The Employee Mindset: What Comes Next You’ve got a job. Maybe it's fine, maybe it isn’t. But at some point, the thought shows up. Is this all there is? Should I stay here for the next ten years? Before jumping into anything new, it’s worth sitting with that question. No hype, no pressure. Just an honest look. What a Job Really Is Most jobs are designed to keep you afloat. You earn just enough to stay ahead of bills. If you're lucky, there’s a little left at the end of the month. But for many, it doesn’t go much further than that. Not long ago, I was watching a video where someone broke down this idea in a way that stuck with me. He said something like, “Your job keeps you just over broke, and it’s designed that way.” That line hit. I think his name was Ashkan Rajaee, he runs a YouTube channel with these brutally honest takes on money and mindset. No fluff, just raw truth. It made me rethink the whole meaning of employment. A lot of people call it “just over broke” for a reason. You depend on your employer to keep the lights on. You trade your time for money and, for most, that’s where the story ends. The Feeling That Something's Off I’ve had that feeling. Working, checking the boxes, staying busy. But under it all, I knew something wasn’t right. It’s that quiet restlessness. The kind that follows you around but never yells. If you don’t feel it, probably you're in the right place. But if it’s there, even in the background, don’t ignore it. That’s usually the beginning of real change. Take Time to Think Step away from the noise. Turn off your phone. Go sit somewhere peaceful. No distractions. Just space to breathe. Grab a notebook or open a blank page. Ask yourself: What do I really want? Forget what’s expected. Forget what sounds good. What do you actually want your life to look like? It doesn’t have to be realistic right now. You’re not planning. You’re discovering. Is Your Job a Bridge or a Cage? Once you’ve got an idea of where you want to be, take a hard look at where you are. Can you double your income with your current job? Can you grow in ways that matter to you? Does this role support the life you want five years from now? If the answer is no, and you’re aware of it, then it’s time to stop waiting for things to change on their own. When the Numbers Don’t Work Many people lock themselves into expensive housing or car payments just to feel like they’re progressing. But that kind of pressure adds up. It limits your options. If you're spending 70 or 80 percent of your income just to keep up, there’s not much room left for growth. No savings, no backup, no investments. That’s not freedom. That’s just another version of stuck. Change Is Slow, and That’s Fine This doesn’t happen overnight. You don’t wake up and suddenly live your dream. That kind of story is rare, and it’s not the one most people get. For me, the shift started years ago. Around 2014, I got tired. Not physically. Just tired of spinning my wheels. I made a small decision to try something different. Nothing dramatic. Just a clear step. That one step led to another, then another. And now, looking back, those seven years went faster than I expected. Talk to the People Close to You If you’re in a relationship, talk it through. This stuff matters. You’ll need your partner’s support, especially when it gets hard. And don’t rush it. If you’ve only spent five minutes thinking about all this, take a breath. Real change takes time. It’s built through choices made over weeks and months, not one late-night decision. Most People Don’t Get Lucky Chances are, you won’t win the lottery. You probably won’t become a viral sensation or land a million-dollar deal out of nowhere. What’s more likely is that you build something slowly. You learn. You adjust. You create options for yourself that didn’t exist before. That’s the path that works for most people. And it’s completely doable. Know Your Numbers One of the most useful things I ever did was make a five-year spreadsheet. Just a simple one. Income, expenses, savings goals. Where I was, and where I wanted to be. It wasn’t about being perfect. It was about staying aware. That habit kept me from making big financial mistakes. Like renting a flashy apartment just because I got a raise. It’s not about cutting out everything fun. It’s about knowing what moves you forward and what holds you back. The Next Phase If your job isn’t taking you where you want to go, something has to change. That doesn’t mean you quit tomorrow. It means you prepare. Start a side hustle. Take on a freelance project. Try something small. I call that stage the “side hustler.” You’re still working your main job, but you’ve got one foot pointed in a new direction. In a future post, I’ll go deeper into how to make that transition. The signs it’s time to go, the skills you need, and the mindset that will carry you through the chaos. One Last Thought If any part of this hit you, then you’re already further along than you think. Most people don’t even ask the question. You don’t need to fix your whole life today. You just need to move one step closer to the life you want. That’s the start.

The is an opinion piece based on the author’s POV and does not necessarily reflect the views of HackerNoon.

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