When to Change Careers: 13 Signs Your Career Is in Need of a Change
When you’re a kid, if someone asks you what you want to be when you grow up it’s often so easy to come up with an answer for them. Whether you want to be a doctor, a firefighter, or an astronaut, kids always have a strong idea of who they are and what they want.
So what happens? Despite that kind of attitude when we’re young, so many of us just end up settling into jobs that aren’t fulfilling in any way and that we don’t feel any particular connection to.
If you feel as though you’re not getting much out of your career, it might be time to change careers.
Deciding to make a career switch is a big decision and it’s going to require some careful thought and planning on your part. However, staying in a job that you no longer serves you can lead to a lot of stress.
You can also feel a great amount of burnout and dissatisfaction. If you’ve been feeling stuck and unfulfilled it might be time for you to start evaluating your current career goals and values.
Here are a few signs that it’s time for a career change.
When to Change Careers
1. You’re too stressed out.
If your job leads to burnout, you’re better off exploring other options.
Maybe you’re just not meant to be doing this. Even if the work itself is not stressful, you may be overwhelmed and anxious the moment you step in the office.
If new clients and projects bring you too much pressure, if you can’t stop thinking about work when you’re at home, and even have a hard time getting yourself to sleep, then your career is ruining your health.
Read also: How to Make Your Next Day Off a Career-Changer
2. You’re bored.
There are few things more frustrating than working a job where you find yourself staring at the clock every thirty seconds, just willing the time to go by a little bit faster.
There are a bunch of different reasons why you might find yourself getting bored with your job. Perhaps it’s below your abilities to the point where you don’t really need to think about it. Or perhaps you simply have nothing to do.
Either way, feeling constantly bored is a pretty solid reason to change careers and try something new.
A loss of motivation is another clear indicator that it could be time for you to make that career switch. If you no longer feel excited about your work and you struggle to stay engaged it’s time to move on.
Going through the motions at your job is not a good way to live. You deserve a career that challenges and inspires you and all you have to do is make a decision to go after it.
3. You dread going to work.
If you wake up every morning feeling anxious and very unhappy about going to work, it’s a big red flag. While every job is going to present you with some challenges, persistent feelings of dread and unhappiness suggest that you need a new environment.
It could be that the responsibilities you are facing are no longer a good fit for you. Your job should give you a sense of purpose and satisfaction. It should not be a constant source of stress in your life.
4. You didn’t really choose that career.
Maybe you’ve been following conventional wisdom so far, listened to what others were saying and did what was expected from you.
In this case, you became a doctor because your parents and grandparents are in that field and you didn’t even allow yourself to dream about something else. Or you didn’t really know what to do after high school, went to university and got a business degree, and then started working for the first company that seemed like a good choice.
But the dissatisfaction never goes away. You just become more and more miserable if you’re doing a job you don’t like. What’s more, you start hating it over time, you start blaming your relatives for making you take it, etc.
But what kind of a lifestyle is it if you’re a lawyer when you’re much more interested in finance and is where your efforts and time are better invested?
Go check out the banking jobs in the area. That’s the very first step to the biggest transformation in your life.
5. Your job is negatively affecting your health.
When you’re in a toxic work environment it can be overwhelming. Your job responsibilities can begin to take a toll on your mental and physical health if you are not careful.
If you experience physical symptoms such as headaches and fatigue from your job it may be time to consider whether or not you should stay.
No job is worth sacrificing your health. Look at options to change careers and then decide how you’re going to handle changes.
6. You feel like you could be doing something more worthwhile.
One of the other things that leaves a lot of people feeling as though they’re wasting their lives is that they’re not doing any real good for the world around them.
If you’re sitting at a desk doing nothing of any real value then, of course, you’re going to find yourself getting sick and tired of it before too long.
If you really want to change careers and find a job that can help people, then you could become a health professional or perhaps join a non-profit organization. No matter what you choose, there are plenty of options out there available for you.
7. You’re not passionate about what you do.
There may have been some passion and you may have found some meaning in your career in the beginning, but not anymore.
Listen to such signs. It won’t get any better if you’re bored and exhausted by it now.
There’s something you can work that will excite you, that will give you a reason to wake up every day and hustle, that will be your biggest challenge and which will make you feel alive. Find it and make the necessary career change.
8. You’re not given what you deserve.
It’s possible that your current career doesn’t give you the opportunities you deserve to exceed.
You may be in it only for the money, but at some point you’ll want more of it, and you may not be given the chance to receive a promotion.
Even if you’re a hard worker, have built a name for yourself and are looking to make something bigger out of this, you’re limited by the market itself, the people in your firm, the fact that what you do isn’t your true passion and it doesn’t come naturally to you (so you need to work twice as hard to see any progress).
But if you start figuring out when to change careers, you’ll enter a new world of opportunities. Your talents will finally be rewarded.
There you’ll be able to improve your personal brand, start a business on your own eventually, and live the ideal lifestyle doing what you love.
9. Your work-life balance is nonexistent.
If your job takes up too much of your time and you have no room for a personal life it may be time for you to make a switch. Having poor work life balance can lead to burnout which can negatively impact your health.
It’s also going to make dents in your overall happiness. Finding a job that respects your personal time and well-being is going to lead to a more sustainable lifestyle.
10. You’ve gone as far as you can go.
Career progression is something that you should be thinking about at all times. After all, no one wants to spend the rest of their lives doing the exact same thing day in and day out.
If you feel as though you’ve reached the limit of where you can go in your current job then why not try and find something else.
Whether it involves learning a new skill or simply developing ones that you already have, there’s nothing wonderful about being able to grow and develop as a person as a part of your career.
A job that doesn’t expect you to grow and develop is a job that isn’t really worth your while.
11. You constantly daydream about a different career.
When you start constantly daydreaming about another job or going into a different industry it may be time for you to take a pause and pay attention.
Your dreams and your aspirations deserve all the attention you can give them. Instead of ignoring your thoughts, you should start exploring potential career paths that may reduce your anxiety.
You may also want to explore your options for getting into these careers. It could be that you have to go back to school.
Sometimes though, it can be just as simple as being signed with the right agency such as My Mountain Mover which places virtual medical assistants in various jobs in the healthcare field. The bottom line is that there are often many ways into a new career path you just have to do your research.
12. Your industry is declining or unstable.
Another time to change careers is if your industry starts shrinking because of economic downturns and shifts in the market. Then it’s probably time for you to consider having a more stable career path.
When you start adapting to industry changes early it can help you to secure better opportunities before job security becomes a big concern for you.
13. You’re just not happy anymore.
Sometimes the biggest sign that you need to make a career change is when you have deep feelings of dissatisfaction. If your job is no longer bringing you joy, fulfillment or a sense of purpose it’s time to try something new.
Your happiness as well as your career satisfaction should always be a priority for you, so always consider this when deciding if it’s time to change paths.
Final words
Changing careers can be incredibly scary. However, fortune really does favor the bold.
Doing something scary for a moment is always better than spending all of your time wasting away in a dead-end job that you hate, trying to give yourself a reason to care about what you’re doing.
