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How to Know If It’s Time to Change Career

by Mar 9, 2020Job Career0 comments

Finding a career that’s fulfilling can be a long journey. There are only a handful of people who enter the workforce, knowing exactly what they want.
List Your Most Important Priorities
The average person has held 12 different jobs by age 50 to find the “perfect job.” For many people, this requires completely changing careers.

If you’re considering a career change, you’re not alone. In 2016, about 6.2 million workers left their jobs to work in an entirely different field.

However, putting these thoughts into action can be daunting. For some, it entails letting go of a stable job to head down an unknown path. For others, switching jobs mid-career may mean a lateral move, which can sometimes feel like a step backward.

Each stage in your career offers an opportunity to learn more about yourself. Those career choices you may think as failures can sometimes be the most enlightening and transformational steps to a fulfilling career. Recognizing when it’s time to move on from your current job to pursue other passions can be a win-win for you and your employer.

If you feel that the career path you’re on might not be right for you, use this opportunity to evaluate your feelings toward your current role. Find out if it’s time to get out of your rut and into the career you’ve always wanted with these signs.

You’re Unresponsive and Complacent

As days go by, you feel increasingly detached from your original reasons for entering the field. You’re not performing well, you’re missing your deadlines, and you don’t have the energy to fake enthusiasm about the company’s mission. But even if you’re passionate about your job, there are times when work will feel like nothing but work. But if you can’t recall the last time you felt excited by a new idea or your next project, then it might be time to rethink your purpose.

You Feel Like You’re Not Making an Impact

Your job duties are the same every single day. Each day looks and feels identical like you’re merely operating on autopilot. You feel as if your time and talents are not being utilized, and your best skills aren’t being put to use. It’s time to look for a new role that works to your strengths, provides possibilities to develop new skills, and allows you to make essential contributions. Your career should increase your self-esteem and not diminish it.
You Feel Like You're Not Making an Impact

You Dread Going To Work

All of us have days when we just want to hit the snooze button and find it extra challenging to get up and go to work. You might not be excited about a new project, or you’re anxious about a meeting. But it’s different this time because it’s happening every day. You’re dreading Monday as early as Saturday night. If you’re this dissatisfied with your current job, it’s about time you think about the other areas of work that might align better with your passions.

Even Your Pay Can’t Make Up for Your Discontent

While the pay might be good, the work is mindless and dreadful. At one point, you could justify sticking with the job because of the salary, but now, even the paycheck isn’t enough. You find yourself watching the second hand of the clock tick by during meetings and already planning your next vacation day after a long weekend. While you appreciate the stability provided by your job, you feel like you’re wasting your potential. It’s a clear sign that you could use a change.

Your Personal Life is Affected By Your Job

While work should be challenging, it should not be debilitating. If you are always exhausted, having trouble sleeping, suffering from headaches and other physical symptoms, this may be your body’s way of telling you that you’re not on the right career path.

Stress can also impact your relationships with other people, such as when your friends and family notice your irritability or constant complaining. If work is making you an unhappy or bitter person, you should begin exploring activities that will make you feel like yourself again.

You Fantasize About a New Career

You spend your lunch breaks imagining the things you’d do in “your next life.” You’re browsing job boards instead of work emails, and you’re becoming jealous of other people’s careers, wondering how they landed such “perfect” jobs. You cringe when people ask you about your job because you wish it were something different. You’ve thought about leaving, and you’ve even brought the idea up to some friends. If this is the case, it’s time to go.

What’s Next?

What's Next?
If you can relate a little too well with these statements, then start looking for a job that embraces your passions. Happiness is a critical component of job fulfillment and career advancement. Here are steps in planning how to make that career change:

Step 1: Find Out What’s Not Working

Your initial step should be taking time to understand and determine what exactly is causing you so much distress in your job. Is it from external factors, such as your co-workers, boss, organizational culture, or even the commute? If so, would switching teams or leaving the company will be the remedy to your unhappiness. But if you still feel the same sense of dread just thinking about the work you’ll be doing regardless of a change in scenery, then your discontent might be related to the duties of your job, and a more drastic change may be needed.

Step 2: Identify The Things You Like About Your Current Job

Think about your original reasons for being on the job. Were you motivated by the day-to-day responsibilities or the prospect of career growth? Examine the parts of your role that you still find enjoyable and try to understand how and why they interest you. Keep these parts in mind when planning for your next job to have a better grasp on areas to seek out or avoid in your next career move.

Step 3: Respect Your Core Values

Whatever your role is, it’s crucial to find a good cultural fit. Consider your values and understand what type of company culture suits your personality. Do a self-inventory, and make sure to be honest with yourself. Find out what keeps you feel bustling, even if it’s not what others think you “should” be doing. Your values might have changed since you first started working, and that’s alright. What’s important is to be clear about your priorities today.
Respect Your Core Values
Whatever your role is, it’s crucial to find a good cultural fit. Consider your values and understand what type of company culture suits your personality. Do a self-inventory, and make sure to be honest with yourself. Find out what keeps you feel bustling, even if it’s not what others think you “should” be doing. Your values might have changed since you first started working, and that’s alright. What’s important is to be clear about your priorities today.

Step 4: Evaluate Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Try to examine how your current role and your ideal role overlap. Consider your transferable skills, related experiences, and connections that will help you achieve a credible transition, especially if your current and dream jobs are two different worlds. You may also want to chart out the skill gaps that may get in the way. It takes time to carve out a career that’s rewarding and pays the bills, so be patient, and develop your plan.

Step 5: Develop and Execute Your Plan

After a careful self-inventory, plan out your goals and give yourself reasonable timelines. Focus on expanding your network connections and continually developing your skills. Most of all, don’t be scared by the search for your new career. It’s never too late to start again to do what you love, every day.

Here at Watkins & Associates, we can help you find a new career doing what you love. Give us a call at 713.334.4342 or fill out our website form and let’s get in touch today!

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