Need Your Job, But Hate It?

Many Americans are stuck in jobs they hate, but need. According to a February 2005 report by The Conference Board:

Americans are growing increasingly unhappy with their jobs . . . The decline in job satisfaction is widespread among workers of all ages and across all income brackets . . . in the last nine years. Other findings: 40% of workers feel disconnected from their employers and 25% just "show up to collect a paycheck."

So, you're not alone if you feel this way. But, you have to show up because the mortgage is due, day care has to be paid and you need to eat.

So, how do you tolerate a job you hate? By doing the following:

a) Purpose: As in, make the job serve one. If you're unhappy but are not looking at the bigger picture, it's easy to get stuck in "I'm stuck" mode.

But, if you look at the big picture, eg, I'm going to stay here until I'm debt free except for my house, then the job serves a purpose. It's a means to an end.

Tracking your financial progress will make time go faster. Also, it will make it seem worthwhile. After all, you're not going to a job you hate everyday, you're paying off debt so you can have more control over your financial destiny -- and your life.

b) Create a Plan: This point piggybacks off of the previous point. Get concrete and create a plan. Whatever purpose the job is serving for you, make a timeline of what you want to accomplish, and by when.

Create a calendar to track your progress. Being able to physically see milestones as you reach them will make your job much more palatable. Once you see the progress you're making, you may decide to stay put even longer.

There's something about making a goal and working towards it that makes what you have to endure to get there worthwhile.

c) Develop Plan B: What I mean by this is to start planning for what you're going to do after you quit your job. Do you need to be retrained in your new field? Are there courses you can take now?

Want to start a business? Can you start it part-time now?