Ten Signs That You Are Ready for a New Job or Career

Copyright (c) 2006 Transition Dynamics Enterprises, Inc.

You’ve been in your job for a few years. You get a decent
paycheck and your benefits are helpful. But you wonder if
something’s missing. You try to tell yourself you should be
happy you have such a good job, but some days you have to
face how unhappy you are at work.

Are you settling? Are you making do in a job that really
isn’t a very good fit for you?

Read this list of ten clues to determine how many of these
statements reflect how you feel about your work.

1) You get depressed every time you think of going back to
work after a weekend, a long weekend, or a vacation.

The closer Monday morning gets, the more a sense of dread
comes over you. You feel a pit in your stomach that you
can’t ignore. You wish there was something, anything, you
could do to avoid going to work.

2) You spend more time recovering from work than having fun.

After you leave work each day it takes you several hours to
feel like yourself again. You feel so tired all you can
think about is sinking into your couch and zoning out in
front of your television. You may have difficulty cooking a
decent meal for dinner because you are so worn out from
your stressful day at work.  Over time you realize you
rarely have the energy to head out after work with friends.
Instead you rely on a glass of wine, a carton of ice cream,
or a bowl of popcorn, and a DVD movie as your outlet for
fun.

3) You watch the clock all day long.

You look at the clock on your computer, your cell phone,
the wall of your office. The time creeps by, slowly, so
very slowly. How often do you check the time each hour? How
frequently do you check the clock in the last two hours of
your work day? When time moves so slowly it’s a good sign
you aren’t enjoying your work any more.

4) You spend too much time checking your personal email
rather than working.

There are lots of ways to entertain yourself when you don’t
feel like working–checking your personal email, sending
text messages, surfing the web, scanning opportunities on
your favorite job board. How much time do you spend on
non-work activities during a typical workday?

5) You take frequent mental health days.

Some days you wake up and just know you can’t face a day at
work. What do you do? Do you call in sick? Plan a vacation
day? Fabricate a doctor appointment? Leave work early? Come
up with something you need to do for your children? An
occasional mental health day is a good strategy to take
care of yourself. If you find you are taking more and more
mental health days, you may want to take a look at why you
aren’t happy at work.

6) You have a resignation letter drafted and waiting.

On really bad days, do you spend time tweaking your
resignation letter? Does it relieve some of your feelings
of dread to imagine how you’ll feel when you submit your
letter or to visualize how you’ll celebrate your new found
freedom? Do you have a time line for when you want to
resign? If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to
start looking at your options so that you have something in
the works when you do submit your resignation letter.

7) You complain about your job to anyone who listens.

Who knows you don’t like your job? A better question may
be: Who doesn’t know? Do your closest friends know how
frustrated you are at work? What about your immediate
family members? How about your coworkers and colleagues? Do
you talk with your hair stylist, manicurist or chiropractor
about how unhappy you are? Are any of these people tired of
hearing you complain about your work situation? Do they
wish you’d get on with your life already? Rather than just
talking about what’s not working for you, it may be time to
do some personal soul searching to determine your next move.

8) You are bored silly at work.

The tasks you do at work don’t engage you any more. You’ve
been there, done that. You can do the work in your
sleep…some days you feel like you are! While you try to
get your work done, you dream of having work that’s
fulfilling, meaningful, and engaging. You don’t know what
that will be, but you hope something else is out there that
you can do.

9) You are consistently late for work.

No matter how hard you try, you seem to show up late for
work. It’s like pulling teeth to get yourself out of your
house and into your car to get to work. You get distracted
by the simplest tasks at home, trying to do just one more
thing before you head into work. You may also find that you
are showing up late for appointments, meetings, and phone
calls. Your tendency to show up late may also manifest in
your inability to meet deadlines at work. Although you may
chalk your tardiness up to laziness or procrastination, I
encourage you to see it as a sign that you don’t want to be
doing what you feel you must do. Time to look at your
options!

10) You hope to win the lottery to solve your life’s
problems.

When all looks bleak, it’s common to look for a miracle to
get yourself out of the bind you are in. For some it’s
daydreaming about winning the lottery so that they no
longer need a job to fulfill their monetary needs. Others
may dream about what they’ll do when they recieve an
inheritance, finding a spouse who is stable financially, or
winning big at Vegas. Whatever your dream, it’s likely you
are searching for confirmation that your time in this job
is limited.

If you recognize any of these signs in your own life, it’s
time to make a commitment to yourself to explore your work
options. Don’t waste the days of your life in a job you
don’t like. Even if you can’t make a move today, you can
start exploring your options today. As soon as you envision
what you want to do, the path that will take you to your
future work will become clearer and clearer.

—————————————————-
Carol McClelland, PhD, is the author of Your Dream Career
For Dummies and the creator of the Career Clarity Program,
an online program that helps you find your dream career and
make it real. She’s helped thousands of people find a
career that’s a great fit both personally and
professionally. To receive a free copy of her Dream Career
Workbook, visit: http://www.careerclarityprogram.com and
request the workbook in the left navigation bar.