If you’re struggling to find meaning and fulfillment in your job, you’re not alone.

You may be going through the motions; yet, that sinking feeling that this is not what you signed up for is becoming harder to ignore.

Sound familiar?

There can be numerous reasons as to why you’re questioning your career choice. If you consider that many of us decide the trajectory of our career path as young as our early twenties, it’s unsurprising that a decade(s) later we may experience a change of heart. The pressure to decide how to spend one’s adult working life is an enormous weight to carry at a young age.

People spend years racking up inordinate amounts of debt in the name of higher learning, with high hopes that this will lead to a successful career accompanied by esteem, respect, and meaning.

What do you do when your job fails to meet your expectations?

Hours at work continuously stack up and your personal time feels obsolete.

You realize the financial payoff of your job doesn’t nearly reflect what it takes to get ahead in life.

You experience meaningful work but the work culture feels so toxic and imbalanced, that it detracts from an otherwise fulfilling career.

Wherever the discord lies, there may be a part of you that feels disappointed, stuck, scared, or even guilty.

We’ve all heard stories from previous generations highlighting that folks used to stay at one job for the duration of their adult lives – whether they loved it, hated it, or felt anything in between. Now in our society, the norms have shifted and it has become much more commonplace to transition out of careers, start new ventures, create side hustles, and ultimately, consider whether our job feels meaningful.

If you feel “stuck” in your job ask yourself these important questions.

There is no one way to navigate turbulent moments during career dissatisfaction. But if you understand what is at the root of your troubles, it may highlight whether you should consider changing your employer, role, or career altogether.

1). In what specific ways at work do I feel stuck, disappointed, or frustrated?

Get granular when you think about the specifics of what bothers you at your job. Is it the work itself? The hours? The commute? Your boss? The company culture? Having to answer to somebody else? Consider all the areas in which dissatisfaction shows up for you.

2). Are these issues specific to my current job or are they representative of the career I’ve chosen?

This is important to understand for yourself. In other words, are the distressing aspects of the job specific to your company? If so, would moving to a different employer or team alleviate your grievances? Or do you sense that this would continue no matter where you moved so long as you stay within this profession?

3). My younger self thought [insert career choice] would look like […..] and feel like [……]

Think back to your younger self and how she/he/they viewed your current career path. What did you imagine it would look like? How did you picture yourself feeling as a [insert profession]? Does that image match your current experience? Often our disappointment in a career comes from a misalignment of what we thought our experience would be compared to what is.

4). When it comes to career, my top 3 core values are…

Understanding your values helps you know what’s important to you in a career and life. Think about what values matter most – is it financial security? Freedom? Stability? Balance? Helping others? Power? Fulfillment? If you need help thinking about your values, check out this values checklist here.

5). Does my current career bring me closer to, or further away, from my core values?

When we spend time doing something representative of our core values, we’re much more likely to feel satisfied and content. Consider whether your current job reflects your value system. Then, extend to your profession as a whole, and consider whether moving teams or employers would be enough of a shift for you to feel more aligned with your values.

Moving forward from here…

There will always be aspects of your job that you don’t love. Invariably, there will be annoyances and frustrations. That’s a given because no perfect career path exists without some ups and downs.

However, when we’re in a job that feels meaningful to us and is aligned with our core values, we’re much more equipped to weather those ups and downs. This is why honestly considering what is important to you when it comes to your career and how you want to live your life, may give you intel into whether you stay, change roles, move teams, or transition into a different career path.