I know what you are thinking. This is fucking absurd. Life shits on people sometimes. They suffer setbacks well beyond their control. They wind up in situations no one could have predicted. The universe is random.
Yep. I get it. I lived it more than once. HOWEVER – you must wake up everyday as if your destiny is in your own hands. Even if it isn’t. If you don’t treat your life like you have the agency to change it, you will sabotage and defeat yourself.
You can’t whine about not making enough money, or the shortage of opportunities at your job, or the shitty boss who ignores your ideas. Don’t whine about things you control.
When dealt a hand, it is yours to play. You can change every part of your job, including your boss, your role, your money and of course – whether or not you work there. Sometimes it takes time, effort, or evil machinations… But it can be done.
That said – if you really feel you can’t, or it isn’t worth it – leave. Never stay at a job because you are afraid to go, dread the hunt, or think there’s no place else for you. Just line that job up first.
Corollary:
A Pro who has chosen to stay despite a job’s faults has made an active choice, deliberating on the pros and cons. Sometimes the right choice is to stick with a less than ideal hand. But making the decision for yourself is important. If you want to find out if you are in the driver’s seat in your career, you only need to ask yourself one question: “Did this happen to you or did you make it happen?”. A Pro made it happen.