How to Tell When You Need a Career Change – Part One

A career choice survey found that more than half (55 per cent) of working adults are interested in changing careers, with nearly a quarter (24 per cent) extremely or very interested in a career change. Only 14 per cent of workers are in their dream careers. The most desired careers are in arts and sciences (17 per cent), business management (16 per cent) and technology (14 per cent). The survey also looked at the barriers to career change and whether or not working adults are living up to their expectations, and those of their parents. The online survey of more than 1,600 employed adults was conducted back in April 2013, but the results have some universal truths that go to the heart of why some of us choose to change careers, 5, 10 or even 20 years into our working lives. 

But how do you come to the conclusion that you’re more than just a little bit unhappy with the job right now – that you actually need a fundamental change in your career. There are several tell-tale signs that you need to change careers.  

You are utterly exhausted – well beyond just a few long days’ work. In fact, if you experience chronic illness, debilitation and exhaustion, the first place you need to look is your work.  Most of us spend more waking hours working than doing anything else, and we at Select Resumes know from our clients firsthand experience that if you don’t like your work, it won’t like you back. Overly stressful, misaligned work can very easily make your body break down. Your body tells you what your brain seems unable to. It may be your specific job or a toxic work environment that is breaking you down, but often it’s your entire career that needs a shift. We have many clients come to us desperate for a career transition, sometimes knowing where they want to go, sometimes not, but they have got to a point where something has to give for their health. 

Is boredom overriding a comfortable salary? Most people who dislike their work but are reluctant to change would say it’s their fear about walking away from the money that keeps them stuck.  Let’s be honest, if you are used to making $150,000 a year and more, you won’t want to part with it lightly.  But at some point, many are saying, “Wait a minute – I have this money, but I hate how I spend my life making it.”.  They begin to rethink what’s important to them and then begin to reevaluate their abilities, and they open their eyes to new potential ways they can make the money they need without risking their lifestyle and security. Millions are doing this. Research is showing that by the end of this decade, more than 50% of the private workforce could be independent.

But whatever your rationale for your career change, once you have made up your mind, you must act decisively. Give yourself a little time before you resign and do some soul-searching. It’s time to find the field that will fulfil you because it meets the needs of the world (your world that is). You’re looking for companies and roles which will give you what you want – a sense of self, a feeling of being part of something meaningful, and ensuring you want to get up each and every morning. So you need to pinpoint which issues you care most about. When you’ve identified your cause, you can exclusively research the industry and whether that industry has longevity in our post-COVID world. Having made a definitive decision to move on, you’ll be proud and motivated by the new direction you’re taking and this energising feeling will carry you through the challenges of your career shift. Pretty soon you’ll be able to speak about it with persuasive conviction.

So, how are you going to do it? How will you actually begin to make the change that you want to make? You may need some new skills, by going back to studies, learning to become a better salesperson or learn a trade. You might have to do some serious networking to begin learning more about the industry you’re looking to work in. You might need to do an adult internship. Or, you could begin to re-package and rebrand yourself right away. There are a million paths, each as individual as you are.

In part two we’ll look closely at focusing on your strengths, reflecting on what worked and what didn’t in your existing job, and why you shouldn’t shy away from such a big change.