Career slumps² don't happen overnight. So it's no surprise that people often spend a decade in a chosen field only to figure out they're not doing what they want. 职业消沉并非突然发生的事情。人们常常会在某个领域工作十年后、发现做的并不是自己所希望的工作，这一点都不奇怪。

After working her way up the corporate³ ladder to become a vice⁴ president of marketing⁵, Pamela Skillings, career coach and founder⁶ of Skillful Communications, realized she wanted to do something else. 职业教练、Skillful Communications公司创办人Pamela Skillings就是如此。当一步步提升、成为营销部副经理后，她发现自己并不想做这样的工作。

She yearned⁷ for a career that would let her explore her passion for writing. 她所渴求的是一项能让自己激发写作激情的职业。

She coupled her experience in the marketing field and her interest in writing to launch a new career as a counselor⁸ and author. Her book, "Escape From Corporate America," is due out in May. 将在营销领域的经验和对写作的兴趣结合起来后，她开始了新的职业——咨询师兼作家。她的《从公司逃出》一书将于今年五月问世。

"You owe it to yourself to see what else is out there," she said. 她说：“要靠自己去发现别的选择。”

Marcia Worthing, co-author with Charles Buck⁹ of "Escape the Mid-Career Doldrums," lists five steps to digging your career out of a rut. Marcia Worthing，与Charles Buck合作写就《逃过职业中期郁闷》一书的作者，给大家提供了摆脱职业消沉的五步法则：

Assess 什么让你消沉？

It's important to pinpoint¹⁰ what is dragging you down. Simply telling yourself you're bored or tired of a job won't help you find solutions. 重要的是找出什么让你消沉。只是简单地说自己对工作感到无聊、厌烦不能解决问题。

"Figure out what's causing you to feel this way," Worthing told IBD. "Are you in the same job too long? Is it the job itself? Is it the people you work with? Then figure out what it will take to change it." Worthing建议：“找出让你消沉的原因。是不是同样的工作做得太久了？是工作本身的原因吗？还是同事让你不快？然后想想该用什么方法来改变。”

Rework 改变

Once you know what is causing you to be unhappy, use your findings to find a cure. You will look for different answers depending on why you are in a career slump¹. If boredom¹¹ is the issue, consider changing jobs within the same company. 找到让你不高兴的原因后，对症下药。职业消沉的原因不同，你也需要不同的应对方法。如果是因为工作无聊，考虑在公司内换个职位。

If you fear burnout, then some time away from work might remedy the situation. "Take a vacation or do activities outside of work that could fulfill¹² your needs," Skilling said. 如果是因为工作极度疲惫，那么可以休息一段时间。Skilling建议：“去度假，或是参加其他能让你满足的活动。”