What to do when a long-time career no longer satisfies.
If these 5 characterizations describe you, it’s time to explore your next move:
You’ve simply had it. You may have made all the right moves and been awarded great promotions and raises, but you still wake up one day realizing, “I don’t want to do this anymore.” There’s enough discomfort or meaninglessness in your work that you don’t want to continue for one more year (or one more day). The small, random rewards you’ve received over the years – and the money you’ve been earning — don’t make up for how disconnected you feel.
You have the confidence and courage to do it. You’re smart and savvy. You’ve read about career change and explored what it takes with people who have done it. You realize that, while your self-esteem has been rocked, you have enough confidence and grit to do what it takes to make this change.
See: What Personality Tests Can Do for You
Your eyes are wide open. You’ve learned an enormous amount throughout the arc of your career. You’ve seen that it’s not just your job that’s making you miserable, it’s you in your job. You realize that making a career or job change is what’s required for a new, better life.
You have the support you need. You know you can’t make this change alone. You need outside help that offers an empowering perspective of your talents, skills and passions. You know you need the support of key colleagues, friends and family to keep you accountable, and you have it.
You know you deserve more. This unhappy career is not all there is to life. There’s more, and you’re hungry for it. Further, you know that you deserve it. You will get it because you will design it that way, from this day forward, and you will learn from every step you take and apply all the wisdom you’ve acquired to create more happiness, success and reward.
Adapted from an artcle by Kathy Caprino in ‘Life Reimagined’
