Is your 9 – 5 devoted to a job and not a career?

When you look for a new job, do you find that you’re too qualified, or not experienced enough? You’re stuck in a career plateau.

There are lots of reasons people can go through a career plateau. Maybe you’ve mastered your job and your organisation isn’t big enough to advance you to the next step. Perhaps you haven’t had learning opportunities in your current role. Maybe your skill set is so out of date you’re no longer considered a candidate for promotion.

No matter why it’s happened, feeling stagnant at work can make you miserable. One of the ways you can solve this problem is to do some postgraduate study. Wondering if this would work for you? Ask yourself these questions.

Do I have the right skills?

If you find it tough to work out why you’re not advancing at work, you need to find a way to assess yourself. Ask work friends what they think you’re good at. Make a list of their compliments and compare this to your position description. This will help you to work out where you aren’t hitting the mark. Think about how a short course, a single university subject or a Master’s could help you to fill in the gaps.

What does my manager think?

It can be nerve-wracking to contemplate, but your manager might be the best person to speak to.  It might appear counter-intuitive to tell your manager you’re unhappy in your role, but rather than making you appear like a disgruntled employee, a good manager will see that you are being proactive and engaged. Ask them where your job could go if you added another skill set to your CV. Discuss the possibility of a lateral move within the company. A conversation with your manager could even result in the offer of support while you up-skill.

Am I pursuing the right goals?

If the idea of up-skilling in your current field fills you with dread it might be time to reassess. We live in a world of increasing job mobility and a career change is always an option. Explore studying something that will allow you to follow a new path. A short course that adds a different dimension to your skills could lead to getting a similar job in a different industry you’re more interested in. Advancing your current skills to a new level could take you from a mundane role into something really exciting.

 

If you’re considering postgraduate study, book an appointment and get your questions answered.

 

Image: Home Office by Unsplash (CC0 1.0)