How can I deal with feeling inferior about my job?

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I have a degree, but I am in a job that, while it is at a respectable company, is pitiful. People who know me expect me to be working at a higher skill job so it's become uneasy for me. I'm working on getting a better job, though, and I don't want to come off as un confident about my situation to people. How can I deal with this better way?

The job you have is up to you to decide. If others feel that it's not a suitable job then they can just find themselves a different one... Sometimes people that are highly qualified for advanced work do jobs that don't take advantage of all of those skillsets. This can be for multiple reasons that you can keep to yourself or share with others.

If they question and pressure you about it... I'd suggest just shrugging it off and unless you actually think any advice they give you could help just ignore whatever else they might say about it.

A lot of times people give me unsolicited advice or criticisms but they don't understand from my perspective all the reasons that I have for approaching my career or other things in the way that I am... often I get snagged in and try to explain myself to them but really none of us owe them explanations...

My advice, you can thank them for their advice, decide if you want to take it or not without telling them your decision and then move on. If you wanted, you could even do that with this advice lol

I guess the real advice though is... just trust that you know best for yourself

It sounds as though you're allowing your job to define who you are. While many people (like me) enjoy their jobs, a job is really just a means to an end.

Even though I have three college degrees, I've bussed tables and washed dishes in a restaurant just to keep a roof over my head and food on the table. I've worked the graveyard shift as a desk clerk at a motel. I've been a campus security guard. I've stocked and carried groceries.

Although I'm currently teaching Culinary Arts and have been a chef instructor now for 12 years, I've been through some pretty rough times in the past. Despite having once been laid off from one job due to budget cuts and despite having been unemployed for six months, I've always managed to stand on my own two feet and have never applied for welfare.

Many of the skills I've developed from lower paying menial jobs have also proven to be quite useful. I learned safe food handling while working at a supermarket. I learned how to clean and sanitize while bussing tables and washing dishes. In time this particular job led to promotions and additional training ... first as a prep cook and then as a line cook. I eventually became a manager and ran a multi-million dollar restaurant. All of these experiences have helped make me a better Culinary Arts instructor, particularly since it's my job to prepare students for entry level positions in the food service industry.

A lot of culinary teachers were trained through teacher education programs at a college or university and have never worked in the food service industry. I've personally never understood this. How can anyone prepare students for entry level jobs that they've never personally experienced?

In terms of your situation, I think you should look at your present job as an opportunity. What are you learning from this job? How could you use the experience at this job to get a more challenging position?

Attitude is important. Whether you're looking for a promotion within the company you're presently working for or looking for a job with another employer, what do you want your current supervisor to say when he or she is called during a reference check? Will you be the hard working employee who's punctual, reliable, and has a can do attitude or will you be the person who's been slacking off because he thinks he's too good for the position he's in?

Karma has a way of coming back to metaphorically bite you. The best way to avoid this is to keep a positive attitude and to always try your best.