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I work for fast paced but high growth organization so there is plenty of room for growth and education and learning.

However, I am stuck in this weird typecasted role that none of the managers realize so there is very little growth opportunities for me. I was in the middle of leaving the organization 5 years ago, and uppermanagement didn't want me to leave and at the same time there was this position available in a different department that paid more and a TINY bit more challenging. Which wasn't enough to be appealing for me. I ended up taking the job becuase the true benefit that i saw later was my new manager is someone that is more easy going, team work oriented and very knowledgable and I thought I'd be able to learn alot and be challenged.

Didn't turn out that way. While I have a lot of work, all it is..is mundane tasks that I did in my previous department (which wasn't what i was told would happen). I am bored most of the time, I am given TOO much autonomy and I have to create my own work for myself just to not go crazy.

I have approached management many times over the past couple of years asking to be challenged and I even offered to help him. I even offer up ideas that I know will improve processes and systems. He never takes me up on any of my requests, granted I know he's busy. Plus add in the fact that he seems to think I don't have any experience in the things I want to do, when in fact I do have strong skillsets and no amount of convincing has worked.

The other problem is, over the years I have been typecasted as the guru of analysis and statistics. It comes easy to me but it has never been my role. But people keep telling new employees to approach me if they have any analysis questions, instead of going to the employee who's job it is to do analysis. While its nice I'm being complimented, its mundane work and I don't like the reputation. I want to be respected for the areas that I love, that I enjoy...that I don't get allowed to do on a regular basis.

What is a good approach in getting management to:

1)Allow me to be challenged more 2) Allow me to be involved in the areas of the department that I'm passionate about
3)How do I change my work reputation?

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  • If you are the guru of analysis and statistics then why is that not your role? You have 7 paragraphs about you are not doing what you want to do but you have not stated what your passion is. How can you expect management guess? – paparazzo Dec 5 '14 at 1:55
  • Every place I have worked has a yearly review process. Part of that process is filling in the upcoming year's objectives. Find the role that you want to transition to, figure out the tasks involved in that role then for your objectives put something like "Gain experience in performing task A. Gain experience in performing task B." etc... If you don't have a review process like that then still go figure out exactly where you want to end up, figure out what skills are needed then schedule a meeting and tell your manager you want to learn these skills. Skills first then ask for promotion. – Dunk Dec 5 '14 at 22:12
  • @blam its not my role becuase I don't want it to be my role. I don't like doing it, they ask me all the time becuase it makes the most sense to me. I have told them so many times, they need to seek out the person who's job it actually is and they don't do it. – user19009 Dec 5 '14 at 23:00
  • I have also told management the things I am passionate about. I even mentioned it during my annual reviews. They keep making empty promises. There technically isn't a role i can move into aside from managements lol. But what they can do is involve me projects and dealings that I could assist them with that I also could learn from at the same time. But all i get is empty promises. – user19009 Dec 5 '14 at 23:01
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People will always utilize you in the way that is most useful for them, not you. So, if they see you as useful at analysis and they need that, they will assign you to it.

A lot depends on the kind of business it is and how revenue is generated, but if you are on the "service" side, and not a rainmaker, you are really at the mercy of whatever they want. Your personal what-makes-me-happy is, at the end of the day, completely irrelevant to what makes the business work. Remember the business is about making money, not making you happy. And if you are not happy, well, then you can be replaced with somebody that is happy about being an analyst.

If you don't like what you are doing, then it is better to move on to some other company doing what you want to do, rather than trying to contort your current situation into something different.

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  • I was asked originally to take this position to fix an underperforming program. After a year I was able to turn it around and make it the #1 performing program. But then once that happened, they just defaulted me to basic administrative work (not what they made this position out to be when they first told me about it) becuase they didn't think about what they would do after I fixed things. – user19009 Dec 5 '14 at 23:10

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