NMSN: Shifting Career Gears
by Janet Farley, Ed.M.

You used to love getting up in the morning and going to work. You lived for it. You believed that what you were doing made a positive difference for others and it fueled your soul.

Over time, however, you began to feel differently. You couldn't pinpoint exactly when, but at some point, you became disillusioned, disinterested or disturbingly distant from your so-called career.

If this describes you, jaded one, know that you are not alone. This feeling can happen to anyone. Take it for what it is at face value: a sign that it may be time for you to shift career gears.

More Red Flags

Disillusionment, disinterest and distance are sure signs that you should consider a career move. There are others.

• You work on auto-pilot. Tasks that were once exciting, now bore you. You could do the job with your eyes closed.  You no longer feel challenged. Even worse, you don't have the enthusiasm to seek out any new self-created challenges on your own.

• Your co-workers annoy you. To be fair, it's not them. It's you. You're not happy in your job so what you used to think of as a co-worker's charming quirk has grotesquely morphed into a reason for you to jokingly contemplate jail time.

• Your spouse annoys you. Again, he or she is the innocent here. It's all you. You're not happy in your job so you take out your professional pain on those closest to you. Let's just call that the worse in “for better or worse,” shall we?

•  There is no escape route. You can't move up in your career from where you currently reside. You can only step to the side or step down. Neither of those options appeal. You are stuck. Stuck and suck sound scarily similar. Coincidence? I think not.

• You daydream about a new career. That little voice inside of you whispers to you daily. Life would be so much more interesting if I had a job as a [fill in the blank].

Tips for making a career switch…

If you find yourself on the precipice of wanting a new career but you aren't sure how to go about it, consider implementing the following strategies:

Figure things out first. What exactly do you want? Do you want to keep doing the same job but for a new boss with the same employer? With a different employer? Do you want to do the same job but jump industry lines? Do you want to go full force rouge and change careers completely?

Make sure you have a good grip on what professionally ails you here so you can best focus your efforts moving forward.

Light a fire under your networking activities. Whether you seek a slight professional change or a 360 degree one, ramp up your networking activities. Reconnect with those who may be able to help you.  Expand your current base of contacts to include those who work in your chosen target area.  This is particularly important if you are seeking a total career change.

Invest in yourself. If you want to make yourself more marketable, show yourself some love. Go back to school. Get a new certification. Learn a new skill. Volunteer somewhere to experience a new job before taking the plunge.  

Hire a job coach/career counselor. Sometimes it pays to have an objective party involved. Visit the employment readiness program on the installation nearest you and just have a chat with the program manager. Maybe he or she can't point out some truths to you that you are just too close to situation to realize.

Janet Farley, Ed.M. is a job coach and author of the soon to be published book, Mission Transition: Managing Your Career and Your Retirement (Rowman & Littlefield, Nov 2017).

 

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