Life

Signs It's Time To Make A Career Change

by Erica Florentine

If you’ve been wondering a lot lately about the option of switching up your job path, there are certainly signs it’s time to make a career change that you can consider, based on a variety of different factors. Interestingly, sometimes by just listening to our bodies we can tell it’s time for a change. We spend a great day of our time each week at work, so how we feel about the job and the way it makes us feel can have a broader effect on us as a whole. It’s not realistic to say every person is going to be completely happy during every moment of their 9-to-5, but we can definitely all strive to be as happy as possible during these times.

Sometimes we’re forced to stay in a certain dead-end job because of personal reasons, be they financial or otherwise. However, if a job is truly making us unhappy, majorly cutting into our work-life balance, or tasking us with things that don’t match up whatsoever with our skills and talents, it’s more than OK to consider trying out a new career.

This article is by no means saying, “Quit your job and write a travel blog for free!” because — while that seems alluring — that’s simply not practical for most people. The article is, however, here to point out some signs that making a rationale career change can and should be in the cards for you.

1. You’re Always Completely Worn Out

If you love your job but you’re wiped at the end of each day, it’s very different feeling than if you hate your job and you’re wiped at the end of the day. Think about it this way: For most of us, we spend the large majority of our waking hours during the week at work. How our body reacts to it is telling. According to Forbes, sometimes our bodies will tell us what our lips cannot. If you’re body is giving you signs that your job isn’t right — for instance, you’re constantly getting sick, your stress level is through the roof, and/or you’re completely physically and mentally exhausted — take this as a hint. Whether it’s the actual work you’re doing or an awful work environment, listen to your body.

2. There Isn’t One Work Task You Enjoy Completing

In a dream world, we’d all love every minute of every day at our job. However, as we all know, life doesn’t happen exactly that way. Instead there are always going to be tasks we are required to do at work that definitely don’t bring a giant smile to our face. The major problem comes when none of the tasks we do make us happy or fulfilled. After a while, this might turn you into an unhappy person all around. That said, if you’re noticing this general feeling of unhappiness related to your career, perhaps it’s time to choose a new career that will revive your happiness and make you feel alive, according to Entrepreneur.

3. Every Day Feels Like A Monday

Take one look on Instagram on a Monday and you’ll notice it’s flooded with memes and quotes about how much the world hates this day of the week. However, for some people, every workday genuinely feels like a Monday. They feel sluggish, always bored despite the task at hand, and unmotivated. If this sounds like you, you might take this as a sure sign that the job you have isn’t the exact one for you.

According to David Shindler, author of Learning to Leap: A Guide to Being More Employable, a book on ways to be more successful in your career, one of the signs that you’re in a dead-end job is that the things you used to find enjoyable no longer are. In regards to that chronic Monday feeling, Shweta Khare, career and job search expert, noted, “No enthusiasm to get up and go to work is a sign you’re in a dead-end job. There’s no challenge, no opportunity that excites you at the workplace.”

4. You Can’t Pay Your Bills On Your Current Salary

This is such a huge one, because as an adult, we all realize how vital it is being able to get by (while also putting a little cash in our savings and paying for social outings). It’s important to go after a career you truly love, of course. However, there has to be a balance between loving your job and being able to pay your bills. The worst of worst cases is that you dislike your career and aren’t making enough to pay the bills, in which case it’s a sure sign you need make a change.

To combat this issue, be aware of your skill set, and seek out a job that you’re qualified for. By honing in on a career where your skills match the job requirements, it should allow you to be compensated at the right pay scale.

5. Your Personal Life Is Suffering

We all strive to be able to achieve that perfect work-life balance, and sometimes it’s definitely a difficult task. However, if you have a family or other important personal life commitments, and your career is taking up all of your free time, it might be time to reevaluate your priorities. For example, if you genuinely want to spend more time with your family, and it seems your job just won’t allow it, it’s more than OK to consider trying a different career that could allow for a better balance. Remember, not everyone needs to work 90 hours per week to feel fulfilled (though if that is the case for you, that's totally OK too).

6. You Feel Like Your Career Doesn’t Fully Match With Your Talents

Is your brain totally on-point when it comes to financial topics, yet you're out in field sales for medical devices? Are you an incredibly talented artist, but stuck all day behind a desk writing memos? As discussed, it’s sometimes difficult to make a career change if you’re not sure you can manage it financially. If the math works out, though, and you’re hoping to really match up your talents to your daily work — this is a time worth making a change.

7. There Is Another Career Path You Can’t Shake From Your Mind

I love writing not only because it’s my favorite hobby, but also because it’s something I feel is my top work-related skill. That said, for a while I was doing a job that found me crunching numbers all day and I was miserable. I wasn’t good at the job, I was unhappy doing it, and I couldn’t stop thinking about how much better off I’d be if I could make money writing instead of working with numbers and spreadsheets. I simply couldn’t shake this thought from my head. One morning I woke up and did something about it — I took the leap and changed career paths to follow my dream of being able to write all day.

Of course, I first ensured I’d be covered financially before making the decision, but with that security in mind it became the ultimate move for me. In the end, I’m happier than ever.

If you feel any of these signs are familiar to you, perhaps it’s time to make the necessary career change. At the end you, too, might feel happier, more financially secure, healthier, and more stress-free.

Images: Pixabay (4); Pexels (4)