In a Rut? Ready for a Career Change?

Are you unhappy at work? Tired and lacking energy and drive? Don't worry, you are not alone! Studies in the US show that up to 70 percent of the workforce is unhappy with their job at any given time. We all feel dissatisfied and frustrated with our jobs at times. So, how do you know when the feeling of dissatisfaction and frustration means it is time for a career change?There are a few key signs which point towards a need for change:

* feeling overwhelmed by your workload

* unable to balance your work and life responsibilities

* confused about roles and duties in your job

* easily irritated and ready to explode at the slightest provocation

We choose our career path for many different reasons: because of our parents' encouragement; because it is a successful occupation; or for the financial reward (to name just a few). However, you may be in a career that doesn't support your core values. This could be the root of your discomfort.

Take a personal and professional inventory. Ask yourself some important questions.

1. Look at your current job. How did you get there?

2. What are your personal attributes (artistic, adaptable, creative, leader, etc.)?

3. What are your core values (autonomy, growth, helping others, financial security etc.)?

4. What are your greatest strengths?

5. Identify your accomplishments.

6. Identify your career satisfiers and dissatisfiers: For each position you have had throughout your career what activities or responsibilities did you enjoy (and not enjoy) doing?

7. What is important to you, personally and professionally?

8. What you would like to do or accomplish during your lifetime (personally or professionally) so that you will consider your life to have been well-lived?

9. What are you most excited about now?

Take a look at your answers. Is your present career in line with who you are, what you value, and what you are good at? If not, then it is time to make a change.

Once you have established that you are ready for a career change, start thinking about and noticing what you want. If you could do anything, what would you do? By assessing your accomplishments, skills, strengths and weakness you will be able to see a link between what it is that you value, what you are good at, and where the "juice" is for you - all things that you can turn into a new career.Decide what you want and create your opportunities. MAKE A PLAN. Then, use this plan to switch from resentment in your current job to looking at the positives you can take to your new career. What are your transferable skills? What are you learning in your present position that you can take with you? Once you have a plan, stay focused on your intention, and pay attention to opportunities that present themselves. Despite your present frustration and your excitement at the possibilities ahead of you, it is natural to feel afraid about starting a new career. Feel the fear and do it anyway! Remember, the power to do so is within you.

Copyright 2004-2005, Cecile Peterkin

Cecile Peterkin is a Certified Career Coach, Retirement Coach and Speaker. With over 17 years of managerial, leadership, empowerment counseling and personal development experience, Cecile specializes in helping Middle Managers overcome the "Middle Syndrome" of being stuck in a middle position in mid-life. To learn more about Cecile, visit her website at http://www.cosmiccoachingcentre.com or call 416-782-5001, Toll-free:1-866-486-4112.


More Resources

The 7 Tough Job Interview Questions That Can Make or Break You - and How to Answer Them
Some interview questions are asked so frequently that they've become classics. Practically every interview you go on you'll be answering one or more of these seven interview questions.
Writing Powerful Resumes - 10 Golden Rules
Your resume is your sales letter. It may not get you the job.
Do You Have the courage to ignore the experts?
Do you have the courage to ignore the experts? Do you have the willingness and ability to understand and use the power that is within you? Courage is that state of mind when you do something that you know is right for you and your loved ones and the rest of the world thinks you're mad. The ability to make the decision and then make it happen.
Telecommuting Website (Part Two)
Last article I discussed why a telecommuter would benefit from starting a website, and what you should include on the website. This article, I'm going to cover how to market the website and the basics of getting one set up.
Booster & Drainers
Like huge anchors on cruise ships, other people can hold you down. Not intentionally, but their negativity impacts you.
The Top 10 Mistakes Job Seekers Should Avoid In Contacting An Employer
There are numerous tools and resources available to guide job seekers through the steps of a career transition. These tools are very useful and suggest much that you should do.
50 Things To Do To Your Boss That Are Fun For You, But Not For Them
1. You're eavesdropping and you hear your boss has reservations at his favorite restaurant.
Top 10 Tips for Career Advancement
Here's a list of the top 10 tips you can use to advance your career: 1. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know.
How to Change Careers and Still Pay the Bills - 5 Key Steps
Studies show that more than 50% of people are unhappy in their jobs yet few will actually make a career change in 2005. Why? Most people let fear stop them yet successful career changers know that fear is simply a sign that you are headed in the right direction!Follow the 5 key steps that successful career changers actually take to overcome their fears and make a sustainable change.
My Landscaping Business is Better Than Your Lanscaping Business...
Yesterday I was having a discussion with Mary who I know from a mother's group that I attend with my daughter Sammi. Through previous conversations I have determined that this woman is very talented in the areas of landscaping and interior design.
Job Interviews and The Secret of Selling Yourself
A very effective and persuasive tactic when selling something is to promote its benefits as well as its features.Very simply, features are what something has; benefits are what those features do for you.
Salary, Raises, & Perks: Negotiate to Get Paid What Youre Worth!
Salary negotiation requires preparation and good timing. It's important to determine your salary needs and research the market value for the job you want.
Interview Questions: How To Stump The Interviewer
In the limited time an interviewer has with you, their mission is to know you and assess your worth, especially in relationship to the other candidates interviewed. Asking you questions is the way they accomplish that mission.
7 Steps to Interviews that Win the Job
These days, interviews don't come easily. When you get The Call, make the most of your time -- and go for it!1.
Discover What You Really Want To Do
Are you doing what you really want to do or did you just fall or wander into the job you now have. As a friend of ours once said,' I am one of twenty two doctors in our family.
Take This Job and...Re-staff It
Deciding to leave a job isn't easy. In fact, quitting a job requires courage, especially in today's soft economy when the unemployment rate has reached 6.
How to Recoup From Missing the Most Important Meeting of the Year
Sometimes missing a critical meeting just can't be helped. Despite the advance planning, you just cannot make it to the meeting.
Three Ways to Transition to a New Career
As a Certified Personnel Consultant working for Find Great People International in Greenville, South Carolina, I receive telephone calls from people who are considering a career change. For some, transitioning to a new career is easier than others.
Job Hunting Tips: Containing Anxiety
It hangs from the ceiling above your bed while you toss through the night hours. It waits inside the door of every employment office you enter.
Sample Resume Objectives: Read, Dont Copy
The resume objective statement is typically something that trips people up.Confronted by the silent challenge of the blank page, most folks Google for "sample resume objectives".

