Your career may be stalling and you don’t even know it.

Pay attention to these red flags.

Jobs that are OK-but-not-great have their own unique challenges.

Illustration of a person in business attire being held back by elastic bands attached to a wall, indicating struggle

And thats where you might hit the dreaded job plateau.

The beginning of a plateau doesnt feel terrible, Orbe-Austin said.

you have to kind of then think about What is next for me?

Woman sitting at a desk with a laptop, looking thoughtfully to the side. She wears a white blouse

Here are some of the most common ones:

1.

You have hit the limit of what you’re able to learn from your role.

Wulfhart gave as examples.

Two professionals engaged in a discussion next to a laptop on a desk

Sometimes you literally just have to put in the time.

Your bosss words and actions about your career path consistently do not align.

People love praise, and they love the idea that someone is looking out for them, Wulfhart said.

Woman in glasses looking thoughtfully at a laptop screen in an office setting

That kind of thing can keep you coasting along for a really long time.

You cant stop thinking about quitting.

Wulfhart said many of her clients come to her with job plateaus they have been in for years.

Man in a hoodie smiling down with interlocked hands, indoors with a blurred background

Youve stopped caring about your work.

Does every day feel the same at work?

Oftentimes when people are in a plateau, theyre not really thinking about it.

Woman at desk with dual monitors working on a document. She's focused, wearing a casual sweater

Theyre just going through the motions more than anything, Orbe-Austin said.

Heres how:

First, decide if youre OK being on a plateau.

before you dive in job-hunting, assess what your current job is offering you.

Person playing basketball on an outdoor court, dribbling the ball, wearing athletic attire

I have a friend who has worked in medical publishing for 25 years.

And he does not care about medical publishing, she recalled.

But he has a band, and hes really into the band.

And this is a steady, reasonably well-paid job …

So thats a perfectly good reason to stay at a job.

Find a creative outlet that will bring much-needed energy into your life.

Nurturing a new passion can help you see what you have been missing at your job.

Like, why am I putting up with less at my actual job?

data pipe to find out what would be a better fit.

People often stay in job plateaus because of their fear of the unknown.

But youve got to know the place first before you jump in doing that.

Dont give up.

Wulfhart said our brains can trick us into thinking like, Oh, everythings fine.

you could just stay here, just because looking for jobs is so miserable.

Changing jobs is scary.

And that kind of peace of mind is priceless.