Advice Part 108- How to tell if it's time for a new job

When I was but a delicate flower, not yet weary of the world and its ways, I was naive enough to believe that a joyous and fun-filled career awaited me. I imagined myself skipping (well, that's perhaps a SLIGHT exaggeration) to work in the morning, to spend my day doing interesting tasks, surrounded by friendly colleagues, and being paid an enormous wage for my troubles.

Aah, how foolish I was....

My mantra is now not so much "If you do a job you love, you'll never have to work a day in your life" as "Another day, another dollar" (a phrase I adopted from the local sage, otherwise known as my neighbour).

However, my advice to young players is that there is a BIG difference between being "a little bit restless" at work, and finding yourself COMPLETELY BORED OUT OF YOUR SKULL, and if you're in the latter camp, it's probably a good idea to start looking for other opportunities.

How do I know this? Read on.....

I have been in my job for approximately 7 months. It's certainly not the worst job I've had, but it's not exactly excitement by the minute. I sit in front of my computer ALL DAY, researching such topics as hand washing hygiene, the government's policies on integrated care in the 1980s, and whether there's any empirical evidence out there on ePrescribing. Sure, it's (vaguely) important work. But let's just say, if asked to describe my dream job, it definitely wouldn't be this.

I realised how bored I was yesterday, when, upon checking my calendar, I saw that I was scheduled to have my flu vaccination at 10:45am.

And, I'm sorry to admit this, but I was EXCITED by the prospect.

OK, so being stabbed with a needle isn't exactly pleasant, but

• It would give me an excuse to spend some time away from my desk on "legitimate business" 
• My colleagues had reported that the line was very long. Bonus! Even more time away from the office
• If I was brave, I would receive the obligatory lollipop (and cartoon character sticking plaster) for my efforts

What more could I ask for?!

Bubbling with enthusiasm, I headed off to the injecting room nice and early, and I was rather disappointed when I found myself back at my desk less than 20 minutes later, with another 6 hours of tedium stretching before me.

Has life come to this? Unfortunately, yes. 

But hey, if I'm clever, I might be able to schedule in a few trips up to the tearoom to fill up my water bottle, followed by a bathroom break, topped off with a sortie to the downstairs stationery room to really liven things up!

Or not.