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Changing careers takes time, planning, and resilience. Daunting? 100%. Possible? 1000%! Worth it? HELL YES.
Deciding to change careers requires careful consideration, but getting out of a rut — or total burnout — can lead to more fulfillment, happiness, and balance in your personal and professional life!
But if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea, or just aren’t sure what you need to consider, this post is for you.
We’ll cover what to consider when changing careers: the signs you might be ready, key questions to ask before you get started (including whether you actually need a full career change!), and the step-by-step method to go after a new career.
5 signs it may be time for a career change
1. Just thinking about work stresses you out — and you think about it all the time.
Even if you once thought this was your dream job — or at least, the career trajectory you’d stick with for decades — these days, work is one of the most stressful parts of your life. You don’t want to think about, talk about, or go to work.
But somewhat ironically, as much as you want to forget about it, work occupies most of your energy and headspace. And it’s getting old fast.
2. Work is your #1 priority, at the expense of everything else.
It’s one thing to be excited about work — to be inspired, love what you do, and spend free time dreaming up new projects. But when a job you don’t like starts affecting your daily life, it’s time to take a closer look.
Your current role might no longer be a good fit for you, your long-term goals, or your other priorities: friends, family, fun, and the pursuit of an enjoyable, meaningful life.
3. You’re bored, overwhelmed, or both.
When we think about disliking a job, we often think about being totally overwhelmed, stress, and anxious. But what about being bored? While it might not feel as urgent or painful, boredom can be another sign that your work isn’t aligned with your interests. Can you imagine being bored for another 10, 20, or 30 years? No thanks!
BTW, it’s also entirely possible to be both bored and anxious. My fast-paced wrong-fit corporate job had me doing many of the same repetitive (boring) yet urgent (high-stress) tasks for years. So yes, it can be both!
4. Your current role doesn’t feel meaningful anymore — or never did.
Now that you’ve been in the same field for a few years, it’s easier to tell if you can picture yourself here long-term. The newness has worn off!
Now, you can finally take an objective look at whether this role was ever fulfilling to you… or if it was just nice to finally get access to steady health insurance, retirement plans, and a bigger paycheck. There’s nothing wrong with any of that — but it might not be enough to stay put for the rest of your career.
Speaking of paychecks…
5. Your net worth is growing, but it’s just not “worth it.”
You might be earning a lot, paying down debts, and growing your investments… but somewhere along the way, decent pay stopped being enough for you.
This can lead to lots of complex emotions and beliefs: guilt for considering leaving a stable and high-paying job; concern that you make too much money to quit and can’t make as much doing something else; worry about being judged by colleagues, friends, and family.
These are all real things to consider! But if you’re truly unhappy, don’t let them be reasons to stay stuck. Instead, they’re just details to figure out along the way.
Considering a new career path? Ask yourself these questions
Before upgrading your LinkedIn account or diving into the job boards, career changers need to fully commit to this journey — and the hard work that comes along with it.
So, why do you want a new job? And how do you know that now is the right time?
Here are key questions to reflect on.
Do I need a new career path, or just a new job?
Get clear on this first!
For example, if your problems are circumstantial — you hate a specific event, project, or sprint — things might blow over. If they’re interpersonal — you hate your boss, coworker, client, or general work environment — switching to a new company might fix things.
But if you’re disconnected from what you do, haven’t enjoyed work for a long time, and it doesn’t get better no matter what you work on or who you work with, it could be time for a totally new career trajectory.
Still not sure? Get my free Career Fit Checklist!
What are my top priorities in life right now?
Here’s an easy exercise to determine your priorities!
Open a spreadsheet or grab some sticky notes. Write down every component of your life. Friends, family, career, pets, hobbies, chores, errands, travel… all of it!
Now place those things in the order you currently prioritize them. What gets most of your time and energy?
Next, we’re going to reorder them based on how you’d like to prioritize those things. So in a spreadsheet, copy-paste the same components to a new column — or with sticky notes, take a photo of your “current priority” order.
Time to reorder! Where would you like to dedicate more time and energy? Where do you want to scale back?
After reordering for your ideal priorities, if career sits in your top 3… it could be a great time for a change!
