Trying to decide if it’s time for a career change can be a lonely, confusing and exhausting place. I’ve been in that place several times in my life! By navigating my own way through the fog and seeing what works for clients who are also going through it, I’ve learnt how to get to the heart of the matter and stop you from feeling stuck. In this article, I share with you some ideas and advice to get you through your career change indecision and begin finding more happiness at work, whether you decide to stay or go!
If you’re reading this article, chances are you are at a bit of a career crossroads. Maybe you’re going round in circles trying to figure out if it’s time for a career change and keep jumping between staying and going and slowly driving yourself mad, draining yourself of energy and feeling like a broken record around your friends and family? Well, if so, it doesn’t have to stay that way! I recommend that you focus on, and become intentional about finding clarity and taking action.
Dig deep and find true clarity
Before we can change anything, first we must get clear. And I mean, really clear! This requires going deep with the questioning and being really honest with your answers. (The Career Quiz will help you with that). When I work with clients, I am only truly interested in finding them solutions which will last. It can take a lot of time, effort and energy to make a career change, so investing some time and effort at the very start of that process is something which I can promise will reap you rewards long into the future. If something isn’t working for you in your current job (and you’re seeing a pattern repeating itself) then maybe it’s time to look at things from a fresh and deeper perspective and to put the effort in to fixing this once and for all.
Stop repeating patterns that no longer serve you
I repeated my pattern of going back into the same type of work several times before I properly got it and realised that I hadn’t truly unearthed what was at the heart of my need to change jobs. I learnt from those experiences and I met some amazing people in those jobs. However, I now know what was missing and the types of questions that I needed to ask myself. And it’s my wish to now bring you more clarity on whether it’s time for a career change so that you too can align yourself with your ideal career as soon as possible and start living the life you want to instead of the one which is bringing you down, making you feel unfulfilled or even making you ill.
Questions to ask yourself to bring you true clarity
The questions I ask my clients and I encourage you to explore by taking the Career Quiz (more about that shortly) involve:
- tuning in to your true purpose
- unearthing your values and beliefs
- recognising your own self-worth
- reading the signals that your body is giving you
- listening to what you intuitively know is right
Getting into alignment
When you’re asking yourself whether it’s time for a career change, think of it in terms of how aligned you are to your current work. Alignment is a feeling, a knowing, an intuitive sense that this is the right thing for you. The clarity you are looking for is as much something that you will be able to feel as it is something you can write down on paper. I encourage you to tap into this ability to feel what is right for you. It is a gift which we all possess but often lose sight of and it is always at our disposal. When you think of your current work situation how does it make you feel both physically and emotionally?
Finding happiness in your current job
Part of the process of gaining clarity around a career change is also exploring the idea that you might just be able to find greater happiness in your current job. It is possible! Every job has its good points. Even if you come to the same conclusion at the end of this line of questioning, just focusing on what positives your current work situation is bringing you will raise your vibration to attract more of it and help you paint a more vivid picture of what you do want in a new career. For example, you might love the people you work with, the flexible working hours or have a really great boss. Don’t lose sight of these! Or, it could be that with a bit of courage and clarity, you simply need to ask for what you want in your current job and make a few changes which can bring you into closer alignment with what’s important to you.
A career change doesn’t have to happen overnight
A career change can be daunting prospect, however you may not need to make a big overnight change. If you are nervous about the financial implications, you could transition into your new career by reducing to part time hours in your current job or finding some freelance work in your current field to fund the big change you want to make. There are a lot of different ways of going about it that can lead to the same end result.
Don’t try and do it all at once
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re thinking about making a career change. There’s so much to think about and take into consideration that it can lead you to do nothing at all! I invite you to take just one simple action after reading this. It’s amazing how powerful it is just to move into action when you’ve been stuck for so long. For instance, you could make a list of the options which are available to you right now, or create a survival budget or make contact with some old colleagues who may be able to connect you with some freelance work.
Discover fresh clarity with the free Career Change Quiz
To start the process of deciding if it is time for a career change, I’ve created a quick Career Quiz which has 12 soul-searching questions designed to shed a bit of light on where you’re at and what the right next step might be for you.
Hello, I'm Rebecca
Career Coach for people on a spiritual path
I work with people like you who are finally ready to make a career change, launch into a more purpose-led career or business and enjoy a more fulfilling working life. I’ve supported hundreds of people in making the change into a new career or business. I understand first hand the fears and trepidations of taking a leap of faith. But I also know that with a bit of planning and the right mindset, you can make a successful leap into a more fulfilling career.
