Warning Signs That You're Ready for a Career Change

John Krautzel
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When you set off to conquer your professional aspirations, you felt as if you could jump over your stepping stones two or three at a time. At some point in your life, you noticed the fire started to dim and your passion for your career waned. Should you change gears and get an entirely new career path altogether? Watch out for a few warning signs that you may be ready to switch gears just a few years into your career. Changing careers may seem like a scary proposition, but sometimes, you just have to take the plunge and go for it.

You Feel Your Career Has Nowhere to Go

You notice several things about your career to this point that seem to indicate you are stuck in a rut, and you keep spinning your metaphorical wheels without going anywhere. For example, you bounce from company to company every few years but you do not improve your amount of pay or job title. You also realize that people hired after you get a promotion ahead of you. This is the time to think about whether you just do not have the motivation to work harder within your chosen industry.

Learning Curve

As you evaluate your position, maybe you feel as if you are not learning anything anymore. When was the last time you took the time to learn something new about your industry? Have you taken the initiative to learn something new at work in the past six months? If you do not want to learn something new about your job or your career field, perhaps you should find a better career path while you can physically handle the process.

Physical Feelings

Gauge your physical feelings. Notice your energy level over several weeks, and examine whether you are exhausted, fatigued or physically ill all of the time. This may mean your body is telling you what you need to do. Even if you do not say you want a new career, your physical body may not let you continue. You might consider changing careers and getting a new job before your body makes it impossible to go to work and your mind follows.

Emotional Capital

Assess your emotional capital at work and at home. Do you feel stressed, anxious, short-tempered and snippy? Do your loved ones wonder why you are upset all the time? Perhaps your workplace is making your mind toxic and you simply need a break for your own sanity. Grab a new career before it costs you any close relationships.

Boredom

Your working relationships do not fulfill any needs in your professional life. The entire day at the office goes from one task to the next, and you feel as if you do the same thing over and over again. Even worse, you feel no excitement about your job duties at all, and you go through the same motions week after week. You could probably set your clock to the inane boredom you experience at the office. Get into a new career before your boredom and apathy consume your life.

The Pay Is Not Worth It

You earned a promotion, and you should feel happy about it. Instead, your apathy and annoyance come into play. Instead of being happy with your added responsibilities and better pay check, $200,000 per year plus stock bonuses simply does not make up for the aggravation, emptiness and risks that come with the job. Do you realize that you have priorities other than money? Maybe it is time to take stock of what is important in your career and make yourself happy.

Not the Right Fit

When you were younger and you started down your chosen career path, your goals, hopes and dreams were possibly different than they are now. There is nothing wrong with changing directions later in life as your outlook on your career changes with your personality. Everyone grows, and your career should grow with you.

One final thing to consider is that your career is not worth your life. If a combination of factors at work creates a situation where you need to choose your life over your job, choose your life every time. Hopefully your career never gets to that point, but you need to notice the warning signs before something bad happens from which you cannot recover. Recognize that changing careers is okay, and that it is just a life lesson for you to go through as you come out better for it once you find your fresh, new path.

Photo Courtesy of Muhhamed Haroon at Flickr.com

 
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  • Shaday Stewart
    Shaday Stewart •

    Sometimes, the underlying problem isn't the career/industry. At their core, many people really want to be entrepreneurs, but are afraid to take that leap. They like their industry, but they'd rather work for themselves and set their own standards of business standards, especially when they don't agree with company ethics. But the everyday pressure of having bills and a family can snuff out that ambition. Still, more and more people are becoming self-employed, and I've personally had friends who left corporate jobs where they made more money but were horribly miserable.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Erin I went from working in a piano and organ store to joining the Navy for a 20 year career to working as a legal secretary to an executive secretary to a marketing assistant to a business analyst/technical writer... whew. Been in a lot of different careers but it's been a lot of fun. Anyone else?

  • Erin Jean
    Erin Jean •

    What's the strangest career change you've ever heard of? I know someone who successfully went from housewife to cop to registered nurse, before settling in Information Technology in her life.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    Thanks for the comments. @Jacob it is true that you might need to seek out professional help. Being unhappy; being bored - it can all lead to depression which can lead to problems at work as well as at home. A happy work/life balance is needed for all of us. Sadly 2/3 of our life is spent at work so, if you find yourself going through the list above and shaking your head in agreement - it's time for a change. Maybe as @William mentioned - maybe you can still pursue your passion without giving up your current position. And who knows - maybe just by pursuing that passion, you find yourself happier in your life - both home and work. After all, that's what all of are striving for isn't it?

  • William Browning
    William Browning •

    I think a healthy work-life balance can alleviate some issues that lead to a career change. When you discover something passionate about your life away from work, then you can use that as a fall back if you want a career change. Let's say you work in sales, but at home you become a master gardener with a huge garden landscape in your backyard. Why not turn your yard into a showpiece nursery to start a gardening business? A work-life balance can do many things for your career.