But if not — and especially if it moves down on your list of priorities — it may not be the right time to pursue a new job or career.
Am I willing to take a pay cut?
Let’s be clear: a career change does not have to mean taking a pay cut! If salary is a top priority to you, then you’ll only shortlist careers and companies where you can make the same or more money.
But if other things are more important, you may decide that lower pay (at least, to start with!) is a solid tradeoff. Either way, getting clear on this is essential.
Am I willing to learn — and am I willing to be a novice?
Even if you hate what you do, you might like that you know a lot about it. You might like being the go-to for questions or having a Senior, Director, VP, or Chief title.
But on a new path, you won’t be an expert right away. You’ll have a lot to learn. You might even want or need to go back to school.
Is that okay with you? Why, or why not? If it’s not, are you willing to push through that for the time it takes to rise the ranks?
There’s no right or wrong. But being honest with yourself can help you avoid surprise, disappointment, or regret.
What’s important to me about switching careers?
Why do you want to switch careers?
What will a new role give you that your current position, company, or industry can’t?
How much does interest and fulfillment factor into this decision? What other reasons are there?
The clearer you can be on this, the more resolute you can stay in the face of challenges.
Which leads us to the final question…
Am I ready to take risks, be uncomfortable and uncertain — and do it anyway?
Here’s the catch:
No matter how much you want this, you probably won’t feel 100% ready.
You’ll have some resistance, some doubts, and some days where you just want to crawl back into your comfort zone. But that doesn’t mean it’s the wrong choice. Because if you truly hate it, being scared to quit your job isn’t a reason to stay put.
When the going gets tough, understanding why this matters to you will help you find your way again.
So when I ask if you’re ready, I don’t mean that you should be completely free of all doubt and fear.
I simply mean…
Are you willing to push through despite it?
No regrets: Why a career change doesn’t mean you failed
Are you the same person you were at age 18? How about 25? 30?
As time goes on, we change — and what’s important to us changes, too.
So no matter how unhappy you are in your career, know that you didn’t waste time or miss out by staying.
Instead, you built a series of experiences that helped you learn more about yourself, understand what you want and need, and determine that it’s the right time to move on.
Without this experience, you wouldn’t know what you don’t want from a career — and why it doesn’t fit who you are.
So, while it may come in waves, try to remind yourself not to regret the experience. It’s time to plan a future you’re actually excited about.
Ready? Here’s how to start changing careers
Follow these steps to get clarity on your ideal career… and start moving toward the future you want.
The first step: Get a better idea of what you want
Before you start applying to roles — in fact, before you even start searching through job descriptions — it’s time to shut out the outside world. First, you’re going to learn what you truly want!
After this self-assessment, you can start to see how specific jobs fit your goals — not the other way around.
- Evaluate past and current jobs: Of your day-to-day responsibilities, what do you wish you did more of? Less of? What do you wish you never had to do again? Consider other factors like company culture and work environment, too. It’s helpful to do this with all of the different roles you’ve had — every experience tells you something that will simplify your search.
- Learn about you: Determine your core values, purpose and passion (if that’s your thing!), and professional priorities. This will help you determine what industries and roles fit your goals. What matters to you in a job? What are your non-negotiables? What are you willing to compromise on?
- Distinguish skills and interests: Skills are what you’re good at — but if you’re honest with yourself, you might not actually enjoy those things. You might also see this framed as strengths (strong skills) and weaknesses (where skill development may be helpful). Interests are things you enjoy or want to learn more about, independent of your skill set. Exploring new interests can help you learn new skills for a new career!
Step 2: Research and exploration
Now it’s time to research different industries and roles! You’ll start to see how your goals, values, interests, and skills fit into the job market.
- Explore job descriptions and real-world accounts: You want to know what working in these roles is actually like — so you need to go beyond the description. When you find something that resonates, look for detailed and honest info. Scour social media — TikTok, Instagram, YouTube — for content related to that field.
- Assess stability and growth potential: Your career change should be practical, too! Once you find options that seem interesting to you, evaluate the job market and growth potential of that industry.
