How to Get Out of Dead-End Work

What do you do when your dead-end job doesn’t give you the skills you need to escape? Human resources in this matter.

Dear employees,

I have minor clerical work. It’s okay to pay bills. But I am not really learning new skills or making great strides in order to write a resume. Most of the other people in my position are middle-aged people who seem intent on keeping their jobs until they retire. How do I get out?

You have two options – and if I were you, I would choose both at the same time.

First, seriously consider what skills you might acquire in your current job. Second, start looking for a job elsewhere that offers more opportunities for potential advancement, even if it is on the same level as you are now.

Skill up

If you’re waiting for a thoughtful manager to take you under his wing, help you define what your career should look like, and prepare everything you need to learn, you are likely to wait a very long time.

The person who must take the lead in acquiring the skills to get you where you want to go is the person who genuinely cares about it more than anyone else: you!

This question came up in the comments , and when another reader wondered if you had the opportunity to ask for more responsibility, you replied, “I could take on extra work, but” more “responsibility won’t necessarily be” more “responsibility.”

I totally agree that simply asking for “more work” is not a good plan. The typical manager is likely to be less interested in your personal development than in fighting fires that need to be put out. So be strategic – and selfish!

Think about what you want to do. Think about what you need to learn. Now look around. Is there any project that you could take part in? Is there a particular manager, colleague, colleague, or anyone with the skills that interest you? Can you work with this person on something, help, or something else?

Be creative in your thinking: Don’t fall into the trap of just presenting a line on your resume and filling it out. Try to work with people you admire and remain open to acquiring skills you never knew existed. You also build relationships that can pay off later – for example, in the form of a link.

Consider Plan B

In the meantime, start looking outside too. Don’t worry about promoting right now; take something similar to what you have, that’s okay. Instead, focus on a job that offers a better future than you currently have — in the form of skills you might acquire and some potential career paths.

While you are watching, you don’t have to just walk on the water. Think about what relevant skills you can learn right now in other locations, in class, in online programs, volunteering, and so on.

Again, be strategic. Think about what you want to achieve: the specific skills you want to have and how best to demonstrate them. If you’re not 100 percent sure, that’s okay. Experiment, be curious, and learn about yourself along the way.

Double it

The argument for using both strategies at the same time is that they reinforce each other in some way.

Most importantly, you always want to be proactive; do not wait for the moment when your work becomes so unbearable that you will do everything to escape.

So start exploring options now, both internally and externally.

Send your work questions to humanresource@lifehacker.com . Questions can be edited for added volume and clarity.