Is it good to change career paths during bad times?
When the environment is uncertain and the job market is volatile, making the right decision on a career path can be very complex – yet you need to make that right decision at the right time.
There are two key aspects here; what can I do best and am I in that career. This feeling being based more on job satisfaction, the other question is; Does it give the right returns. After all we all want a satisfying job with the right pay in the right area of work to have the best of competitive advantage.
You have invested in studies in a given area and acquired experience - that’s the technical match you should look for. The other match is your heart – what you like to do as your career. One of the biggest career challenges is your ability to read your inner feeling when direction is needed.
Making time for you does not have to be hours at a time. Just enough time to give you clarity about your career. You can spend five minutes in the morning before you get out of bed. You can spend five minutes while you are in the shower, or ten minutes while you are driving or riding to work. The goal is not how long, but what you do with the time you have. If you clear your mind for a few minutes each day, over time, the answers you are seeking will come to you.
Have courage
Unless, you make time to listen to your inner voice and when you don’t spend time on your goals, your goals get lost. Your career dreams start to vanish. What you want in your career becomes a blur.
You know what you are doing in your career is not the right thing for you anymore, but you don’t know how to go about finding something different. You blame yourself. If only you were smart enough, creative enough, talented enough, then a great career would come to you.
A great career is possible, but not without your conscious participation and consideration. Until you decide to take a better step, the action needed to make this happen cannot begin.
There are always reasons to stay where you are. The money is good. The job market is tough. What you know is better than what you don’t know. Or, is it? It’s actually harder to stay in a bad situation than to work towards happiness. Listen to your inner voice. If it says it’s time to act, then listen. Decide that today is the day your career begins to change for the better.
It takes courage to move forward in your career. What happens if you are wrong? What about the people in your life who will tell you, “I told you so”. But, what happens if you are right? Maybe the answer you have been hearing is there for a reason. Maybe you are meant to do something different.
Job satisfaction
Maybe you have done all you can where you are, and you are supposed to go somewhere else so you can make the difference you are always talking about. How will you know if you do not try? Tell yourself again and again that you can - until you believe it. There is no job in the world that will completely satisfy each and every aspect of a job.
Do you know if your next career move is going to work out or not? No one knows in the beginning. All you have is what feels right to you inside. If you keep moving towards what feels right and move away from what feels wrong, you will be happier.
You will have more optimism and energy. The light at the end of the tunnel will start to appear. Taking the first step is always the hardest, but know that the steps get easier over time. Action brings action. One action today, leads to many actions completed tomorrow. The right career moves are in you. They will work out if you take the path you know you are supposed to take. Where can you be most competitive and what career choices are available to you to explore with the technical qualifications, experience and skills you have. Approach your career as a long journey. U turns can lead you to make new starts leading to a waste of time and effort. You cannot simply afford to do so rather keep building capacity and competence on the path you are on – that’s competitive advantage.