- Need inspiration? Check out this post: Best Careers To Change To
- Book informational interviews: Remote work has made this easier than ever. Instead of trekking across town for lunch meetings (and that’s if anyone actually agrees to meet with you!), now you can just meet virtually for 15 minutes. Prepare your questions ahead of time and take notes, or even record the call (with their permission).
Step 3: Build a realistic action plan
- Examine your finances: Your career change might mean taking a break, working fewer hours for awhile, or starting at a lower salary. So, it’s important to know how that will affect your finances! Explore your healthcare options, look at your emergency fund, and create a budget to weather a lower-income period (if that applies to your plan).
- Plan for career development and education: You need to know what potential employers in your specific industry will require! For example, your new career might involve taking courses, attending workshops, pursuing certifications, or getting a degree. This education might overlap with your current job, or you may take on a part-time job while studying to ease the financial impact.
- Work backwards, forwards, or whatever makes sense to you: We’re often given a prescriptive formula for how to achieve our goals. Set SMART goals! Break next steps down into small chunks! Start from your end goal and work backward! But each of our brains work differently, and any of this advice could either be perfect or awful. So think about how you’ve achieved goals in the past, or techniques you’ve been curious to try. It’s only wrong if it doesn’t inspire you.
- Be flexible: You can’t fully predict how your journey will unfold. It may take twice as long — or you may get a job offer faster than you thought. It may cost more, or industry requirements may change after you get started. So just keep an eye on industry trends, assess your journey regularly, and adjust your plan as needed.
Step 4: Create an accountability system
Much like your action plan, the right support system for you depends on what works best for you.
- Friends and family: Having the support of someone who cares about you can make a huge difference. Ask a trusted person in your life to check in with you! Maybe you meet for coffee every Saturday, or do a daily debrief over lunch.
- Mentor: Talking with a mentor can inspire you by showing you what’s possible. They may also have advice to help you avoid mistakes they once made. Maybe someone in your professional network has insight into the career you want!
- Career coach: When your doubts and fears are loud, you can find support in a career coach! If you’re stuck on what career to switch to, they can help you navigate the self-discovery journey. They’re also trained to help you identify and stay on top of your goals, recognize what could be getting in your way, work through challenges, and increase your confidence!
- Learn the difference between a career coach and career counselor here: Career Discovery Coaching vs. Career Counseling: The Clear Answer for You
Step 5: Start taking action!
Your exact action plan will be entirely unique. The steps you take and the pace at which you take them depend on your goals! Someone preparing to quit next month will take different steps than someone charting a path to build a business over the next 2 years.
Your first actions toward your new career might be any of the following:
- Email, call, or text your close network
- Make an announcement on social media
- Update your resume and LinkedIn profile
- Network at industry events
- Look for new opportunities in your field: volunteer positions, internships, part-time jobs, or “bridge jobs” (something you take on in between your current job and your ideal career)
- Research schools or certification programs
- Work on mindset: self-confidence, resilience, growth, or whatever you need
As you progress, you may need to:
- Review and refine your accountability, action steps, or risk management systems
- Modify your schedule or timeline
- Remind yourself of your long-term goals and vision
- Adjust your organization, potentially adding in new tools (project management software could be a huge help here — I use Trello!)
And whether your career change goes to plan or requires some adjustments, don’t compromise on these:
- Celebrate your successes and accomplishments, no matter how small — consider revisiting your wins on a weekly basis to build momentum!
- Revisit your “why” regularly — this helps you bounce back on tough days
Conclusion: The key ingredients for a successful career change
We’ve covered the signs you may need a career change, what to consider when deciding to change careers, and the steps to take to go about it.
Throughout, we also peppered in one of the most important elements: how you view the journey.
No matter how much you plan, or how organized or focused you are, your new career ultimately depends on your willingness to commit to the journey — through good times and setbacks.
A successful career transition is:
- 20% self-assessment — because if you don’t know yourself, you won’t recognize your ideal career
- 15% planning — because if you just wing it, you might give up at the first sign of resistance
- 25% action — because it won’t happen unless you make it happen
- 40% mindset — because if you don’t think it can happen, you won’t take the actions to make it happen
Believing in yourself takes practice. But if a better, more exciting new career is waiting for you… isn’t it worth a try?
