Are you thinking about a career change to improve your prospects and life quality? You have come to the right place. In this article, we take a look at some of the considerations you need to make before making a significant career move. Read on and get ready for some reflection.
Personal Motivation
Choosing to switch careers is a personal decision based on many factors; chances are you probably haven’t thought everything through, but your life situation has changed, or you have a general feeling that moving on is the next best thing. Still, you need to consider this carefully.
Make sure you switch careers for the right reasons. If you are changing your career for money, it might be the best move if the conditions are not suitable; conversely, switching careers to upskill is sensible, but you have to consider the money side of things. Try to think through the decision.
Moving Forward
After a time, a job can become second nature and then a little boring, unrewarding, and understimulating. If you feel this way, it’s time to talk to your managers to see if there is any way to progress in the company. If not, a career change might be a sensible option at this stage.
It’s important to move forward with your career, as standing still only leads to dissatisfaction, stagnation, and less value for your services than you might deserve. Always move forward within your job roles, providing added value, and consider switching companies eventually.
Career Development
A career starts with a resume and a job interview, but once you have entered a role, the learning doesn’t stop, or at least it shouldn’t stop if you want to move forward, improving your skillset, income, and value to the industry. Career development is a reasonable motivation to leave.
Again, choosing to leave a company for career development reasons is a personal decision, but if you engage with career development along the way, you will have a better idea of your overall value to the industry. Put your heart into your career, and it will be easier to make decisions.
Personal Attributes
If you are trying to decide whether to leave your current employment for a career, it’s a good time to take stock of your personality traits and professional attributes. Switching a career needs to be about improving your employment situation and developing new professional skills.
Most people have heard of the Myres-Briggs personality test – you might even have used the system to find your current position – but not everyone knows about FIRO-B. This system is used to gauge how comfortable an individual is with inclusion, control, and affection at work.
Corporate Culture
You might have the perfect job role, but if the corporate culture is unsuitable, it can affect your job satisfaction and your quality of life overall. Corporate culture refers to the values, beliefs, and attitudes present in a company; it’s one of the best ways to make a decision about a job.
Of course, you will have to occupy a job role for a period before you can comfortably make a decision on the suitability of the corporate culture, but some things you should look out for include the work-life balance, the reward culture, diversity and inclusion, and general ethics.
Personal Lifestyle
Also referred to as work-life balance, a career change should include enough time away from the screen for your family life and passions. Ideally, you want a career you are passionate about so that your working life doesn’t feel like a chore, but you also need to look after your wellbeing.
If you feel as if you’re in the office too much or the hours don’t support your general wellbeing, it’s time to make a change. Don’t abandon your career role right away; talk to your managers and bosses first to see if anything can be arranged to improve your wellbeing and life quality.
Work Location
Your next career move might be a perfect position, but is it in the perfect place? The last thing you want is a long commute in the mornings and evenings, adding a few hours onto your working day even if the job role takes your career forward. Consider the location carefully.
The good news is that most companies offer a hybrid working environment nowadays, so even if you have a long commute, you should only have to make it once or twice a week. Still, it’s a consideration you need to make. Creating pros and cons lists can help to think it through.
Work Flexibility
Surveys show that modern employees value flexibility highly. In the past, there were strict limitations on where people could work and when they had leave, but nowadays, things are different. It’s fine to expect any new career to be very flexible with your work-life balance.
Flexible working conditions are ideal for many reasons, they allow people to organize their work around their life commitments, and it’s shown to improve mental health and wellbeing. If you don’t have a flexible schedule in your new position, it’s worth raising it as a deal breaker.
Company Colleagues
Ask yourself what people you want to be in the next room with. Do you want to be in a room of people similar to the people in your current position? A room like this is familiar, and you have a proven track record, but are they going to challenge you enough and influence you correctly?
If you want to advance your career, you might want to put yourself in the next room with people who will challenge and test you. Of course, this won’t be easy, but growth of any kind rarely is. That said, it’s important to get the balance right so that you don’t find yourself out of your depth.
Final Thoughts
If you have become jaded with your current job role, you might be thinking about a career change, but don’t make the switch without considering your options carefully and thinking through your motivations. Switching careers is a chance to grow personally and professionally.
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