Signs You’re Ready for a Career Change

Posted on By samanvya

Sometimes, the daily grind can become a little stale. You might find that what once motivated you is no longer enough, or that you’re constantly feeling bored and unfulfilled. Let’s look at some signs that you’re ready for a new career:  

You no longer feel fulfilled in your current role: Even if you once felt fulfilled by aspects of your job, that feeling can go away over time. Maybe that feeling has disappeared and been replaced with a sense of restlessness or even frustration. If you’re no longer feeling fulfilled, that could be a sign that your passions lie elsewhere. 

You no longer enjoy what you’re doing: Beyond feeling unfulfilled, maybe you’re not even enjoying what you do. Maybe your job has changed into something you no longer love. For example, maybe you started working for a daycare because you love working with kids, and now your role has changed to mostly administrative work. If that’s the case, it may be time for something new. 

You feel like you’ve reached a plateau: You know the job inside out and can’t help but think there’s nothing more for you to learn or achieve here. Maybe there’s nothing you can be promoted to, or the next level involves people management, and you know you don’t want that. If this sounds like you, it could be time to start planning your next move. 

It’s about the money: A lot of passion jobs come with lower pay. Sometimes, it’s worth pivoting to an adjacent industry—something your skills are suited to that you won’t mind doing—that pays a lot more. There are plenty of reasons to switch careers for a higher salary—maybe you just want to stop worrying about money, or maybe you have financial goals you won’t reach with your current salary, like saving for a house, retiring earlier, finally buying a new car, or even getting a permanent life insurance policy like whole life insurance. 

You feel burnt out: Maybe you’ve been doing the same type of task for a long time, or you’re just overloaded with no end in sight. Perhaps the situation is unlikely to change even if you switch jobs within your industry. If you’ve been feeling burnt out for a while, you may need to switch gears. 

You’re consistently bored: Everyone gets bored at work sometimes. If it was only fun stuff, you probably wouldn’t get paid to do it. There’s always a task you don’t love, whether it’s updating spreadsheets or running trainings. But, if you find yourself constantly counting down the hours until lunchtime instead of focusing on work, it may be time to rethink your career. 

You’ve been cultivating a new skillset for a while: Sometimes you start learning a new skill for fun and then realize it’s something you’d like to do for a living. If you’ve already spent a significant amount of time learning a something new, it may be time to update your resume and start looking for the job you want.

You have a dream job (and you’re not currently doing it): Maybe you’ve always wanted to become a chef or a yoga teacher, but feel like you’re too far along in your current job. It’s never too late to make a career change. You can even start doing your passion project as a side hustle and grow your new career from there.