Wellbeing Wednesday: Career change test – is it time?

This post is sponsored by Careers Australia

“Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life”. Realistically, this saying is overly optimistic. I’m yet to meet someone who has their dream job, yet feels like every day at work is leisurely. We’re human and some days work will just be difficult (it’s a product of sin – see Genesis 3).

The need to carefully consider a change in career

However, it’s not all doom and gloom for work, there are certainly huge advantages in seeking a career in something that you love! In fact, it’s really important to do so. Now, I’m not saying at the first week of difficult work, give up because you deserve better. You never know whom you might be helping (now or later) or what character and perseverance you may be developing as a result of this difficult time. What I am advocating though, is talking to your friends and family about your work and the troubles you are experiencing to consider whether it is the right path for you at this time.

My recent career experiences

As some of you know, I finished up work at the law firm to study post-grad full time and work on my blog. Turned out I was a little over studying after 6 years of it and I was really not enjoying life. My capacity was at its peak and I found it really difficult to make the smallest decisions because my brain was not letting go of the built up stress. Upon prayer and reflection I realised I needed a break. So I didn’t do away with post-grad study all together, I just dropped it to part time and now I work on my blog the remainder of the time. My blog is my dream job and I LOVE it, but there are still times that are tough. Likewise, with the study, even though I find it incredibly painful, I have kept it because I know that the difficulties will lead to something good later – not just money but being able to make a real impact in someone’s life with the skillset and capabilities I have.

A Test for you – Is your current path where you want to be?

Here are some questions to consider in deciding if your current career is where you want to be:

1. Do you feel fulfilled and content at work?

Ask yourself if you are content with the path you are on and excited about the journey to come. If you are, your enjoyment in your work should translate into your personal life and you will begin to enjoy every day, rather than just looking forward to 5pm and the weekend.

2. Do you find your work rewarding?

Ask yourself if your role is rewarding – does it have an impact on someone or something? It doesn’t have to be a huge world changing impact. For example, it can be as small as helping someone with paperwork, but if you get a kick out of it because you have amazing organisational skills – then this should feel rewarding!

3. Are you productive and motivated for your work?

You can test your enjoyment of something with how much passion, motivation and excitement you do it with because if you love it, you will want to see it succeed. If you are, this is great because it means you are getting more than just an income from your work!

4. Do you want to upskill?

If want to continually better yourself and learn more about your area of practice, then it’s a sign you’re on the right path. Have you thought about further study to help you learn new skills to enable you to progress to the top of your business and be competitive in your industry?

5. How is your mental health?

If you’re so stressed you can’t decide what to wear or whether you want a coffee or not with your breakfast (yes, I’ve been there and for future reference the answer is always yes to coffee!) – it’s time for a break and potentially a change to put you in a better frame of mind. If you don’t life will be very difficult!

Have you or do you want to change careers to pursue something you love? What decision making process did you take?