Are you due for a career change

Career Change: Are You Due for One?

Let’s take a look at some of the signs that you might be ready for a career change.

Signs You’re Ready for a Career Change

Your body can’t keep up anymore

You know the feeling.

You’re tired and drained at the beginning and end of each day. You just can’t seem to grasp the motivation that you need to start your day. You have what seems like permanent tightness in your shoulders. The aches and pains have set in, and you might even be finding yourself getting sick more regularly.

It’s normal to have these types of feelings once in a while. Perhaps you have a big project at hand, or you have a meeting with your boss that you’ve been dreading. But if the unshakable feeling of exhaustion is rearing its ugly head on a near daily basis, it’s time to rethink your current position.

It’s possible that your body is trying to tell you that it can’t do the job that you have anymore.

Constant thinking about a different job

How often do you have that feeling of dread on Sunday evenings when your weekend is coming to an end? Do you feel like you are constantly thinking about a different job? If you have persistent thoughts about what type of work might actually be fulfilling or enjoyable, it might be time to consider a career change.

Maybe you spend your break time daydreaming about what it would be like to have another job or you catch yourself perusing online job boards while you’re at work. Maybe you’re starting to feel envious of your friends in their careers.

If you’re constantly thinking about a new career, it might just be time to get one.

Confidence tanks

Many people associate their career with their identity. So, when your happiness at your job takes a fall, it can cause you to begin to have negative feelings towards yourself.

As odd as it might seem, a confidence drop can actually cause a person to stay in the wrong job for them. Once doubt sets in about your decision-making abilities, you might not trust yourself to make the right choice. Making the jump from one career to another takes a lot of bravery, but the benefits of the change are likely to be invaluable.

If you feel your self-esteem dropping, that’s a sign that you need to start looking at other career options.

If it weren’t for the money, you’d have left by now

Everyone needs money to survive. Everyone has bills to pay. However, there are plenty of ways to make money without it sucking the life out of you.

Maybe at one point your salary made up for the dull and dreadful work that you do, and maybe this is no longer the case. Your life should not have a price tag, and if your salary is what is keeping you from exploring other options, then you need to explore other options.

If money is the only driving factor that’s keeping you at your current job, it’s time to consider a new one.

Self-medicating

The idea of self-medicating goes beyond what people normally think of. Maybe you don’t necessarily see it as a flaw, but it’s there. An additional round at the bar that you go to every night after work. One more season of your favorite TV show instead of addressing your other responsibilities. An extra shopping spree because, well, you deserve it, right?

If you’re using something to ease the distress and anxiety that you feel from work, it’s time to start seriously thinking about what a new job might do for you.

Dual personalities

Do you sometimes feel like you are two different people in one body? You feel like you have two (or more) personalities for when you’re at home and when you’re at work. Like every morning before work you have to put a personality mask on in order to be able to do your job effectively.

Maybe you are much quieter at work than you are in your personal life. Maybe at work you’re more worried about impressing your boss than you would be with people outside of your job. It can make for a very uncomfortable cycle when you’re constantly switching characters.

You don’t have to be stuck in a job that prevents you from being yourself.

Not looking forward to the future

You look at your current role within your company and you’re not pleased with your position. But, when you look at the job of your boss, or even your boss’s boss, you simply cannot imagine having to do that job. So, what does this mean for your future at your current company?

Not looking forward to future opportunities could be a huge sign that you are working for the wrong company, or even the wrong career field.

Maybe it’s time to seek out other choices for employment.

Not being proud of what you do

What if you needed to put together a portfolio of the work that you do? How do you feel when someone asks you what you do for a living? A lot of times people will come to realize that they need a new career when they grasp that they have very few projects that they can talk about with pride.

It’s possible that your current employer is not providing you with everything that you need to create the level of work that would make you proud. Even if you are good at what you do, that doesn’t mean that you are proud of it. Imagine if you had all the right tools at hand to craft the quality of work that would make you really want to show it off.

If this is the case, it might be beneficial to consider how a different company or career could give you these feelings.

Job incompatibility

Incompatibility happens when someone just does not fit well within the work environment that they are in. It often leads to poor performance, which can not only hinder you from getting your job done, but it could also potentially damage your professional reputation.

Maybe you’ve already tried to make things better by yourself and they just aren’t improving. If speaking with your boss or even realigning your role within the company hasn’t made any progress, then you need to consider whether you are in the right place.

If there are issues at work that a few modifications won’t fix, it is likely that it isn’t really the job for you.

Apathy

You have a constant feeling of disconnection. The quality of your work is deteriorating, and you just feel depleted. You can no longer relate to your company’s mission and most times feel like you just don’t care anymore.

This can happen when you are continuously assigned tasks that are not fulfilling, or you find that you don’t have the resources you need to do your job well for a long period of time. You haven’t felt motivation in as long as you can remember.

Workplace apathy is a clear sign that you need a serious change.

 

Why now is the Time for a Career Change

 

We are in a period of uncertainty, and times like this often make people reassess their priorities. Although it might be a terrifying thought, changing jobs within a pandemic might just be what you need.

Assuming that you need to put your professional life on hold because of the pandemic would be a mistake. Maybe you are just now realizing that the job you have is no longer fulfilling or that a job change would be right for you. There are so many reasons that right now is a great time to contemplate a career change.

With the current situation, it is not uncommon for a person to take a moment to really consider what they are spending their time on. Now is a good time to look back at times that truly made you happy and assess what you were doing at those times. Could those happy moments be translated into a career that you can make a living from?

It’s likely that the pandemic has helped everyone in some way to see their priorities more clearly. The ideas of work/life balance and flexibility are becoming more and more important to those who are seeking employment or are considering a career change. Now is the perfect time to explore other career options that might provide you with just the right amount of flexibility that you need with the emergence of new remote and work from home jobs. Employers are giving their workers more independence than ever before, and schedules have become more open to opportunities like education or networking.

Now more than ever, employers are being more supportive of career changes. This is the perfect time to seek and accept new opportunities that arise. You just might find that it was the best decision you ever made.

 

What to do About it

In order to make a successful career change, there are some steps that need to be taken before you make the leap.

Become more self-aware

Self-awareness will help you decide which career path is right for you. Ask yourself these questions: What am I trying to achieve? Is there anything specific that I am doing well? What am I doing that is slowing me down? What can I do to change? Being mindful of the answers to these questions will undoubtedly benefit you in your career change.

Take time to explore your options

Finding the right career is not something that should be taken lightly or flown through at lightening speeds. This is your chance to really investigate and discover the possibilities that are out there. One of the best ways to explore your options is to use an online job board like the one right here at FindaJobPA.com.

Make use of your network

Make sure to share your goals with your friends, family and professional network. These people may just be able to provide you with valuable ideas, advice and constructive criticism. Begin looking for new networking opportunities that line up with your new goals. It might even benefit you to find someone to talk to that already holds your new dream job to get insight on what it really takes.

Acquire the skills that you will need to thrive in your new position

Work on getting the education that is required to perform your job. That might be in the form of a new degree, or it could be as simple as taking a couple online courses to learn the skills that you need. What new skills do you need, and what do you need to be able to develop those skills?

Make a plan

Before making the jump to a new career, you need to have a solid plan in place. Write down all of your goals and what steps you will need to take to reach them. Don’t forget to track your progress!

Execute your plan

Work your new plan as if it were your actual job and you’ll be well on your way to finding one!

If you are a company in need of help with recruiting, interviewing, or other HR related issues, please call Melissa Verischetti at (814) 590-6221 or visit www.blacknwhitebizsolutions.com/ to see how we can help you today!