Signs You’re Ready for a Career Change

The biggest reason my clients come to me is because they feel stuck and are unsure what their next career move should be.  They are questioning whether the path they are on is right for them or if it is time for a change.  But after years of working toward where they are, pressures from society, family, it can really feel like you don’t really know what you even want.

That is where I come in. I guide my clients through an exploration process called career mapping where we combine positive psychology, career assessments, and coaching to figure out exactly what your next step is, not based on what you think you should do or what is available, but what has been missing and what is perfectly aligned to the authentic you.

You may be questioning if you are ready for a career change, you may be wondering if you’re in the right job, wondering if you’re burnt out, and trying to figure out your next step.

I get it. Let’s take the guess work out. You can get your answer right now. I’m going to talk about several scenarios.  They may all apply to you. If 2 or more resonate with you, it is a strong indicator you are ready for a job or career change.

#1 You’re often stressed and tired after work – finding yourself frustrated with what happens, and it may be effecting your home life

For example you complain about one more coworkers or situations from work to your partner on the regular, you find yourself distracted thinking about how frustrated you are, why someone did what they did, and why things are how they are.

#2 When your alarm goes off, you hit snooze at least once, heck – you might be hoping for a snow day in July so you can just stay home

You know when you’re counting down to your next holiday or vacation, Mondays are a drag and it always feels like it’s finally Friday?  This is a good indicator you’re ready to explore a change.

#3 You feel like the work you do doesn’t matter to your boss, team or company in general

If you’re feeling undervalued, that you are taking up space sometimes and it’s an uphill battle to use your skills, be recognized, and feel valued, like your work matters, it can be time for a change.

I felt this way for a while before making a change. I was always trying to convince our leadership team that development of people was important, even more important than status update meetings and gannt charts.  It was like putting the cart before the horse.  It was exhausting.  Making a change allowed me to do what I love and what I’m awesome at without the resistance.  That’s possible for you too.

#4 You’re no longer driven to give your job 100%

When you find yourself feeling complacent, like you’ll just do what you need to, watch out – that’s an awful feeling.  You probably go back and forth between caring and trying to care.  Feeling hopeful things will get better so you really try to give it your all and give the 110% you typically do, but then you swing the other way because you’re so frustrated with the way things are that you just do what you have to.

You don’t put in the extra effort anymore because you think it doesn’t matter.  So you aren’t using your skills and the company suffers because you could be doing so much more.  You know that, you know they are the ones losing out.  But you just try to convince yourself it is a positive thing you don’t have to work so hard or be challenged in your work.  If what they want is your minimum (because your minimum is better than the average person’s best) then that’s on them.

This mindset is a huge indicator that you’re not engaged and need a change.

#5 You find yourself saying “yes” more, not really fighting for things you think should change, going with the status quo

You used to really fight for what you thought was right, what was going to yield the best results for the company.  But you don’t really care to fight anymore.  You just go along with what the bigger voices are saying, whether it’s Sally who always has an opinion and gets her way, Mark who your boss seems to love, your boss who thinks he’s collaborative but really isn’t, you just let them have their say and go along with it.  That’s being a team player right?

Friend, if you feel your light being dimmed and you don’t care to voice your opinion, speak up, and contribute, it’s time to explore why that is and how to get you in a mindset, role or company that enables you to bring your best to the table.

#6 You’re on social media frequently throughout the day or watching the clock, waiting for your work day to end

Days go by so slow.  You can do your job relatively easily so it doesn’t require 100% of your attention, so you fill some time by scrolling social media, doodling, busy work or work that you appear to be busy with, and just wait for it to be an acceptable time to turn off your computer.

This is another indicator that you’re disengaged, that you aren’t being utilized, and you’re ready for a change.

#7 Your job doesn’t align with your interests, skills, and/or capabilities – you may even be underutilized

When you find that your job isn’t challenging you anymore, or maybe you’ve lost interest in it, it’s time to recalibrate.  It’s totally normal for this to happen and it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with the company or with you.  We are human, we grow, we learn, and what you used to like, you may not like anymore.  Maybe you discovered a new passion, or maybe your role doesn’t require you to use all of your skills.

I run into the latter frequently.  Many companies in the STEM world tend to hire overqualified candidates.  They want the best of the best, but then give them tasks that lower level scientists or candidates can perform.  So after the excitement of the job wears off, they are bored. 

It’s possible to use more of your skills and I can show you how to get them used at your current employer or figure out if it is time to move on.

