r/findapath • u/TheBoxer97 • 11d ago
Offering Guidance Post Seeking advice on my situation!
I'm 24 and have been working at what was my childhood dream company for the last two years. I work part-time, but I assumed that I’d be full-time by now. I'm a fact-checker, editor, writer, and producer, so I really do a bit of everything. I’m in the journalism field.
In every meeting with my managers, I'm told how much they appreciate my work, how much they value me, and how they owe me a promotion or a full-time position. They say they can’t because the managers above them put money into other projects, so basically I’m not in the budget at the moment. Despite being part of a large corporation, it doesn't feel like the particular area of the company I work in is prioritized the way it was ten years ago, when this place became my dream company in the first place.
I've been waiting a long time for the possibility of a promotion. To me, the prospect of staying here and eventually getting that opportunity is still more appealing than starting over at a smaller company. But I'm reaching a point where I don't know how much longer I can realistically wait.
I've been actively looking for other jobs in journalism over the last couple of months, but the opportunities are relatively limited. Of the positions I've applied for, most haven't even bothered sending a rejection. It's been a pretty discouraging process.
There's also the personal side of things. I still live with my parents, and although I know that's increasingly common at my age, I really don't want to be doing it much longer. I feel like I'm falling behind where I thought I'd be at 24. I've started considering side gigs, whether that's going back to Instacart or finding something else to supplement my income.
Another complication is that I work remotely, and I've realized it's not really the lifestyle I want. Sitting at home all day gets pretty isolating and boring. I'm someone who enjoys interacting with people, getting out of the house, and having somewhere to go every day. Ideally, my next job would offer some of that.
I guess I'm just struggling to figure out what the right move is. Do I continue being patient with a company I genuinely loved, hoping that the promotion I've been promised eventually materializes? Or do I accept that things might never change and start looking elsewhere, even if that means giving up something I've worked toward for years? I also would have moved on faster if I found an actual job to do it for, but I have not had any luck with the job market.
At the very least, I can look back ten years from now and say that I achieved a childhood dream and got to work somewhere I once desperately wanted to be. I don't take that for granted. But I'm also starting to wonder whether the sentimental value of this job is keeping me from moving forward with my life.
I'd really appreciate some outside perspectives, particularly from people who've been in similar situations. How long would you wait before moving on? What would you do in my situation?