Is it time to rethink your career?

It’s been quite a past two years, with COVID and lockdowns. Especially for work too where we all had to work from home, pick up new skills almost immediately, and for some, losing our jobs or having to downsize our role at the office.

With so many things happening both on the career front as well as personal front where health and making the most of whatever we have counts, it’s not surprising that many of us are rethinking our life… where it is headed, what we want to achieve, and more importantly, are we happy where we are currently.

This is bound to spill over to our career, what with the term “career” and what it means changing for many of us. Does your job still bring you joy… or are you re-evaluating what it really does for you? Do you feel that with everything that’s happening, your role doesn’t have any potential? These are some questions you may find yourself asking recently if the idea of your job doesn’t really excite you anymore.

Should you rethink your career… and if you do, what should you do about it then? Here are the answers:

#1 You don’t see a future anymore
It’s that time of the year many of us are looking back at what we’ve accomplished. You do the same for your career and realise you’ve done pretty much the same things are before and nothing much has changed the past two years. Which can feel sucky, especially if you feel like you’ve been so busy… but have nothing to show for it, with no real sense of development but just doing your day-to-day without really picking up any new skills or experience.

If this is you…You may want to consider your next step – whether it is to look for a new job with more potential or to speak to your boss about how stagnant you feel in your career growth and perhaps it’s time to expand your responsibilities. The important thing is that you should be envision what your career future should look like and if your current job doesn’t match any of its criteria, then it’s time to say goodbye.

#2 You are super exhausted by the end of the day
There is good tired and there is bad tired. Good tired is when you feel exhausted from doing something important at work that gives you some satisfaction. But bad tired if when your work drains you and you don’t find it exciting anymore. Bad tired is a combination of bored, overworked and unmotivated – all three feelings that say very clearly that you should rethink your career.

If this is you…Sit down and be honest with yourself: Are you bored at work? Is work making you tired but not fulfilling any purpose? Do you still get satisfied with work? If the answer is yes, yes and no, then your work doesn’t bring you any joy or motivation anymore. It literally is just a 9-to-5, a means to an end – which isn’t great for career success. Work out what could motivate you again at work and try to work towards that. If after a month or two of still feeling the same way, you should think of a new role whether within the company or elsewhere.

#3 You don’t know why you do it
Ask yourself this question: If you can’t figure out the real reason why you’re still at your role, then you may want to make a switch. If every day is just like any other ordinary day where you don’t feel any buzz or excitement about work, then you might want to question if the role is suitable for you or if you’ve actually outgrown your role. Now if your friends and family tell you they don’t know why you do it? That’s a clear answer why you should retink your career.

If this is you… Again, honesty if the best policy. Does work not give you any purpose anymore? Do you feel like you have so much more to give? Then it’s worth to be proactive and figure out the next step for your career and work towards achieving that.

#4 You don’t like the office
This has got nothing to really do with your role and responsibilities at work but if you dread going to work every morning, then it’s definitely time to rethink your career. A study from the university of Manchester found that being in a job you hate is worse for your health than being unemployed. And the longer you stay in a negative work culture, the more it will affect your performance.

If this is you… Maybe it’s your colleagues or your boss but if you surround yourself with people you don’t like or a culture you can’t stand, better plan your exit straight away.

Photo by LaylaBird on iStock.