Many people choose a certain career because of social pressure, family history, or just because they couldn’t find anything better. However, being in a career that isn’t for you is like living a half-life, never feeling fulfilled, engaged, or passionate about your job. Here are some of the signs you can look for to know if you are ready for a career change.
One of the first signs that will tell you you need another career is when your current one doesn’t align with your personality. Our personality is a huge part of how we portray ourselves to others. Thus, it can have an impact on how well or badly we do in certain professions. For example, if you aren’t a people person, it will probably be harder to work as a salesperson.
You can start by identifying which personality traits are stronger in you. That way you can try to find a profession that fits those traits. If you really don’t know where to start, you can find a career quiz that will tell you which careers are best suited to your traits. Also, you should identify why your current career doesn’t fit your personality; that will guide you better when looking for a new one.
Sometimes we have an image in our head of what something is going to be like and then reality hits us right in the face. In the case of our career choices, we can be influenced by the stereotypes society has of some careers or because of what our family tells us. For example, maybe we thought being a software engineer was like in the movies where programmers look like crazy hackers that can do almost anything with a computer.
However, when you actually start working you realize it is less exciting than you thought. This is hypothetical because being a software engineer is pretty exciting. But then you would find yourself in a career that isn’t everything it promised. What you can do to make sure it doesn’t happen again is to do extensive research before finding a new path.
An excellent strategy is to do informational interviews. You can contact professionals in the careers you are interested in and ask for a short interview where you can ask about everything. You will find the information directly from the source. Who better than them to tell you what it is really like to work in their professions?
Another sign is when you start feeling like you are wasting your life. This feeling will come mostly from wanting something else that you think is more valuable or has more meaning. This is a common feeling, especially in the last few years. People want to have a job where their work matters.
If you are at a career that doesn’t impact anyone’s life or any group at all, what is your purpose then? You can change to careers in healthcare or law where you can directly work with people and make a difference in their lives. You can also choose a job in tech, like a web developer, where many companies are creating technology that is changing society every day.
Finally, the last thing you should look for to know if you need a career change is if your current career is affecting your health. Being in a career that isn’t for you can bring a lot of negative feelings like stress, boredom, anxiety, hating your job, lack of motivation, and, ultimately, depression.
All these in the long term can have a negative impact on your health. In other words, you will start feeling it in your body. For example, long-term stress can cause muscle pain, insomnia, lack of concentration, and even heart problems. Save yourself some medical bills in the future by making a change right now.
It is pretty easy to identify if you need a career change once you know what to look for. Some signs that you need a change are that your career doesn’t align with your personality, your job is very different from what you imagined, you feel like you are wasting away, or you are starting to feel physical symptoms.
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