Career Blog: Not All Career Changers Hate Their Jobs!

I can’t tell you how many times as a career counselor I’ve had new clients contact me and admit apologetically that they’re considering changing careers.  Why apologetically?  Because they’re embarrassed to admit that they want something else when what they have is NOT horrible.  Often these same clients have high paying stable careers that they don’t hate.  They’re basically stuck in a gilded cage.  It’s not really where they want to be, but it’s not so bad and shouldn’t they consider themselves lucky?

But there’s no reason to settle for a luke warm relationship with your career!  I’m not saying you should quit tomorrow, but I find it brave that clients are willing to take the initiative and seek out something better, for themselves and, because they’re be happier and more satisfied, for the people around them.  There are all sorts of legitimate reasons to consider a career change!

1. Boredom.  One of the more common reasons people seek to change careers, in my own anecdotal experience, is because they’re bored and/or they’re not being challenged in their current job.  Sometimes it’s the case that their job used to be challenging and now it’s not, or sometimes it was never satisfying.  Whatever the reason, it’s up to you to brainstorm and research the options and make the situation better (with your friendly career counselor’s help of course!).

2. No Promotion Potential.  Some careers have a limit to how far you can go without getting further education.  Others just don’t have a lot of opportunity for advancement in general.  Feeling stuck is a major reason some clients decide to change careers, or, in some cases, simply change jobs.

3. Pursuit of a Dream, New or Old.  Some people had a dream as a kid, a passion in their 20′s, or merely a “crazy” idea they thought of last year.  Whether your dream has existed for years or is a more recent preoccupation, it’s never too late to make it happen!

4. Outside Factors.  It’s not uncommon for some kind of external factor to jostle a person out of their status quo and make them consider that there might be a better career out there for them.  This might be a new boss whose personality is totally incompatible with yours (that’s the nice way to put it!) or perhaps the company is downsizing.  I’d had clients tell me that being laid off was one of the best things to happen to them in the long run.  This is, of course, not to trivialize the plight of those who’ve been laid off.

5. Can’t Put Your Finger On It.  Of course, it’s entirely possible you can’t quite put your finger on why you want to change careers, but you just know your current career isn’t satisfying.  Doing some self-analysis and thinking about what intrigues and challenges you can go a long way toward helping you change careers, change jobs, or just shift a little within your present career.

In any case, as long as you’re responsible about it and do your homework before jumping off, you shouldn’t have to apologize for wanting a more satisfying career.  Whatever the reason is, don’t settle; take the initiative today and don’t have any regrets tomorrow.