Is It Time To Change Careers?

We all want to feel a sense of meaning and purpose as we go through our daily lives. It is living with purpose that supports true wellbeing—mind, body and spirit. Nowhere is this more evident than in our Occupational Wellness. Think about it. Have you ever had a job where you felt understimulated, underappreciated or underutilized? Have you ever sat at a desk all day, distracting yourself with Internet surfing or sneaking personal phone conversations, just waiting for the clock to strike quitting time? Have you found yourself going to work strictly for the promise of a paycheck? These are all signs that work has lost its purpose and meaning, and they can have a serious impact on your Occupational Wellness.

It’s certainly true that no job or situation is going to be “perfect” all of the time. We’re going to have days when we just don’t want to go to work, feel distracted while we’re there or can’t wait for the end of the day. We may have one or two coworkers with whom we have difficulties, and we may, from time to time, encounter a difficult boss. These are not reasons for changing careers—although they may eventually be reasons for changing jobs. We change careers when we feel we’re failing to live our true purpose in a general sense, or when we feel we’ve contributed as much as we can to our current career path and want to see what new frontier we can explore.

Sure, you can continue to work where you know you’re safe, but if you’re continually bored and feel like your career is stagnant, you’re not supporting your growth as a person, or your Occupational Wellness. Why not reach for something new to stimulate a little personal transformation?

If you feel it’s time to change careers for a greater sense of Occupational Wellness, where do you begin? You may have a general idea of something you’d like to explore, but you may also have doubts. You might simply know that you’re not satisfied with where you are anymore, but have no idea where you want to go. Either way, before you make a move, it’s a good idea to sit down and consider a few things in preparation for making a change.

First, assess yourself. What are your interests, values, skills, preferred working environments, developmental needs and personal responsibilities? All of these personal preferences and traits are going to be important. If you’re interested in writing, but you prefer to work with people, a career as a writer may not be a good fit—unless your interest in and skills for writing surpass your need to work with people. Or you might be able to find a job working with people that occasionally requires your writing skills.

Your values are also going to have a tremendous effect on the career path that ultimately feels most fulfilling and purpose-driven for you. If you value helping others, that’s going to be an extremely important aspect of whatever you choose to do.

Next, consider your options. Once you’ve got a general idea of who you are, find out as much as you can about the various occupations that could fit into your vision of living with purpose. You may find that you’re interested in several related careers, but unsure of which one fits you best. Go on a fact-finding mission and compare the options. Find out about the labor markets in your industries of interest so that you know which are the most financially viable.

After you’ve explored all of your options, identify the occupation that you’d most like to explore. Keep in mind a few alternatives, just in case. Learn about any additional education you might need before you dive into your new career. You may need to go back to school, and if so, that’s going to become a top priority. Is that realistic for you? Brush up on your interviewing skills, review your resume and come up with a plan of action for your career move. Then, make sure to take immediate action. Otherwise, you’ll end up sitting at the computer, surfing the Internet and imagining that you’re someplace else. Why not actually go someplace else, like a job where you feel useful and fulfilled? Even if it’s something small, a beginning action (such as sending out your resume or making a few phone calls) is all it really takes to set a plan in motion—so get to it!

Living our true purpose is one of the pillars of Occupational Wellness, and, when you love what you do and do what you love, you’ll feel a greater sense of balance in your life.