5 Signs It’s Time to Make a Career Change

Jan 25

Finding a fulfilling career can be a long journey. Few people enter the workforce knowing *exactly* what they want to do - in fact, it is said that by age 50, the average person has held twelve different jobs in an effort to find the right fit (US Bureau of Labor Statistics). For many, this change may mean an entirely different career. In the US, August 2021, over 4 million people quit their jobs; and since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, more than 20% of people have made a career change (New York Times; US Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Each stage in your career provides an opportunity to learn more about yourself: your desires, your talents, your passions, and your values, leading you on the path to creating the fulfilling life you desire.

If you feel like it may be time to make a career change - you are not alone. But, how can you tell when it’s really time to make that change? How do you know it’s not just a phase? Ask yourself the questions below:

5 Signs to Make a Career Change

You are worn out and exhausted.
Do you have a hard time remembering why you wanted to go into this field in the 1st place or do you feel disconnected from those initial reasons? Are you checked out mentally? Are you underperforming or letting deadlines slip by? Don’t get us wrong - there will be times when work is going to feel like work (ugh, we know), but if you struggle to remember the last time you felt energized by a new idea or invigorated by your next project, it might be time to reevaluate your career.
You are doubting yourself and your skills.
If you are beginning to doubt yourself and the work that you do, then something needs to change in your working environment. Staying in a job or work environment that makes you feel bad about yourself as a person is never going to be worth it - no matter what the pay or perks are. No benefit is worth feeling down on yourself for. You DESERVE more and better.

Say it with us, “I DESERVE BETTER.”

A job that causes self-doubt can seriously impact your long-term emotional well-being and can make completing the smallest task seem impossible. A fulfilling career should be a boost to your confidence and self-esteem, not the opposite.
You find yourself daydreaming about quitting your job.
Are you spending your lunch breaks thinking about what you would do in another life? Does the thought of turning in your two-weeks’ notice excite you? Are you browsing job boards instead of work emails? When you’re at dinner parties, do you cringe when people ask you what it is you do because you wish it were something different? You’ve thought about leaving, you’ve even brought the idea up to friends in passing conversation. Would you leave your job “if you could?” If so, it’s time to get working on that exit plan.
You don’t really care about what you’re doing.
Are you performing on autopilot? Your job duties are the same day in and day out. Every day looks and feels identical. Do you feel undervalued - like your time and talents are being wasted? It’s time to find a new role that plays to your strengths, provides opportunities to develop new skills, and allows you to make meaningful contributions. Your career should excite and energize you, not drain the life out of you.
You are jealous of a friend’s career.
Are you wondering how your friends landed such “perfect” jobs? Feelings of jealousy towards the jobs, careers or work cultures of friends or family can be a sign that you want to be doing something else. Dig into why you may be feeling this way - Is it the job role you are jealous of or the company culture? Thinking of the root causes of why you may feel jealous will help to pinpoint exactly where you want to be going with your own career.