Reevaluate Your Career Path With These Five Red Flags
We’ve all had bad workdays. Days we feel like maybe we don’t belong where we are, that we’d be happier doing something else. It’s natural to question our surroundings, our life choices. However, when do you know it's for real? When do you know that it’s not just a rough patch, but a sign to move on?
Changing careers is a very important decision, but sometimes the smartest thing you can do. Work is such a big part of our lives that being dissatisfied by it can be truly detrimental to our happiness. If you’re thinking you might be in the wrong career, here are some potential red flags.
You Dread Weekdays
Whether you work Mondays, Sundays, or Fridays, every day of the week that you have to work feels like a punishment. Your desire to stay at home, do anything else, is unbearable. You spend your workweek dreaming of your free day.
This is an obvious sign you’re not happy where you are. Even if your work environment is not perfect, your particular job should be a source of joy. If that’s not the case, you’re probably on the wrong path. Now it's time to ask yourself why.
Money Is Your Only Motivation
If the only reason you’re doing your job is money, it’s time to change. While it’s true that we all have financial responsibilities to take care of, what you’re doing right now is not the only way to do it.
Money can come from any career, you don’t have to kill your dreams and die on a soul-killing job. Being so dispassionate about your job will hurt you in the long run, as you will never reach your full potential. The truth is that you need to feel a sparkle to perform at your best. If you’re in the wrong career, you will never be as successful as you could. Playing it safe leaves no room for growth.
Work Is Destroying Your Personal Life
Maybe you hadn’t thought of this but, how many of your relationships has your career affected? Think about this sincerely. If your job is affecting your love life, friendships and family, something’s out of balance.
It’s time to consider if those sacrifices you’re making are voluntary. Is it worth it, is it what you want for yourself? If you’re already thinking of changing careers, that is a very big sign that it might not be. If you’re not even passionate about what you’re doing, then you’re just losing on both ends.
Your Work Feels Meaningless
Besides evaluating your passion for your job, you must consider if what you’re doing is bringing you closer to where you want to be. If you feel like your work is meaningless, you should get out of there.
According to career coach Maggie Mistal, people should consider their overall purpose when thinking of careers. If your current job doesn’t align with that, and it's unfulfilling, you’re wasting your time.
Think about what you want to do in the long run, what your dreams are. Do you want to work in tech, building the society of the future? Do you want to pursue your artistic side? Do you want to work for your community? If what you’re doing is not bringing you closer to your ultimate goals, move on.
Your Skills Are Not Used
We all have strong points, natural abilities, and passions that produce our best work. Sometimes, the career you’re in doesn’t utilize your talents and dominant skills, blocking you from your full potential.
A skill is an action that, thanks to repeated repetition, is performed unconsciously, that is, brought to automatism. Reading, writing, playing the guitar are examples of skills.
In simple terms, these are all personal bonuses acquired over a lifetime that help a person successfully cope with work and everyday tasks. It is your skills that will help you successfully make a career path.
If that is your case, consider pursuing a profession that will benefit from your strongpoints and encourage them. It’s a good idea to try out new career paths to know if they’re a good fit. Online school can be an excellent way to test out your abilities and what other jobs are out there. Don’t be afraid to try new things.
Conclusion:
After thinking long and hard about your current career, you should start getting a clear picture of where you are in your career path, and why. Use that information to protect yourself in the future, and you will know if it's time to move on. Change can be scary, yes, but it’s an opportunity to grow into your best self.
