The relationship between employers and employees is changing. We’ve heard and talked about all the never-before-seen work trends we’re witnessing: the Great Reshuffle, the Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting… call it what you will: the ground is shaking in the job market! The views on what work is worth are evolving to a new, more humane understanding of what work is supposed to be like: more fair, better compensated, with a better work-life balance, and, more than anything, more rewarding.
Professionals are resigning to pursue careers they actually enjoy: over 20 million American workers quit their jobs in the second half of 2021 alone. We’ve seen it happening since the start of the pandemic: the sudden shift to working from home revealed new possibilities to the workforce, new ways to do things, and we’ve become empowered to ask for what we want. Now it’s easier than ever to start a career in Tech without having to get a university degree– and also, for more experienced professionals, to pivot from any job to a Tech career!
So if you’re not satisfied with your current job and want a change, you’re not alone!
The tech world is wide and has a place for everyone. Not sure what your dream career in Tech looks like? We’re here to help! Get the Ironhack Career Vision Planner and Job-Hunting Checklist, and build the steps towards your future!
Why Job Satisfaction Matters
Professionals now have the power to demand, and they’re using it! During the difficult shifts and unpredictability of the decade so far, it feels like we’re looking at our lives through very different eyes, because if not now, then when? Quality of life and growth potential have surged to the top of workers’ priorities when looking for a new job. What we want to do matters: we’ve gone from living to work, to working to live!
Job satisfaction is vital in the long run: if we have to dedicate ourselves to a full-time job for well over 30 years of our life, why would we make it excruciating? Professionals are training themselves outside traditional institutions and leveraging their skills in the markets with more jobs up for grabs, like technology. And job satisfaction isn’t a mere triviality: it impacts psychological and physical well-being in deeper ways than we thought. And we’re no longer willing to play with our health.
Job satisfaction has also proven to be important to companies: happy employees just perform better! Less turnover rate means less expenses to companies and less job insecurity for professionals, making for a healthier job culture, and a better professional future for the coming generations.
The job market is ripe for workers to call the shots and change the old ways, and virtually anyone can join what we can no longer call just a ‘trend’: the Great Reshuffle is here to stay, and if you’re been waiting for a sign to go after the dream career you want, this is it!
Happiness Factors At Work
Lots of factors can make or break happiness at work– a comfortable and safe work environment has to have a set of qualities, like trust, respect, and job security, in order to become a safe space where you can be creative and productive, carry out healthy communication with your teammates, and actually achieve something!
Your boss
A bad boss can make a great job feel horrible! A bad boss will make you dread going to work every day, hating every interaction and making the entire time sour and frustrating; and someone unsupportive will hinder your career advancement, or even affect it in worse ways! However, a supportive boss will be the perfect support, helping you develop your skills and responsibilities in safe ways and showing you how to direct your career towards what you want.
Your team
The same thing happens with your team at work: a bad, non-constructive or just plain unfriendly team will make any work hell, but the right people can make a tough job feel easy, helping you and sharing responsibilities fairly.
Your opportunities for growth
Even a great job needs to evolve. If you’re in the same role with the same title and same pay for years on end, it’s time for a change: and some jobs will not offer you the same opportunities for development as others. If your career is being hindered by the options for growth where you are, consider trying elsewhere!
Your company’s mission
Working hard is easier when you’re passionate about the mission you’re all working towards. Maybe you don’t care about improving communication networks, but you do feel strongly about working in education, open source, or renewable energy technologies, for example. Don’t be afraid to seek out a company whose objective fuels you, too.
Your location
Knowing your needs regarding job location is a must: are you fine with showing up to the office five days a week, no matter how long the commute? Do you need a hybrid schedule to thrive? Or would you want a fully remote position? (And how compatible is that with your job responsibilities, too?) Do you have the skills for your preferred work mode? All these questions can help determine whether a workplace is right for you or not.
You should always aim for a job that doesn’t just pay the bills, but also satisfies you, excites you and makes you happy to show up every day. And if your current job isn’t that, you’re probably better off taking your chance to try out greener pastures!
But before you jump the gun, you have to know where you’re going next. Do you know what your dream career looks like and, especially, how to get there? If not, fear not: we’ve got you covered! Click here to grab Ironhack’s Career Vision Planner and Job-Hunting Checklist to help you pave the road towards your dream tech job!
