Feeling trapped and misled

I feel like I am exposed to a common theme in my employment history; I apply for roles, am successful, then when I get there it’s a completely different job.

I am now in a position coming into an election and the associated caretaker mode and then a possible new government, and I am literally facing the prospect of being required to completely re-skill in my current substantive position. My career trajectory can be described as stilted as best, but this latest transition has been rather unsettling. Within two weeks of commencing in the role (September 2024) I was told of a restructure and therefore the entire body of work I was to be responsible for being moved to another branch with no option for me to follow it. At the time, the team was too busy delivering a time critical project for me to be too concerned. I tried not to dwell on the negative and instead considered that there might be another opportunity, where I could appropriately utilise my skill set, that may arise in the interim. It has not.

Now the large project is delivered and the new BAU is coming to fruition, honestly, I’m disheartened. I am already pretty time poor; studying (supported by work), managing a household (my partner works 70 plus hours a week in a high pressure job), and therefore I have a lot of carer responsibilities. I just don’t think I have the brain capacity, or the desire, to retrain in a role that really doesn’t interest me or align with my career goals and more importantly my values.

I welcome any and all advice, even if it’s to ‘suck it up princess, because this is what the APS is all about’. Which I am well aware of…