How do you know you’re on the wrong career path? Our guide outlines steps and strategies to determine if you need to change, and how to do it.
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As an average full-time employee, 10 years of working life add up quite a bit: According to the government’s volume of work statistics, the annual working hours of the average worker — if only full-time positions are taken into account — are 18,530 hours over 10 years. But what if you are not happy at work? How do you know you’re on the wrong career path?
1853 hours per year, this corresponds to a weekly working time of 41 hours and 2 minutes. Extrapolated, the average worker spends an average of eighteen thousand five hundred and thirty hours at work within 10 years with a full-time position. That doesn’t just seem like a lot — that is a lot.
How do you know you’re on the wrong career path?
If you find yourself on the wrong career path, you spend tens of thousands of hours of life doing something that doesn’t even interest you (any more). But how do you know you’re on the wrong career path?
Find out what you want – the checklist
“What am I still doing here?” Everyone has probably thought on a Monday morning. But that’s not the point here. If you’re really stuck in the wrong job, then something has to change. Are you happy with your job ? And do you know what has to change? Here are 5 tips on how to tackle the problem:
- Make a list of the parts of your current and past jobs that you enjoyed most and least.
- Think about the last project that got you insanely jealous when you heard about it.
- Think about it: what activities do you feel satisfied with doing? Think about the occupations in which you could use such skills and preferences.
- Talk to friends, trusted colleagues, and mentors about what you are best at and listen to your opinions.
- Make a note of the things or occupational fields that interest you on a list and arrange this list by topic later. (Also works great for skills that you want to learn).
The step in a new direction needs to be well planned
The new dream job is clear that something has to happen, too. Now don’t rush anything! The best thing to do is to find a way to try out your new dream job without obligation. One possibility would be to attend an evening course. Apply for a short internship or spend a day looking over the shoulder of a colleague in the desired area.
Taking out loans for further training or completely changing your living conditions, however, is not a good idea. The impending next rent will deter most of them from quitting their unloved job on the spot. Knowing that you are working on a strategic plan with a long-term prospect of success motivates you and gives hope for better times.
Not sometime, but now
One should advise against blind activism and quitting immediately. (Just to be sure, here’s everything you should know about quitting ). However, it is important to act now: initiate the desired changes now. Plan what to do – better today than tomorrow. It shouldn’t just be about getting through another week or month at work: Before you know it, the next year will be up. And actually you wanted to get away from the unloved place. If you realize that you spent 1,853 hours unhappy during this year, that can motivate you to finally forge concrete plans for the future.
Career changes can be made easy
Finally, a hot tip: If you change industries or want to try something completely different professionally, look for a job in the right place, for example on job platforms for career changers. Ultimately, of course, it is also a factor to know how much you would earn as a career changer.
But … before you go back to your day-to-day work, ask yourself the following: If I don’t apply for my new dream career path now, then when?