  • Abbey Boyd
    Abbey Boyd •

    When you find yourself bored with your current career, you know that something needs to change. Lack of excitement and challenge can make a person feel dull and unfulfilled. When you find yourself in this position, it's certainly time to take notice. A person's work is a large portion of life, and being unhappy in your career can and probably will carry over into your personal life. When boredom strikes, it's time to start looking at your options.

  • Jacob T.
    Jacob T. •

    Granted, the need for career change can be a huge factor, but this article really reads like a list of things to check for clinical depression. If you are tired, irritable, physically ill and lack motivation, that sounds like a great time to seek professional help and then consider a career change - you have to address the underlying issue before you can rectify the result.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    Thanks for the comments. @Lydia so very true. Maybe it's not the company but just the position and maybe there is a position in another department or a higher level position within your own department for which you are qualified. Go for it. Maybe it's really not time to leave. @Shannon yours is a bit trickier. Only you can know, based upon your knowledge of your supervisor, whether you should notify him or not. The rule of thumb is to offer to work for two weeks once you submit your resignation. Of course you wouldn't do that until you had accepted a job offer. It is kind of tricky when it comes to references also. If you ask a coworker to be a reference for you - will they go blabbing that you are looking for another position. That gets tricky. Maybe use references from other places and not from your current work place. Hope that helped.

  • Shannon Philpott
    Shannon Philpott •

    A career change is scary, but the symptoms that indicate it is time to move on can be much more debilitating. The challenge, though, is how to make the move without risking your current position. Do you recommend job seekers notify their supervisors that they are seeking other opportunities or keep it quiet? As much as we need the reference, it is worth it to put your job at risk during the transition?

  • Lydia K.
    Lydia K. •

    When it comes to thinking that you have no place to go in your career, my advice to make sure your feelings are authentically your own and not how other people expect you to feel about your job. I've found that a little research can turn up ways where you can transition to another level in your career that are close what you're doing already. You might be able to use the same skills you think are boring in new and interesting ways.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Andrew it is great if you have the time and can do both. But I have to ask why you would want to commit to a 16 hour day and no life outside of working. I am sure that you will many freelancers who work a normal 9-5 job and then come home and do a few hours of freelance work. But remember - take time to smell the roses or you will burn out of both.

  • Andrew S.
    Andrew S. •

    As a longtime freelancer who’s worked as an independent contractor more than he worked at conventional jobs, sometimes I wonder if I still would be able to cope with things like interviews and cover letters. But I’m also wondering if my soft skills would benefit if I took a traditional part-time position related to my industry. Any other freelancers out there who combine freelancing with full or part-time employment?

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    Thanks for the comments. So very true - if you are stressed out just thinking about work; if you dread getting up in the morning and going to work then it is time for a change - NOW. We spend 1/2 of our lives on the job so it goes to reason that we should at least "like" our job. If not, then we need to take a serious look at our situation and make some changes.

  • Erin H.
    Erin H. •

    This article makes a great point about emotional capital and physical feelings. Stress really takes it's toll on you both physically and emotionally. If your friends and family are pointing this out to you, it's probably time to move on. I think that it is far better to move into another venture than it is to risk losing a relationship over a job

  • Hema Zahid
    Hema Zahid •

    If at any moment you feel that your career is stagnating, then it is definitely time for a change. You lose the motivation to work hard when you know that there is no way for you to climb the ladder. I agree that it’s important to take a risk and change careers at such moments as a new career may prove to be immensely rewarding.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Katharine thanks for your comment. It might be easier to find a new job in the same type of industry but you have to ask if it's really the company or is it the job and the career you chose that needs to change.

  • Katharine M.
    Katharine M. •

    These are good tips, but I think a lot of them might just signal the change for a job change, not a career change. Toxic workplace, a job that drains your energy, or a lack of good coworker relationships might all be solved by finding a new job- which is usually a lot easier than changing careers entirely.

  • Nancy Anderson
    Nancy Anderson •

    @Mia thanks for that comment. By all means talk to your supervisor. If you find yourself dragging into work every day because you are unhappy - figure out why. Is it the commute? Is it the company? Is it the position? Are you bored? Is is your coworkers? Is it your supervisor. Don't just make an appointment to see your supervisor and then lead with something like "I'm not very happy in my job." Always try to come with a solution to the problem rather than just throwing the problem onto your boss. They will appreciate your honesty and, hopefully, you will be happier in your position going forward. Makes it easier than leaving there and finding new work. But, if there's no solution and your boss is not willing to take the time to work with you to find the right solution, then maybe it is time to move on.

  • Mia Greenwood
    Mia Greenwood •

    Would you recommend discussing some of this with your supervisor first? For example, perhaps ask for ways to branch out into new tasks or for opportunities to learn new skills? They may know of professional organizations you can join. This may be a way to get into a new position or in your current company, or redefine your job.

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