Feeling trapped in current job.

[Ree121303]

Hi I qualified as a solicitor nearly 4 years ago and of late, have started to feel very unhappy in my line of work and wishing I had pursued something else. There are a few reasons behind this, namely 1) constant lack of support from those who are more experienced and who are supposed to act as supervisors but don't have the time or inclination to supervise/coach 2) pressure from bosses to bill lots and reach unachievable targets every month 3) feeling out of my depth too often as a consequence of point 1, 4) my priorities changing after having my baby (now a toddler) and 5) wanting to work in a less stressful/pressured job. I feel I have fallen out of love with the job and just don't have the enthusiasm for it now which is unfortunate but I guess it is what it is! I feel miserable heading in to work and take little enjoyment in it now, sadly. I would like to start looking for something else but I'm feeling uninspired and am unsure what to pursue. I would like to either continue in an office based role (but which role is the question and I would like something that paid fairly well) or to do something more creative. Any suggestions please? Many thanks. Ree

Hello
Sorry your post has gone unanswered - I noticed it because I’m in exactly the same boat.
First of all, do you think it’s the job you don’t like, or the working environment/organisation you are working for? Your first three points seem more about the lack of support you’re getting then about the work per se. If you’ve done four years, I think that’s a perfectly reasonable chunk of time on your cv to look for another firm who might be more supportive.
In terms of well paid office work... depends what you class as well paid and it really depends what your skills and experience include. Did you have a law degree before becoming a solicitor? Non-specialist jobs around me tend to be relatively low paid until you’ve got an area of specialism (eg commercial skills, project management, languages, accounting, web design etc). In my experience low pressure doesn’t tend to go hand in hand with high salary.
If you want to do something creative have you considered something like web design? Could you do some training in your own times and maybe develop a couple of sites as a portfolio?
I hope something crops up, I hate the feeling of wanting an out and not knowing where to go. Good luck!

Thanks for your reply SunnySomer.

You have a very valid point. When talking to family/friends about my predicament, I often say I'm unsure whether I've fallen out of love with my job or whether it's actually just the working environment I have the issues with.... I think your point is right- my main gripes are highlighting that it's the environment as opposed to the role itself.

I worked for another company for many years and qualified there. I became unhappy there for a few similar reasons (pressure to bill and communication from bosses only when they were being negative about something, but never any positive feedback). I also had bad experiences with the previous company concerning their treatment of me whilst pregnant.

Moving to the current company was my opportunity to consider whether the grass was greener on the other side and whilst I was happier here initially, the company structure has changed a lot and other staff have left which has meant the pressure has really been piled on to me. I started in a comfortable position and have been thrust into a more challenging role that I did not ask for and had no aspirations of moving to.

Yes, I had a law degree prior to qualifying. I have GCSE's, a-levels, a 1st class honours law degree and a post graduate diploma in legal practice. I would be willing to put in the effort to equip myself with new skills outside of work but the area I live in doesn't offer great work opportunities (I live in a small town).

I know I cant have my cake and eat it and that if I want to earn a decent wage, pressure or other work stresses will no doubt come hand in hand with that. I just wish I had greater job satisfaction and I miss the simplicity of previous jobs I did alongside part time study.

What area of work are you in at the moment and how are you feeling about it now? Do you have a Plan B you'd like to explore?

Thanks again for your helpful response. It has helped put things into perspective for me at a confusing time.

Have you considered public sector law (you wouldn’t be billing in the same way there). I do public sector commercial work and proportion of our lawyers seem to come from private sector having made the decision to do more socially valuable work. Often there is a lot more flexibility eg around part time working, working from home etc. It’s not all based in London - eg there’s a big GLD base in Leeds.
Obviously pressure still exists but I sense it may be different.
I want to change to a low pressure role because my dh works away from home and I’m finding it too hard to manage to do a good job and take sole responsibility for the family etc. But convenient and creative jobs are both hard to come by (certainly in my small town), and very badly paid. I’m trying to work out how to tell my dh that I want to stay at home....