Have you been feeling particularly unmotivated at work lately? Or do you feel like you’re underappreciated or not being challenged enough? These could be signs that it’s time for a career change.

Even if you have generally enjoyed your experience at your current job, there will often come a time when it’s time for a change. You may also have never really felt comfortable in your position and finally feel it’s time to do something about it.

Confirming that a career change is the right thing for you and deciding to act on that can be difficult.

If you think it’s time for a new job, read on for 9 signs that are key indicators that it’s time for a career change. We also offer some tips for making your career change.

Signs You May Need a Career Change

There are many factors that indicate you need a career change and there are lots of ways to make this change.

Whether you’re looking for a similar position at another company, are looking for a more advanced position, or are after a complete change of profession, the following are the top 9 indicators that a career change is right for you.

1. You’re Constantly Thinking About a Career Change

It can always be a good idea to be open to another opportunity. But if you enjoy your job, you won’t be actively thinking about working somewhere else. If you don’t enjoy your job, you’ll likely be thinking frequently about finding a new job and working at another company.

You may even be actively thinking about how you can improve your skills and experience in your current situation to be able to move to the job you want.

If that is the case, then it’s best to act on this desire if you can and actively look for a new job.

2. You Aren’t Passionate About Your Work

When in a position you like, you’ll be passionate about the job you do and the industry as a whole. There will always be some tasks that you don’t enjoy but overall you should feel excited about the tasks you do and the results you get from them.

You may also feel like the work you do doesn’t have meaning or isn’t making a positive impact which can affect how motivated and passionate you are about it. You may not feel like you’re seeing the results you’d like or helping clients as much as you should be, for example.

If lacking passion for your position and/or industry it may be time for a career change to find something you love doing.

If you aren’t passionate about the majority of your work, a career change is the best choice.

3. You Can’t Wait for the Weekend and Dread Monday

If you’re counting down the days to your time off work and dread going back at the start of the workweek (known as “Sunday night dread”), you probably need a career change.

Again, there will always be workweeks you want to end and weekends you want to last longer. However, you shouldn’t be feeling this every week.

In the right profession, you should even look forward to your workweek. If you find yourself experiencing this situation of wanting your workday and week to be over all the time, a change is likely the best option for you.

4. You Aren’t Being Challenged or Growing Professionally

To grow effectively in your career, you need to be challenged often. This involves being given advanced projects to complete and more responsibilities in general.

If you feel you aren’t challenged anymore then a career change may be necessary. This is identified mainly by being given only tasks you’ve done a lot before and are very competent at completing and not being given increased responsibilities. This situation of hitting a ceiling at your job is a main reason that people will look for a change.

Do start by asking for this challenging or advanced work at your current job. But if you don’t get given this type of work or the type of work you’re after isn’t available, it’s best to find a new position to continue growing in your career.

You may also find yourself being the highest up in your field at the company even though you have not been in the industry long. Therefore, moving somewhere with more experienced employees that you can learn from will be necessary to continue professional development.

5. You’re Lacking Motivation

A consistent decrease in motivation and being “mentally check-out” at work are prime indicators that it may be time for a career change.

Some signs of a lack of motivation (or have burnt out) include:

Being late to work, taking more sick days, and struggling to wake up and get ready for work
Finding it more difficult to get up the energy to tackle tasks
Finding it difficult to concentrate on tasks
Not being able to think of ideas, for example at meetings
Always being bored at work and finding it more and more difficult to be enthusiastic
Constantly checking the clock to see how long you have left in the day

If you feel your motivation decreasing and experience some of the above, it’s important to act on this or you could burn out which will make your work life even more unmotivating and miserable.

If you don’t feel challenged and you cannot be given more challenging tasks, it’s time for a new job.

6. You’re Not Being Compensated Appropriately

Not being compensated fairly can be another reason to change career. You may not be getting paid the industry average and/or have been given increased responsibility without increased compensation.

If you feel that you aren’t being compensated appropriately, look at your position and skills, and search for the average compensation for this. Then discuss increased compensation with management highlighting the findings of your research and the value you bring. If they aren’t willing to compensate appropriately, look for somewhere that will.

If compensation is your main issue with the job and you otherwise enjoy it, consider applying to other jobs and using this as leverage if offered a position at the rate you want. The risk of losing a good employee and having to deal with replacing them can be enough to honor your compensation request.

