How do you get past the comforts of your current job?

How does everyone get past their feelings of being comfortable at your current position and to move to something more uncertain? I ask that because personally I find other than getting more money / responsibility I have to really motivate myself to start looking even though it frightens me a bit to leave something that is very certain.

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Comments

JoJoCal19

I had the same situation up until the end of last year when I really started looking. I was doing information security work for a large bank/finance firm, working from home, and in a really comfortable spot. I was in that position for almost 6 years. That's way too long as I was not able to learn anything new and my skills stagnated. It wasn't for total lack of trying to find something, but I hadn't put much effort into it. I think if you look at what you're missing out on, especially longer term, maybe that would be motivating enough.

kohr-ah

I guess I've never been comfortable yet.
The hardest part for me is being the new guy at the place more than anything. Just look at it as you are bettering yourself and your position in life.

inverse_one

Thanks for the advice. I guess I don't like change that much. Getting in the groove with something new or that period where you don't know you made the best decision yet kinda keep me from looking else ware. Like you guys said, I think I just have to focus on the long term.

scaredoftests

I have moved to a position I never held before. I had to because I was laid off. Sometimes, you have to reinvent yourself. Thank goodness I know a little bit of everything. LOL

petedude

It's all about dangling the carrot in front of yourself. What's your incentive for change? Will it require changing roles? What's it worth to you?

And be sure to ask yourself: Will you accomplish the same results if you just sit where you are?

inverse_one

At this point I would be looking for something that pays more. That's not to say I don't get paid pretty good from what I am doing; it's just not the highest it could be in the industry. I'm currently a tech support engineer for a network product and I do really like being able to leave my work at the office at the end of the day. I like the idea of more responsibility with administrator type work, but don't know if the additional stress is worth it. My top priority is a great work/life balance.

kohr-ah

inverse_one wrote: »

At this point I would be looking for something that pays more. That's not to say I don't get paid pretty good from what I am doing; it's just not the highest it could be in the industry. I'm currently a tech support engineer for a network product and I do really like being able to leave my work at the office at the end of the day. I like the idea of more responsibility with administrator type work, but don't know if the additional stress is worth it. My top priority is a great work/life balance.

You can still have that great balance but you need to also figure the more you are paid the more they expect you to do. occasional code upgrades / patches and a phone call if something major goes down.

--chris--

As strange as it sounds I like being overwhelmed a bit. Not because stress is fun, but because getting out of your comfort zone forces you to adapt or die. And well...lets be honest if your making the decision to leave the comfort zone you know you will adapt no matter how stressful or uncomfortable. When you do adapt, you are +1 more skills set.

The_Expert

This is a really good question. I worked in government for 16 years in a very comfortable position, when I decided all of the sudden to put in my 2 week notice. I was stressed out, hated my bosses and was very unhappy overall.

I wasn't growing anymore on a skill-level. I was the master of my domain, and could have easily done every aspect of my job blind-folded. Heck, I could have easily retired from the system in another 14 years... but deep down inside I knew I wasn't going to make it that long. I would have probably fell over from a heart attack or something, since the stress was killing me.

Now, I'm doing something different... Yes, the world is a scary place, but if we do not face the challenge - we do not grow. We do not become everything we are capable of.

My future is still uncertain, however, I've found a new focus. My focus is on improving my skills and going after additional technical certifications. It's something I did not have to do before... now, I feel it is a must.

I'm growing again and getting better than my colleagues I have left behind. My motivation is not to die a slow death, but to live!

You too must live, my friend!