Coping with the Same Career and Knowing your Limits
In today's struggling economy people are becoming more desperate, or perhaps 'flexible', to consider other career-fields that might be totally irrelevant to their previous experience or education. This in itself creates a lot of situations where employees are unhappy. Below we've outlined three good reasons why it may be time for you to consider a career-change, and why.
1. Isolation and a Lack of Purpose
You don't feel like your work is meaningful anymore, you are always stressed, dreading going to work, and you feel unwanted. These sorts of experiences and feelings are all too common in today's world of 9-5 jobs, and if any of these define your current feelings towards your job or career, it may very well be time for you to move on—of course, in a professional manner, because nothing good has ever come from burning bridges.
Scientifically speaking, if you are unhappy at work, it's likely that 'burnout' will arise, and can even trigger depression. Not only is this bad for your health and wellness, but it can also be counterproductive for the business you are working for and your overall work-performance—even if you aren't aware of it! A few steps to take into consideration before 'moving on out' might be to utilize vacation days, or perhaps even just take a sick day or two, if possible, to gather your thoughts and reevaluate where you are in life, what you're doing, why you're doing it, and imagine yourself where and how you want to be five years from now career-wise, and perhaps beyond.
2. Money isn't Everything
Even though you're earning a “good” salary, you feel incomplete at work, and that the money somehow does not justify your overall purpose, career aspirations in life, and how you're going to achieve it. For many people, money simply cannot buy happiness. If you've got yourself a high-paying job, and even had the benefit of experiencing raises in the past, yet are still unhappy or dissatisfied with your work, this may be a good indicator that it's time for you to move on.
In fact, it's common for many people in today's work force to purposely select “lower-paying” jobs simply because it's more relevant to their career as opposed to others, or where they find their 'purpose' and happiness with their lives. Sometimes, altering your living expenses or budget for the sake of increasing or even rejuvenating your happiness in life and your career is worth the 'struggles' or transition of doing so.
3. Political and Negative Work Environments
If professional growth seems impossible, and the political culture of your job is weighing you down, it may be time to move on to something new, or at least explore other career and job opportunities. Often, businesses that have been around for a long time will accumulate workers that have more or less “grandfathered” themselves into the company, and alter their overall work performance as well as treatment of other workers, or in this case, people like you. Not only does work-environment play a crucial role on your psychological and physical wellness, but it also can wear on you emotionally if your colleagues or seniors are unpleasant.
It is important that you find your place in this world, a job that not only you work for, but that also works for you. While not every job will fulfill your pursuit of happiness, you may find that a dramatic change can make you happier, content, or energetic like you were once before.