However, remember that if the company didn’t think you were worth the requested compensation before the risk of losing you occurred, it may be beneficial to move to a company that offers that rate upfront due to your value.

7. You’re Only There for the Money

Another compensation issue is that your paycheck, and other benefits like health insurance, are the only reason you keep going to work. If that’s the case, it’s time for a career change if you can.

While compensation is a top reason for most people going to work, that should not be the only reason for going. Your job also needs to bring satisfaction and not affect your happiness both at work and out of work.

If considering a career change, it may even be worth taking a decrease in pay or benefits to get a job you like better that offers more reasons for going than just the compensation.

8. You Have More Negative than Positive Things to Say About Your Job

Another sign that it’s time for a career change is that you only find yourself saying negative things about your job when talking about it with friends and family. This could also include only thinking negative things about your job.

Again, there may be something negative that happens once in a while at work that you feel the need to discuss with personal contacts, but you should be saying mainly positive things any time you discuss your work in your personal life.

If you find yourself complaining about work all the time during your free time, then it’s definitely time for a change.

9. You Want a Different Schedule or Work Environment

Wanting a career change isn’t always due to negative factors and being unhappy at your current job. You may love what you do and who you work with but would like a different schedule and/or to work in a different environment.

You may think that part-time work or the ability to decide your schedule is best for you and your lifestyle, and this isn’t an option at your current job. You may also be after a different work environment; This could mean wanting to work remotely or looking for a smaller open-plan office instead of a big corporate one.

If this is the only reason for changing career, do remember that leaving a job you’re happy with could backfire if your new job and co-workers are not as good, even if you can work when and/or where you like. However, a change of environment and schedule can do wonders to increase your productivity and job satisfaction. Therefore, for many, the move will be worth it.

Tips for Making a Career Change

If you’ve decided a career change is right for you, use the following tips to help make your career move a reality.

Figure Out What Isn’t Working

To start with, pinpoint what isn’t working at your current job. What don’t you like specifically about your job? Is it your compensation? Or, the fact that you have hit a professional ceiling?

List all your grievances and then use these to create a list of what you want in your dream job.

Figure Out What You Do Like

Also, note what you do like. There are likely at least some things you like about your current position. This may be that you like the industry you work in or you like the freedom you are given to work on tasks without micromanagement, for example.

It is important to note what you do like and ensure a new position has these elements. Otherwise, you may end up unhappy in your new position; gaining the things your old job didn’t have but losing the things you liked about it.

The first step in finding a new job is deciding what you like and don’t like about your current position.

Figure Out What You Want

As mentioned, your next step is to use your list of likes and dislikes about your current job to create a description of your ideal position.

Use the list when looking at job descriptions to find the best fit for you. You can also use it to help with asking questions in interviews. For example, asking about management style or flexibility of schedule.

While open positions on the job market may not check all your boxes, anything you apply for should check most to ensure your career change is effective at getting you what you want.

Assess Your Strengths and Fill in Gaps

Now you know the kind of jobs you’re looking for, you’ll understand the type of value you need to bring, especially once you start looking at open positions and their job descriptions.

Start by assessing your strengths and thinking how you can highlight those in applications and interviews. Next, think about any skill, knowledge, or experience gaps you have and fill those in.

This can be done via online courses or even at your current job if possible. Of course, in the latter case, don’t highlight the real reason for wanting these tasks!

Unfortunately, you may find that you are too inexperienced for the position you really want but cannot get the experience you need at your current job. In this case, consider finding a “stepping-stone” job between your dream job and your current job to gain that experience. Or, consider trying some freelance work to increase your skills and experience.

Execute Your Plan for a Career Change

Once you have done the following, you’ll be able to job hunt, apply to appealing positions, and hopefully land your dream career move.

In Conclusion

Changing career can be daunting, however, doing so can increase job satisfaction greatly and accelerate your professional growth.

If you exhibit any of the 9 signs that it’s time for a career change listed above, then step back and think about if a new job could be the perfect opportunity for you.

If so, decide what you want, make yourself competitive for that position, and make the move!

If you are considering making a career change in the publishing or medical communications industries, why not get in touch with the team in Lynne Palmer? We have over 57 years of experience in matching-up talented candidates with their dream jobs making us the perfect partner for executing your big career change.

9 Signs It’s Time For a Career Change