Sound familiar? Thinking deja-vu? Too many people are stuck in a job going nowhere fast -- real fast. Although true, you won't hear too much complaining, since the job crisis fear factor has a lot of people terrified. It's so bad that even introverts are putting on a "happy face" at work these days. So you dare to step out on a ledge and want to move on to a role more challenging? Nerves of steel!

First things first, is the job stuck on you or are you stuck in the job? The former most likely means you're just too damn good at what you do. Oops, guess you won't raise your hand and volunteer again, now will you. Lol. Now if you're stuck in the job that likely means -- well, you guessed it, you're dumb as a doorknob and not ready to move on to the next mountain to climb. Perhaps you should be happy just to collect a check, in this economy. As for the previously mentioned overachiever, well the best way out of the dead end job is to train/mentor someone. That someone needs to have the same work ethic as you or it's going to be a hard sell getting the boss to buy-in.

So while being stuck in a dead end job can certainly be a drag, at least it's a job for the time being. Train someone to help with your exit strategy or for the other side of the coin, shut your trap, grin and bear it. When you feel like its intolerable, just read the news on unemployment, that will undoubtedly make it all better.

The economy is weak, policy is in flux and unemployment is high, what should you do? Go back to school, maybe, or skip the college degree and go for the OJT (on the job training)? Depending on who you're talking to the answers may support each of the questions asked - mutually exclusive of course. So which one is which? The right answer depends on the situation. For a spotty career track or just recently getting started on a career journey, it may be a good idea to head back to the blackboard and get some schooling in while you can. This of course is especially true if you're currently out of work. What do you have to lose?

For some, the OJT route is a better option. Why? well for starters the cost of going back to school for a degree. Last i heard, it wasn't free, despite all the ads almost suggesting that the Feds are giving away money to go back to school. Make no mistake about it, considering the student loan aspect is a wise decision. This of course, is why OJT is in a lot of times more valuable - both in terms of money and time. You get real world experience doing it -- versus the classroom which is often well behind what the workplace is actually doing. On the flip side, it almost like a conundrum, you need to gain the experience "on the job" but you need to have the experience to "get the job." Yep - that's a classic catch 22, that apparently is even worse these days as employers get more and more leery of hiring the long time unemployed. Now to throw one more monkey wrench in the equation, even if you started work on a college degree today, would the economy be better 4 years from now? Who knows. It's a gamble - not quite like Vegas but a gamble none the less. Bottom line is that you're going to have to sit down and weigh the pros and cons (for your situation) as far as skipping a college degree and going for training on the job. That's perhaps the best way to see what's what rather than a knee jerk reaction to unemployment or paying for school.