks with your coworkers to some extent or your tasks can be redistributed partially, provided that you work in a similar field. For this, sometimes it is sufficient to exchange information with each other. Thus, the change would not cost much time, which is an important argument you can sell to your supervisor.
Furthermore, the distribution of a greater variety of tasks among the staff can turn out to be a big asset to a company. Contrary to the far-spread conviction that specialization is optimization, this only applies partially to the human being. It is true only until you have achieved your optimum work speed and efficiency.
After a while, when the positive effect of being quick and efficient begins to fade, you tend to get bored. The resulting lack of attention can even lead to mistakes that could have been avoided by varying your tasks.
Thus, if you realize that your job could be improved by varying your tasks, you should tell your supervisor about your problem. I’m sure that he or she will accept to consider the question, above all if you have been with your company for several years. Because it’s always expensive for a company to lose good employees and to train new ones.
Is your job too stressful?
Today, many of us complain about too much stress in our jobs.
This can be the case when you have to execute too many tasks and your work-load is heavy. At the end of your workday, when you realize that you haven’t performed all tasks efficiently, you will be frustrated. And, if this goes on for a while, the stress will grow. Over time, if you continue in this situation, you even risk burnout. Once you are in this condition, it’s a long way to recovery.
If the nature of your tasks has not changed, this could indicate that your workload has increased. In this case, you should inform your supervisor and ask him to redistribute the supplementary workload among your coworkers. Very often, it is difficult for supervisors to evaluate the real burden different tasks can represent.
On the contrary, if you feel that you cannot cope with all of your tasks generally, you should try to understand why. Perhaps there are things you do not understand completely or they were not explained to you sufficiently. In this case, you can ask your coworkers to help you. If this is not possible, you should consult your supervisor and ask him for the required instruction or an internal course.
Perhaps you are lacking autonomy
Are you an independent person who loves working in autonomy? Depending on your current job, this can be the reason for your displeasure with your job if it requires you to seek approval for all of your decisions. If you like to have your style and manner and hate to ask permission for everything you do from your supervisor, this lack of trust can be the source of your frustration. Too tight oversight by leadership can make your job an ordeal.
In that event, think about how you can change things by yourself. Perhaps you can convince your supervisor to give you some more space to make your own decisions. Small steps could be an option. When you can prove that your methods are successful, there should be no reason for you not to obtain more autonomy.
Are you disappointed by your management?
More and more, management methods are in the center of discussion in the corporate world. Whereas in small companies you often know your boss personally, big companies tend to have impressive organizational charts. It is far more difficult to have close relations with your supervisor in a big company with many departments.
Therefore, the relationship with your supervisor tends to be more distant. His or her decisions are frequently not as understandable as they can be in small companies, where workers and employees are often asked about their opinion. And you might feel lost when you do not know whom to turn to.
If communication is difficult, do not hesitate to look for answers. Some decisions may seem unjust only because we do not receive an explanation for them.
Do you have a problem with your coworkers?
Maybe you have a knot in the stomach every morning when you get to work because you have a problem with one of your coworkers. You should not take this lightly. It is better to get to the bottom of this rather quickly. Have you already tried to talk to this person?
Sometimes the origin of the issue might be a simple misunderstanding. Wait for a convenient opportunity and start a conversation with this person. Once in a while, you can clear up misunderstandings in a simple manner.
Otherwise, you’d better inform your supervisor and arrange a conversation including all three of you.
What if you have a problem with your boss?
If the reason why you are unhappy with your job is your boss, things are certainly more complicated. But still, there is a reason why your relationship has deteriorated. Try to think of the moment when you began to realize the first issues and how you reacted to them.
Sometimes we do not realize that our behavior may hurt others. This can be true for both of you. In any case, before deciding to change your job, you should try to discuss about the issue with your boss.
Have your working conditions changed?
One reason for your discomfort may be the changes your company has undergone. Whether it is a new board that has been introduced or the company has been bought up by another company, the changes that have occurred might have deteriorated your working conditions.
Workplace culture is an important factor that contributes to our professional wellbeing. If it changes for the worse this can deteriorate your working conditions to such an extent that you may want to leave.
In any case, if you begin to feel sick because of the underlying atmosphere and lack of recognition, then you should not stick out but decide to look for a better option. Unfortunately, there are not so many things you can do in this case and you should start to think of changing your job.
But take your time to consider the options you have. Over 50, there are still many possibilities to change your professional life once you’re sure about your motivations.
