Are you stuck in a job you can’t stand, but can’t leave?

Judith and her husband needed her income and benefits so he could make an important career move. She took a job she thought would be good, but it turned out to be awful.

In one of our sessions, Judith said to me, “I feel like I’m on a desert island. There’s nothing here for me, but I can’t leave the island.” That’s where I got the term “desert island job.”

Judith wasn’t unique. Up to 40 percent of workers want to leave the job they’re in. A lot of them don’t think they can because they need the income or the benefits or it’s the only option to practice their profession or some other good reason.

I’ve worked with dozens of clients like Judith in my coaching career. The same things I told her are probably true for you.

The first, and most important, thing you need to do is take inventory of the things you can control in your life. You may be able to do this yourself, or you may need help.

Most of my clients move on after only one or two sessions because once they know what they can do they can move on without my help.  With other clients, we consider the two basic options available.

You can plant a garden, so that you have some support on the island. Or you can make plans to build a raft and escape.