Dreaming of a career change is a near universal experience for anyone with a job, typically arising in the wake of repeated experiences with unfulfilling work, lackluster bosses, or a sense of general dissatisfaction with your chosen field. The result might be a lot of venting to your friends and family and aimlessly clicking on job postings until things get more tolerable again, or you decide you truly need to make a change.
This is a common cycle, and it’s easy to get stuck in it for years. The good news is that you can escape it with some sound strategies, and making things better doesn’t always require a complete career overhaul. If you’re stuck in a career rut, ask yourself these questions to help you figure out your next move.
Do you really need a career change?
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Being able to recognize the difference between a bad week, month, or even “season” (all of which will eventually pass) and the need to change your career entirely is a valuable skill. For many, career and life are intertwined, which makes it tricky to tease out the root cause of their dissatisfaction.
There will always be tough times in a job, and most periods of professional difficulty eventually pass. Taking stock of what is going well, what you’re learning, and what is valuable about your current career can help you stay focused and endure the rough patches.
Many of my clients come to me seeking a career change, but after some exploration, they discover a need to make changes to their lives, by way of making more time for their health, hobbies, relationships, or rest. Because they spend so much time on and in their careers, they have lost sight of who they are as humans. Upon this discovery, many become motivated to look for ways to shift a percentage of their energy away from their jobs and toward the things that are missing in their day-to-day lives.
Before you launch into a search for a new career, figure out if your current job is really what’s making you miserable; otherwise, your problems might just follow you wherever you go.
Are your emotional expectations reasonable?
Every job, and every career field, brings frustration and stress. You will make mistakes and disagree with others, which can foster disappointment, guilt, or embarrassment. While these negative emotions are uncomfortable, they are completely normal. Many of us have been fed the idea that “career success” is about ease, which brings happiness. If work isn’t easy and we’re not happy all the time, then there’s something wrong with us or the job. This is misguided thinking.
Challenging dynamics and negative emotions are natural and expected. They are not necessarily an indicator that something is wrong with your career. Rather, they are the result of humans working together.
This is not to condone bad or toxic behavior at work, or to give license for people to be disrespectful to their coworkers. But it’s important to ask yourself what you expect out of your career on an emotional level, and if building a new skill set to handle challenging dynamics and negative emotion could be more fruitful that abandoning your current path. After all, these stressful dynamics and emotions are a part of any job. Building your skills to handle them might benefit you more in the long run.
Are you being realistic about your financial needs?
Let’s say you indeed want a new career—your “life needs” are being met, your emotional expectations and skills are in check, but you’re still itching for a change. A lot of career advice suggests the first step is finding your passion., the idea being that once you do, you will know what kind of career to pursue, and thus feel more fulfilled. But satisfying careers don’t need to overlap with your personal passion, and spending time trying to uncover it could be a waste.
Instead, get practical: For most people, jobs afford them a means to live, and your salary is one of the most important aspects of your career. If you want to change your career, then you will also likely change your salary. This might mean reducing your pay (even if only initially, as you gain experience) in your quest to so something more satisfying.
While you don’t want to rule out a career change based on the financials alone, these considerations must be included in any decision you make. That means you need to have a clear picture of your financial situation before you make a move: Your debts, your savings, your monthly needs, and how much a career shift is likely to cost (or benefit) you. That will give you a good idea of the financial flexibility you have to pursue a change.
Do you have someone in your corner?
If you haven’t had success pursuing a career change on your own, it’s time to bring in reinforcements. Hire a career coach. These are folks who are trained to shepherd you through this process. If that won’t work for you financially, you can also partner with a friend or former colleague.
Whoever you choose, it should be someone you trust enough to share your goals and your financials with, and who you know will help keep you accountable. Treat it like a project, and schedule routine meetings during which you will share updates on the progress you’re making. You want someone in your corner who will not only cheer you on, but also challenge your ideas of what you think you can do (and afford).