Your company is in bad shape
When your company is not doing well, when turnover and profits decline, work can get very frustrating over time. Even if you liked your job before, the stress and lack of motivation bad figures create can be very hard to cope with.
You may always have been loyal to your company and appreciate your coworkers, but a bleak outlook on the future and the fear of finally losing your job can deteriorate your working conditions. The best strategy is to keep on the lookout for the options you have and prepare all the necessary steps to change your job. Time is an important factor because it allows you to be in control of your situation. Once the company has failed, you will have no other choice.
There is no way to climb the career ladder
You think that you could do much more important things for your company and, therefore, earn more money. It is hard not to be able to achieve the objectives that you would set yourself only because you are not in the position to do so.
If you’re stuck in your current position and you would like to move forward, changing your job may be one option.
Although, before doing so, it might be better to check your options to acquire more or new responsibilities within your company with your supervisor. Perhaps they can provide interior courses that would help you achieve your goals. Most companies try to keep their staff and provide career opportunities for them rather than recruit new employees and spend time and money to train them.
Do you have too much responsibility?
On the contrary, if you feel that the burden of the responsibilities you currently bear is too heavy, you should lose no time to find a solution. Otherwise, this can be dangerous to your health in the long run. There are many reasons why you can feel overwhelmed. Your life conditions may have changed to an extent that does not allow you to keep up your current level of commitment. Perhaps you have a child or parent to care for, or you may suffer from a health issue that could have an incident on your capacities.
First of all, you should inform your supervisor about your problem. Of course, this is only possible if you trust him or her. If possible, a solution can be found to lighten your burden and thus keep you in good health.
Is your job what you want?
If you have always wanted to work in the field you are employed, then you do not have to ask yourself this question. But in other cases, this might not be true.
A great number of people do not know what they would be passionate about and rather chose options that fit with their job opportunities when they´re young. They do not feel necessarily uncomfortable about this for a while, above all during the years when they found a family and raise their children. It is only when your children move out and begin to live their own lives that you start thinking about your own desires and motivations. Or, over the years your preferences have changed and you discover options you did not even know about before. Sometimes, when this coincides with a degrading atmosphere in your workplace, or other negative trends within your company, your discomfort can rapidly become a heavy burden.
I made my own frightening experience after I had passed the age of 50. Out of fear of being too old and not wanted in the job market, I had hesitated too long before changing my job and my life. When, through this difficult situation, I fell seriously ill, the search for valuable alternatives had become a question of survival. And the fundamental changes I had to undertake even turned my life around into the best!
Which are the options for change?
If you’ve come to the conclusion that there is no chance of improving your actual working conditions to the extent you desire, you should think about changing your job. The most important thing is to define what you really aspire to. Over 50 you’ve gathered considerable experience and have a clearer view of what will be good for you than young people may have. If you keep in line with your motivations, chances are good that you will find a rewarding job.
It goes without saying that it is wise to keep your wish to leave your job to yourself. This will provide you with enough time to prepare things thoroughly and avoid too much financial strain.
After having decided in which direction you will go, there are several possibilities of preparing to change your job.
(Online) Courses
If you decide to stay in your field and extend or complete your knowledge, you have the option of taking online courses in a great number of fields. This is an excellent means to prepare you for your job search and will help you regain your self-confidence at the same time. By attending online courses you are able to keep your actual job and income, and at the same time prepare your professional future. In fact, it is the safest way to look for a new job.
Studies
In case you have the intention to pursue a completely different career, this might not be possible without taking up studies in the desired field. Depending on the degree you want to obtain, you have to count several years concentrating mainly on your courses and research work.
If you do not have sufficient savings and you have children to provide for, this can be a very heavy burden. It is important to prepare this step in every detail so as not to be overwhelmed by the negative side-effects that can occur.
Self-employment
If you feel that you need as much autonomy as possible and you have a clear idea of what you want to sell, you can decide to create your own business. Of course, it will probably take some time to acquire your customer base. And you will need some investment in the first place. But if you are motivated and persistent, you will be rewarded in the long run.
Conclusion
If you hate your work and you are over 50, there are still many options for you to change your situation to your advantage. In some cases, the reasons for your deception can, at least partially, be remedied at your workplace. If this is not possible, there are enough companies that are looking for experienced people with their valued know-how that younger people cannot provide.
In case you decide to change your job, it is important to consider your motivations and then prepare yourself as best as you can. An optimistic, self-confident person will have the best chances to convince a potential employer. And doing what you like to do in a positive environment will bring the best results, in your professional life as well as in your private life!
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