Your career will SUFFER if you do this...

Many of my coworkers have been working at my company -- and in the same department, no less -- for 20 or more years! It's doubtless a rarity in this day and age of frequent job hopping.

Most of them lament staying there so long. Promotions have been hard to come by, not to mention they feel utterly stagnant in their jobs. Some tell me they can't remember the last time they actually learned something new. It certainly doesn't help that our department is run by two overbearing women -- my boss is one of them -- who are completely stuck in their ways.

Now in their 50s and 60s, they concede that it's too late to think about moving. They're more focused on retirement now than anything else. Competing for jobs with people as old as their kids, they say, is a losing proposition.

When asked why they stayed there so long, they admit that they became complacent over the years. I can attest to the fact that the company provides employees with a handsome salary and benefits package. As for why they didn't try angling for opportunities in other departments, they say they became a close-knit group and didn't want to relinquish the relationships they forged with one another.

I've worked there (in the same department) for almost five years now, and if there's something I'm absolutely sure about, it's that I don't want to end up like these coworkers. I'm already feeling stultified in my job -- there just isn't much else to learn, and I can literally do my work blindfolded. As with most corporations, the bosses take ownership of the big projects and leave their subordinates to do menial work. My job offers no flexibility to be creative, and I'm dragged down by endless red tape. Alas, my skills aren't being utilized to their full potential.

My boss stands to retire in the next two years, but I don't think I'm willing to wait that long. I'm already keeping an eye out for opportunities within my company and elsewhere.

It is important that we never stop pursuing opportunities for career growth and advancement. It's easy to get comfortable in a job, especially if it pays well and we get along with our coworkers. But there's a lot to be said for feeling intellectually stimulated and challenged on the job. My current position has me looking at my watch far too often; I take it as a telltale sign that it's time to take the next step in my career.

If asking your boss for bigger projects or a promotion doesn't work, and if there are no other openings available in your company, it might be time to bid your present employer adieu.

Life's too short to remain in a job you're unhappy with, whether it's the pay, workplace culture, or the work itself that just isn't cutting it. Your career will suffer if you stay in a dead end job. Go for what your heart truly desires. Follow your passions. Don't feel as though you have to be loyal to any one employer, either. They don't twitch when they have to lay people off, so why should you have any reservations about jumping ship?

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