More Careers & Employment Information:

Related Articles

The 7 Tough Job Interview Questions That Can Make or Break You - and How to Answer Them
Some interview questions are asked so frequently that they've become classics. Practically every interview you go on you'll be answering one or more of these seven interview questions.
Writing Powerful Resumes - 10 Golden Rules
Your resume is your sales letter. It may not get you the job.
Do You Have the courage to ignore the experts?
Do you have the courage to ignore the experts? Do you have the willingness and ability to understand and use the power that is within you? Courage is that state of mind when you do something that you know is right for you and your loved ones and the rest of the world thinks you're mad. The ability to make the decision and then make it happen.
Telecommuting Website (Part Two)
Last article I discussed why a telecommuter would benefit from starting a website, and what you should include on the website. This article, I'm going to cover how to market the website and the basics of getting one set up.
Booster & Drainers
Like huge anchors on cruise ships, other people can hold you down. Not intentionally, but their negativity impacts you.
The Top 10 Mistakes Job Seekers Should Avoid In Contacting An Employer
There are numerous tools and resources available to guide job seekers through the steps of a career transition. These tools are very useful and suggest much that you should do.
50 Things To Do To Your Boss That Are Fun For You, But Not For Them
1. You're eavesdropping and you hear your boss has reservations at his favorite restaurant.
Top 10 Tips for Career Advancement
Here's a list of the top 10 tips you can use to advance your career: 1. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know.
How to Change Careers and Still Pay the Bills - 5 Key Steps
Studies show that more than 50% of people are unhappy in their jobs yet few will actually make a career change in 2005. Why? Most people let fear stop them yet successful career changers know that fear is simply a sign that you are headed in the right direction!Follow the 5 key steps that successful career changers actually take to overcome their fears and make a sustainable change.
My Landscaping Business is Better Than Your Lanscaping Business...
Yesterday I was having a discussion with Mary who I know from a mother's group that I attend with my daughter Sammi. Through previous conversations I have determined that this woman is very talented in the areas of landscaping and interior design.
Job Interviews and The Secret of Selling Yourself
A very effective and persuasive tactic when selling something is to promote its benefits as well as its features.Very simply, features are what something has; benefits are what those features do for you.
Salary, Raises, & Perks: Negotiate to Get Paid What Youre Worth!
Salary negotiation requires preparation and good timing. It's important to determine your salary needs and research the market value for the job you want.
Interview Questions: How To Stump The Interviewer
In the limited time an interviewer has with you, their mission is to know you and assess your worth, especially in relationship to the other candidates interviewed. Asking you questions is the way they accomplish that mission.
7 Steps to Interviews that Win the Job
These days, interviews don't come easily. When you get The Call, make the most of your time -- and go for it!1.
Discover What You Really Want To Do
Are you doing what you really want to do or did you just fall or wander into the job you now have. As a friend of ours once said,' I am one of twenty two doctors in our family.
Take This Job and...Re-staff It
Deciding to leave a job isn't easy. In fact, quitting a job requires courage, especially in today's soft economy when the unemployment rate has reached 6.
How to Recoup From Missing the Most Important Meeting of the Year
Sometimes missing a critical meeting just can't be helped. Despite the advance planning, you just cannot make it to the meeting.
Three Ways to Transition to a New Career
As a Certified Personnel Consultant working for Find Great People International in Greenville, South Carolina, I receive telephone calls from people who are considering a career change. For some, transitioning to a new career is easier than others.
Job Hunting Tips: Containing Anxiety
It hangs from the ceiling above your bed while you toss through the night hours. It waits inside the door of every employment office you enter.
Sample Resume Objectives: Read, Dont Copy
The resume objective statement is typically something that trips people up.Confronted by the silent challenge of the blank page, most folks Google for "sample resume objectives".