Career change in a crisis?

You might be wondering if it's a wise choice to consider a career change in the current circumstances? We are in the midst of a global pandemic with local lockdowns looming, furlough schemes ended, and you might be asking 'what will happen next?'.

Quite possibly this pandemic has made you question your career choices and ambitions, but the realities of family life and responsibilities mean that you have once again put yourself second and are just trying to keep going, putting off some of the big questions you have about your career choices to date.

Here are five things to consider if you're thinking of changing your job.

Five ideas to consider before you quit

1. Positive emotions

How much time do you spend regretting the past and worrying about the future? Are you finding it hard to find small joys in the day or week? It is recommended that for happiness in our lives that positive emotions ie. happiness, serenity, excitement, amusement, need to outweigh the negatives on a daily basis. So, if you can’t remember the last time you laughed out loud or were able to take a deep breath and relax in your work, try something to notice the good in every day, what are you thankful for?

2. Engagement

Do you get caught up in the day and lose track of time or are you counting down the hours and minutes until the next break? If it is the latter your work may not be engaging you, you may not be experiencing a phenomenon called ‘flow’ which helps us engage with our work. If that is the case, you may have lost sight of what you are good at and when that happens, we can lose our confidence. So, ask a friend, colleague or partner what your strengths are and consider whether your work is giving you the opportunity to practice what you are good at.

3. Relationships

Do you have a friend at work? Good social relationships in the workplace allow us to enjoy our work and work more productively. If you are struggling to connect, you will also be draining your resilience and our ability to cope with the difficulties that can come within any workplace, so before you decide it is time for a career change, consider if there is something you can do to find, make and keep a friend, it could make all the difference to how you feel about work.

4. Meaning

Do you understand why you do what you do? What’s the mission or purpose of your work? If you work in a school or hospital it may be fairly straightforward, however if you are working for a company do you understand how your role fits in with everything else that is going on? When we find our place in the world and connect to a higher purpose than ourselves this can result in fulfilling and rewarding work, so consider doing some research before assuming the grass is greener at another desk.

5. Accomplishments 

When was the last time you celebrated a small win at work, or a success was recognised? Often, we move from request to deadline and repeat without ever stopping to recognise our own achievements. This can leave us feeling undervalued and underappreciated. So maybe at the end of the day today instead of trawling through the job adverts, consider what went well today and start building a list of career successes to enhance your CV.

You may find your current role is satisfying if you can view it from a new perspective, if not you should have a better understanding of your strengths and successes to take you forward into a new career. To find out more look up Martin Seligman’s 'PERMA Model Of Wellbeing' or contact a career life coach to talk through your options.