Maybe you’ve been working steadily for a while now at the same company in the same position and feel as though you need a new challenge. You’ve had talks with your boss and have explained how you feel, although nothing seems to change. You expected a promotion or some form of career advancement to have happened by now; you were working toward a career but have found yourself with only a job.
When you walk into the office on Monday morning, you start counting the hours until Friday afternoon. You’re caught in the rat race of feeling pulled in different directions with responsibilities at home and at work; you feel yourself losing all of your creativity and your sense of individuality with the endless commute to work during rush hour. Does any of that describe you?
How can you infuse a little sparkle into your life when it seems as if the pilot light has gone out for good? What should you consider as you attempt to change your career direction?
Start a side hobby/business while you are still employed
If you enjoy the type of work that you do and the company you represent, for the most part, perhaps starting a small business to work alongside your job is enough to add the excitement you’ve been missing. Is there something you’ve always wished you could be doing? Do you have a hobby or a craft that you enjoy that could provide you with items to sell? Is there a service – accounting, lawn work, organizing – that you can offer that others need? Have you been working on some secret project for years that is finally ready for the unveiling?
Defining concrete goals in starting something new will keep your plans more focused. Do you want to create an additional source of income to supplement your current work or ultimately to replace your career? Perhaps it would be ideal to choose something that does not require much capital at the start. Once you’ve invested time into your new project, if you decide to walk away from your plans, you won’t regret the time spent as much if you were wise about the monetary outlay at the onset.
Create another avenue of opportunities with your new project without jeopardizing your current situation
Having a creative outlet or other activity to captivate your energy outside of the time in the office may be exactly what you need to stay working at your current job. Yet, be cautious of telling coworkers that you are starting a side business. If the reason for your new start-up is obvious discontent with your working life and your boss is aware of that, you may be accidentally jeopardizing your current position without meaning to do so. If you are using your new side business as a possible exit strategy from the office, you’ll want to do that on your own terms at a time that is right for you. Keeping the information from those in the office will help accomplish that.
But what if you already know that you can’t possibly spend another few months or an additional year at your present position and drastically need to make a change?
Be honest with yourself about what you want to be doing
You may be working in a job that you never imagined pursuing for long. But life happened and now you’re stuck at something you don’t want to be doing. Take time to decide what you truly want to be doing with your life. Finding something that you enjoy to do and can make a good living simultaneously can’t really be considered work. Can it?
You can start by making a list of the activities you enjoy and then try to find a position that includes those items. For example, do you enjoy a fast-paced work environment or working with the public? Or are you more productive in a quieter office working behind the scenes? Are you creative and full of initiative or do you prefer to be given a to-do list of things to check off that was created by someone else?
Research career opportunities before you make any drastic changes
As analog as it may sound, picking up a business directory or phone book that groups businesses into categories is a good place to find plenty of career ideas. If you are planning to change career directions completely, will you need to attend classes or earn an advanced degree? College career centers hold a wealth of information with plenty of connections to help you transition into something better. Local career agencies and libraries also have plenty of community information and may provide career help with positions located close to where you live. It’s definitely worth a phone call or a visit to see if you can receive professional assistance in making some decisions without spending too much money on the advice.
If you prefer the do-it-yourself route, What Color is My Parachute? is a classic book that offers plenty of career advice and is updated yearly to reflect the current job market. The more research you are willing to do before making a change into some other field, the more aware you will be about the pros and cons of your next pursuit. You’ll enter into a new chapter of your life prepared with reasonable expectations and wiser than ever. (link into recommended reading page)
Take time to connect with your references before sharing their contact information
When you are exploring other career options and applying for different positions, you’ll need a few individuals as references who can attest to your character, work history, and skill sets. It’s best to choose managers that have supervised you directly or co-workers that know your work well and whom you trust to give an honest account of your contributions. Conflict exists in most work environments; you certainly do not want any underlying tension from previous situations to be revealed if you choose an individual as a reference whom you know is not fair and honest. It’s only common courtesy to ask those individuals to act as references for you before sharing their contact information. Verify whether to use their personal and/or business phone numbers. You don’t want your references finding out that you are pursuing a position from the interviewer!
Be smart about the process of quitting your job
If you’re planning to make a change in your career by resigning from a position, it’s best to keep that information to yourself until you announce your decision. Although you may be working in a supportive environment, there is always a chance that your news will not be well received and negative repercussions could result. Before you submit your resignation, it’s less stressful if you have another position already secured. And in that case, you probably have already experienced how challenging it is to keep your plans a secret, what with trying to interview for other positions without interfering with your current work schedule.
But if you have not secured a new job yet, you can reduce the stress during your search for a new position if you have a savings account with enough to cover your expenses for a minimum of six months. It’s also a good idea to take advantage of your current benefits. If you have company-provided health insurance, have you had your annual physical, dental and vision checkups, and prescriptions newly filled before your coverage terminates? If your vacation is prorated throughout the year, have you taken all of the days off that you’ve already earned? Have you already received your latest reimbursement for your expense account? You want to have as many of those loose ends as possible tied up before making a change.
Keep your expectations to a minimum at the time of resignation and stay calm at all costs
Even if you’ve done all of your homework and have another job lined up and ready to go, the act of actually quitting a job can be stressful. Whether your resignation means you are leaving a good situation or a bad one, there is no way to predict how your news will be received. Someone may be willing to host a party in your honor, or you may be told to gather your belongings to be escorted off the premises immediately. So, be ready to walk out the door when you submit your letter of resignation.
Hopefully, you’ve been taking home personal belongings and cleaned out much of your desk already. Ideally, you leave items of personal value at home, separate from the office, realizing that the working world will continue to function without you. It can be a tough lesson to learn – that you are dispensable at work – but that’s why it’s important to stay calm as you deliver your news. No sense in creating drama and more fodder for the office to gossip about you as you quit!
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