Why Your Job Title is Making You Miserable

It finally happened to me.

I didn’t think the time would come – particularly this soon.

After all, I’m only in my mid 20’s.

Nevertheless, I found myself saying the old fogey phrase – “you’ll understand when you’re older” to my brother about a week ago when discussing career choices.

He’s only three years younger than me mind you. Yet for the short time I’ve been in the “real world”  my idea of the perfect career as a corporate big wig exploded in my face.

And the explosion was nuclear.

Have you had the same sort of awakening?

The realization that the future you envisioned isn’t for you. And that your past career values really didn’t mean squat.

It’s a scary feeling. Total vulnerability. Like finding out everything you believed was a lie…

Until the weight lifts from your shoulders.

And you realize the pressure that you felt to meet your goal was coming from your harshest critique: yourself.

The Snazzy Signature

Everyone wants a cool title. It looks fun in the movies. It sounds good when networking.

Boy, I was excited when I got my first managerial position. It felt like I had power. When I sent an e-mail, I could proudly sign with manager.

But the “big” job title meant more responsibility, less time off, and so-so compensation. And if I wanted to get further in my career, I would have to work more and spend holidays by myself in my lonely apartment.

I saw colleagues around me unhappy yet soldiering on at the thought of another title, respect, and hopefully more money.

And it petrified me.

I was turning into a robot creating more self-imposed stress on myself to go along with the typical career construct.

The one that says the words senior, manager, or director in a job title is validation of one’s worth. And that a job title proves to the world that we’re going somewhere.

For this I have one question: Are we enjoying the journey to that somewhere?

Break Up With the Stress

Why is our society infatuated with job titles?

Probably by that job bar on our social media profiles. Every advertisement and reality TV show throwing wealth in our face. Or maybe Olivia Pope.

Because her job seems fascinating. But can you really enjoy life with all that pressure?

Probably not.

So break up with it. Dump your struggle for a title.

When you realize that your job title doesn’t make you it’s earth shattering.

You immediately feel more empowered  to learn something new, take a career break, or even try a new career path. Because life is a journey with peaks, valleys, and plateaus. And a two word job title doesn’t define you.

Redefine Yourself

It’s time that we start a new norm. Stop trying to explain our purpose with one or two words. And putting so much pressure on ourselves or others to strive for one title.

So when my brother asked me my future career plans. I explained that I’ve finally gotten my life figured out. To which he remarked innocently (not sure if he’ll ever develop a filter), “What? As a Dog Walker?”

Yup that’s me – but so much more.

I’m an eccentric, curly haired, dog walking, business owning, website designing, editing, social media marketing, virtual assisting, blogging, risk taker.

And I can own me.

What are you? Share below. With much more than two words of course!

Photo Credit: iosphere