Think back to your teenage day, when all you did was aspire to become a lawyer, a doctor, or a pioneering leader. Unwavering, you would proudly announce to your mates that someday you’ll have attorney attached to your name.
… Except that a decade later you realised liberal arts was your forte, and you landed up working in publishing. Fine, you love your job and new-found path. But eventually that question mark creeps up again. Am I doing what I really love? Am I getting anywhere? Do I even really enjoy writing?
No matter what you do (or thought you would do), determining the right career path has never been an easy road. For many, it takes a lifetime to discover their true calling. Essentially, it’s a process of trial and error, but it’s better to notice the signs that it’s time to change careers early on, rather than later. Moreover, the stigma of jumping careers is fast becoming antiquated—especially as Millennials dominate in the workplace with prospects to incessantly learn, develop, and advance in their careers.
Here are possible signs that suggest it’s your time for change.
You are frequently worn out and exhausted
You are back to work after a fulfilling weekend, but your Mondays are lethargic and mundane. The idea of getting to work sours your mood and you feel tired all day long. Seeing your colleagues at work isn’t as exciting as it used to be, and receiving new tasks doesn’t fascinate or challenge you anymore. These are some of the first signs you might notice when your body and mind are no longer content with what your current situation.
Your feel less enthused & demotivated
When you first started your job, you were eager to learn and prove your competency, but recently there’s been a decline in your enthusiasm and your assignments and deliverables are done for sake of completion. It’s like you’re on autopilot with no motivation to go that extra mile to make your presentation more interesting and interactive, or you don’t invest on research to make a proposal more solid. If this is happening to you, you might want to re-evaluate where your interests and priorities truly lie.
The salary is not attractive enough
One of the last strings attaching you to your work is your salary – there’s no denying you need it. But once you reach a point where your salary ain’t attractive anymore, regardless of the amount, it’s a sure sign that you’re not happy and you need to shift careers. You might find yourself happier in a different job even though it pays less. Don’t let money tie you down to a job you no longer enjoy doing.
You are procrastinating … all the time
‘I’ll do that later’ – those words might be harmless or indicate a huge problem. While you’re sitting at your desk, staring at your computer, you find yourself daydreaming of another role, doing something different and more challenging. . If this isn’t enough proof that your mind is longing to try out something new and different, we don’t really know what is.
If you are not sure about what you want to do, the trick is keeping looking. And eventually you’ll find something that you’d love to do.
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