A Stagnant Career: Reasons It's Not Taking Off

Everybody starts a new job in expectation of a successful career. However, after a few years of performing the same duties, you begin to notice a failure to progress in the role. Add that to a static salary and unappreciation of your managers’ skillset, and you may have a stagnant career. Can you relate? For most Americans, a stagnant job is equal to unhappiness at work, and 52.3% of workers believe so. Read on to find reasons for your career stagnation.

1. The non-existence of opportunities for growth

The secret behind progression in any career is the availability of ample and realistic opportunities for growth. Unfortunately, if the company you work for fails to provide these opportunities to unearth all your talents, you will find yourself in a rut. In other instances, it will be entirely wrong to lay blame on your employer. The reason is, if you take an objective look at your situation, you will realize the fault may be yours.

Sometimes, it helps to accept that it is your inability to seize opportunities present at the workplace. Keep in mind that not every chance comes as a self-announcing opportunity. It will take a creative mind to detect how to make use of these cloaked opportunities. As a solution, always be on the lookout for how you can effectively seize these chances to remain and feel useful.

2. Your organization is going downhill

This year, many organizations went out of business due to the ripple effect of the pandemic. If the company you work for is one of such that suffered significant losses, it could be a likely reason for your recently stagnant career. An organization going downhill is only interested in recovering as many assets as it can. Such businesses may care little about employee engagement or harnessing talents. Should you notice such a trend, your best option will be to stay alert for better career prospects. You will likely be saving yourself from the effects of an impending recession or redundancy. Being proactive is of utmost importance here, instead of waiting to receive the terrible news from your bosses.

3. Failure to assess the full effects of a new job

Sometimes, in haste to earn a living after a long period of unemployment, you fail to properly evaluate the terms and conditions when you finally land a job. Unfortunately, this is the problem with most workers around the world, not just in America. For example, you studied music as a university course but failed to land a paying job to make ends meet. After a few years, you get the job opportunity to harness your vocal talents in a music studio. Due to the excitement of finally getting a paying job, you forgot to take necessary hearing loss prevention precautions and begin to lose gigs due to hearing issues. Hearing loss among musicians is a common side effect of this profession. Therefore, it is vital to invest in a custom fit and quality earplugs that musicians use to protect their inner ears.

4. You’re out of sync with your values and passion

Nurturing a career takes a significant dose of a balancing act. Without it, you will begin to feel the unwelcome effects of a stagnant career. Unfortunately, after performing so well in a specific role for years, the tendency to lose track of your initial drive and values is high. Others choose to describe it as ‘working on autopilot.’ It happens to a lot of people in the active workforce, so you’re not alone. To overcome this feeling, it helps to take an annual review of the things you consider essential to your professional life. Doing this allows you to recognize habits that are detrimental to your career’s progress. It will require a good dose of honesty and neutrality to identify unhealthy markers causing you to go out of sync with what drives you.

5. Constant failure to utilize all your skills

Have you ever considered why you were hired in the first place? If no, there you have your answer. Usually, employers hire staff with a skill set they deem necessary to increase productivity and company progress. After a few years (especially after conducting an annual review as mentioned in point 4), you notice most of these skills are still under wraps. Understandably, this causes frustration and a feeling of being stuck in the role. For other people, inadequate use of skills translates into a sense of being overqualified for the job. First of all, you need to determine if it is a matter of a wrong job role or a lack of interest in that career. If it’s either of these, express to your employer your desire to move on to another role within the business where you can employ all your skills.

Whatever your case may be, coming to terms with a stagnant career should be followed by your desire to do better. It is never too late to make a change as long as you identify the problem and how you can overcome them. A stagnated career can negatively impact your mental and physical health. Therefore, take action now.