Assess whether you are ready for a Career Change

By Alexandra Levit

The decision to change careers is a personal one that is highly dependent on a variety of factors.  If the thought has entered your mind during the last few months, take some time with this assessment to determine if a switch is something you should seriously consider.

Respond “True” or “False” in response to the following statements:

1. You feel that you are a different person now than when you first started your career.
2. When you consider your long-term life plan, your current career path doesn’t match up with where you want to go.
3. If you didn’t need the money, you could walk away from your field tomorrow and never look back.
4. Your work often feels frustrating and unnatural to you.
5. Your current field doesn’t support the lifestyle you would like to have for yourself or your family.
6. Looking into the future, you see technology or another development rendering your job obsolete.
7. You have reached the highest level in your career that you can reasonably aspire to, and you don’t see additional opportunities for growth in the foreseeable future.
8. You would like to get another job, but you’re afraid to rock the boat as your field is small and positions are difficult to come by.
9. You’ve wanted to pursue a certain type of career for a long time, but circumstances forced you into something else that never quite fit as well.
10. The work you do on a daily basis doesn’t interest you, and you constantly find yourself stealing glances at the clock.
11. You’ve spent hours on the Internet researching alternative lines of work.
12. Your current career doesn’t make good use of your education and unique set of skills and talents.
13. You’ve had the opportunity to take a different position in your field, but you don’t see how it would make a difference.
14. The only thing that’s appealing about your job is your co-workers.
15. You can’t remember what made you choose your industry in the first place.
16. You know in your heart that you need to move on to a new field, but you haven’t because you resist change or lack experience.
17. Your field doesn’t afford opportunities to explore new directions and address fresh challenges.
18. The decision to go into your current field wasn’t your own and you find it hard to understand why others rave about it.
19. You’ve gone on job interviews in your field where you’ve been told that you are overqualified, or were asked to accept a salary much lower than your experience warrants.
20.  Although you’ve lost your passion for your work, you are worried that no one will value you at the bottom rung of a new career.
21.  You don’t believe that your current field allows you to contribute to society or that your work matters, and this bothers you.
22.  If you were to give a current college student an informational interview about your field, it would be difficult to be positive.
23.  You’ve been told that you need to acquire additional education or training to keep up in your field, and you haven’t been motivated to do this.
24.  After a recent vacation, or an event that got you thinking more about the purpose of life, you returned to work with regret.
25.  After years in the traditional workforce, you’ve finally realized that you won’t be truly satisfied unless you can be your own boss.

5 or more “True” Answers

You probably sensed this already, but your current career just isn’t doing it for you anymore.  Maybe you stay in your field because it’s easier, or because you’re afraid.  It’s time, however, to take that first step – whether it’s an informational interview, a weekend course, or even an hour of online research.

Less than 5 “True” Answers

Perhaps you are already in the field that’s right for you, but there are some aspects of your current job situation that aren’t ideal.  You may need to adapt your career to better meet your needs.

Alexandra Levit’s goal is to help people find meaningful jobs – quickly and simply – and to succeed beyond measure once they get there. Follow her @alevit