#8 When you take vacation, you don’t feel recharged or that it was enough

There is nothing worse than counting down till your vacation, having time off for several days, a week, two weeks, then going back to work and you aren’t recharged, you dread it.  That time away actually made you realize how much you don’t like your job anymore.

Ok, things can be worse, but that is an awful feeling.  It’s like you are worse off than you were before you left on vacation because now you know how unhappy you really are and may not know what to do.

So you might start scrolling through indeed or LinkedIn frantically trying to get out.  Before you do, it’s important to look at what you really want so you run toward something and not away.  Otherwise you’re likely to end up in the same spot a year later.

#9 You think about the positive side of your job and reason you should stay in terms of what is reasonable – how long you’ve been there, your salary, benefits, comfort of knowing what to expect

I remember these days, and it’s so common for my clients to feel they need to express gratitude for their job when they say they don’t like something about it.  Like, I really want to become a people manager but I keep getting roadblocks, but you know, I like my job, it’s a good job, I have great benefits and you know, you never know what you’ll get with another company.

Or, I’m really bored with my work but you know I have a flexible schedule and my salary is really good.  I don’t have to work that hard for what I get paid so it’s not that bad.

You don’t have to sacrifice one for the other. You can be fulfilled in your job and have the perks.  It isn’t a trade off and It is ok if you’re not happy. 

You can be grateful and unfulfilled and you don’t need to justify it.

#10 You sweat the small stuff at work – increasingly becoming more irritated by policies, coworkers, or your boss (or all of it!)

When you start dreading emails from certain people, rolling your eyes, thinking things like “here we go again” or “ugh, I wish they would just do their job for once” or “another waste of time team meeting” – you’re in a dark place my friend.  Those little things add up and our brains validate what we think so if you think your boss is incompetent, guess what? Everything they do will reinforce that for you.

We have to get to the root of that and clean up the thinking so you can be more fulfilled because it’s hurting you.  Your boss or the team isn’t thinking about your sleepless nights or that you spent another night having wine and complaining about work.  You’re hurting yourself, but you are totally capable of getting out of this space.

#11 You spend your free time thinking about and/or learning about different careers, roles, or departments

If you are regularly wondering how you can get into a new department, if you should change roles, if the neighboring competition would be the right change of scenery, so you start building up your resume, it’s time to take a look.  This can be good – like you know you need a change, but again we want to be sure you are running toward the right role for you and not away from your current situation.

#12 You browse job listings just to see what is out there

Every day, or regularly, at lunch you’re looking to see what new roles were posted.  You look to see if you’re qualified, maybe you’ll reach out to one of your network contacts to check in, just to see if there is any scoop of new positions.  You are convinced there must be something better or maybe you just want to have something in your back pocket.  Maybe you want to get an offer just to use as leverage or just to have the option to say screw you to your boss.

A former colleague once told me, once an employee starts scrolling for openings, they are as good as gone.  Their engagement is tanked and it’s only a matter of time.

#13 You have a nagging feeling there is something more or better out there for you

I love this one. So many of you have that feeling that there is just something more.  You have all the things, the relationship, the career, you’re successful and outside looking in, why would you want anything more, but you know there is something missing.  Something more you could offer the world, that you have a purpose you haven’t quite figured out yet.  This is my favorite thing to explore with clients.  If you have that feeling, it’s for a reason.

No one has that feeling and then explores it and we find, nope, must have been indigestion, nothing special there.

It isn’t always a great feeling to know that you’re ready for a change. Change can be scary and difficult to navigate – especially if you don’t know what you’re running toward.

If you were listening and more than once you were like, YES, that is me! Or oh my gosh, I totally feel that way sometimes, then it’s time to explore a change.  I suggest figuring out what that change is.  Like I said, it doesn’t have to be a new job or company, but you need something to shift.   

Going toward something is much more rewarding and will leave you more satisfied in the long run, then what many do – which is running away from their current situation – moving to the next “logical” step or same job, different company.

I encourage you to think about possibilities and not just what is available at your company hoping that will solve the problem.

You could just end up feeling the same way a few months or a year later.

If you want to figure out what your next step is, I encourage you to apply for coaching by scheduling a free call with me.  Once we talk you’ll have a better idea of what you should change and how to get there.  Go to www.melissamlawrence.com to learn more.  I’ll also put the direct link to schedule in the show notes: https://melissamlawrencecoaching.as.me/consult

That’s all for this week’s episode. Have a wonderful rest of your week.