Boredom, exhaustion and the general feeling of dissatisfaction with one’s professional life happens to everybody. If the feeling does persist, however, you might want to check whether it’s more than a temporary thing.
First of all, think about the following: what is it exactly that you don’t like about your job? Is it this specific employer, or the whole sector? If it’s the former, the solution is easy – try looking for a similar job in the sector, choosing a different organisation. If it’s the latter, you need to make sure you know what you’re doing before you make any revolutionary decisions. Here are 6 tell-tale signs that it might be high time you considered a career transition. If you exhibit them, it means that your entire being is telling you that it’s time to find a different profession that better suits your personality and skills.
1. You feel bored, apathetic or afraid
If you often catch yourself feeling worn out by all those tedious and repetitive tasks you need to complete before your workday ends, you might just be experiencing burn-out. If this feeling is, however, accompanied by a deep fear for your performance at work, you might want to rethink your employment. Some people are so stressed out by the prospect of leaving for work that they start to become physically ill. In order to avoid this, ask yourself this question: is there anything I can do to make my job enjoyable again? If not, it might be a sign that it’s time for a career change.
2. The salary fails to satisfy you
If you tend to feel that your salary doesn’t really make up for all that boredom or stress you experience daily at your workplace, you might be ready to take a step back from your career and reformulate your plan. If the prospect of doing the same job feels like a nightmare, consider a career transition. The truth is that people tend to stick to their jobs out of fear of the unknown, but really wants to spend their life hating what they do?
3. You feel that you should follow your dream
Sometimes we catch ourselves in our mid-thirties and discover that talent we were always too shy to explore. Do you feel your unique talents could be used in a more meaningful way? Maybe people often tell you that you could be a really good instructor or career coach? Think about it – if there was always something you wanted to try, but were too afraid to divert from your career path, the time is now. Use your talents or interests to see if those sectors offer some great job opportunities.
4. You’re jealous of other people’s jobs
Even though jealousy is nothing to be proud of, it can sometimes become a motivating force for rethinking your professional life. Do you light up when people mention interior design or go completely crazy when talking about psychology? Don’t brush these observations away, but reflect on the reasons why you feel that way. If you find yourself jealous of other people’s professions, you might have just stumbled upon something that will give you passion and excitement in your professional life. Make your jealousy productive and seize your chances.
5. You’ve changed and no longer feel passionate about your work
This one is true for everyone – we change, our priorities change and sometimes, even our personalities and preferences become completely different over the years. If you start to think about your job as keeping you away from enjoying your life, changing your career might be in order. This could easily be the best solution to match your newly-found hobbies and lifestyle choices.
6. You cannot imagine yourself doing your job in the future
Try to imagine yourself in the future. Do you see yourself as a part of the sector in 5 years? Are you there, enjoying your life as an industry thought-leader in 10 years? If what you see is a blurred vision of you in the middle of nowhere, it’s a sign that you should reconsider your current professional choices and instead look for one that will satisfy your goals and make you excited for what the future holds. Changing a job is never easy, but with today’s multiple opportunities for retraining, like online courses and distance-learning opportunities, acquiring new skills can be quick and painless. A career transition is waiting just around the corner!