Career ruts happen, here’s how to get unstuck

Feeling frustrated, disengaged and out of love with what you do? Sounds like you’ve slipped into a bit of a work slump, and it can be hard to know how to find your way out. 

The good news is that feeling like you’re in a professional rut is a natural part of the ebb and flow of a career – it can be the alarm signal you need to remind yourself that it’s time to level up, change things around, or even move on. 

Not all ruts were created equal. One of the most important things to do is identify what exactly is causing you to feel stuck, as that’s the only way to effectively find your way out.

Keep reading for three common reasons behind career ruts, as well as effective strategies for getting unstuck.

1. You have stagnated in your role 

If you no longer feel challenged and are struggling to stay engaged, it might be that you are simply chafing against the confines of your role. Again, this is a normal and healthy part of a career journey, and will only become a problem if you let it. 

A survey of 800 U.S. workers showed that 33% looked for a new job due to a lack of career growth. But most companies know that it’s much easier to promote from within than hire for a new role. 

Before considering making a leap, make sure you’re not leaving any opportunities on the table. Be proactive about ways to develop and grow; talk to your manager about what internal opportunities or training might be available, chat to people further up the ladder about their roles (and how they got there), and update your career goals so you have a clear picture of what you are working towards.

2. You and your company are no longer aligned 

Think of the company you work for and your role as a Venn diagram: there are your overall values and goals, theirs, and then there’s the place where they overlap. That’s your job. You need to feel like you believe in the company’s mission, objectives and values. If you no longer feel you do, over time this will lead to feelings of frustration and resentment. 

Eighty-five percent of U.S. workers want their employer to share their values, and 56% said they wouldn’t even consider a job at a company that has values they disagree with. 

Spend some time on self-reflection to clarify what you value in both life and business. This will make it easier to find work that is meaningful to you.

3. It’s time to upskill and move on

If, for whatever reason, career advancement isn’t on the cards at your company, it might be time to take stock of your current skill set, identify areas where you could upskill and improve and seek out fresh opportunities. 

Many state, city, and county governments offer subsidies or employee development initiatives, as do local chambers of commerce and industry groups. Google even provides eligible U.S. workers with free training and development programs across a wide range of digital skills, including data analytics, e-commerce and UX design.

Ready to put your skills to good use and watch your career soar? The nextpit Job Board features thousands of exciting opportunities, like the three below. 

Senior Architect, GPU and SoC Modelling, AI, Nvidia, Santa Clara

Leading technology company Nvidia is looking for a Senior Architect, GPU and SoC Modelling. In this role, you will be working with other world-class architects on modeling, analysis and validation of chip architectures and features that advance the state of art in performance and efficiency. A Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience) in a relevant discipline, along with eight-plus years’ of relevant work experience, and strong programming ability in C++ and C, along with a good understanding of build systems (CMAKE, make), toolchains (GCC, MSVC) and libraries (STL, BOOST). Head here for more info and to apply. 

Database Engineer, Boeing Intelligence and Analytics, Annapolis Junction

As a Database Engineer at Boeing Intelligence and Analytics, you will be responsible for developing new database systems, tuning Oracle databases to improve performance as well as supporting database upgrades, migration issues and repairing corruption. This is a demanding, senior role that requires 20 years’ of experience in complex software systems. Find out more here. 

Software Engineer, SAIC, Broomfield

By joining SAIC as a Software Engineer, you will manage and move software from its current environment into the cloud, supporting the transition of the program from its current on-premises iteration into a cloud hosted environment. You’ll design, develop, and deploy cloud-native geospatial/GEOINT applications and services, utilize GEOINT and geospatial data, APIs, and tools to build applications that integrate analytics and machine learning solutions and integrate GEOINT databases and services with cloud-based platforms to enable spatial analysis, mapping, and visualization. Interested? Get all the details now. 

To find your next great move, visit the nextpit Job Board. This article was written by Nathalie Marquez Courtney.