Career Changes

I’m sure you will be familiar with the following saying:

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. – Confucius

But what if you’re stuck in a job that you dislike? Perhaps the job is monotonous, possibly it doesn’t challenge you, or maybe it’s got to the point where it’s just too stressful and it’s making you unwell.

I used to have a job where I’d get the familiar Sunday night dread in the pit of my stomach. I would lay awake at night, every night, worrying about whether I had done anything wrong and running through a list of everything I still needed to get done the following day. I realised that my job was taking over my life, and this so-called “work-life balance” that is bandied about everywhere, was non-existent. I had two options:

• Continue putting up with it
• Make a change

I’m generally a risk-averse person. I think everything through a million times, looking at the options from every angle. However, I realised that there was no way I could continue in my job role. Although this is a cliché that is used all of the time, life was too short to spend 40 hours a week in a job that I disliked, and probably another 40 hours a week worrying about it. So I quit my job, without having anything else lined up. To the risk-averse me, this was sheer madness.

I realise that I was very fortunate to be in the position where I could quit my job and still be able to live. There are many people out there who are in a job they dislike, but can’t quit because they’re the main or sole breadwinner and their income is relied on to live day-to-day.

So what do you do when your job is sucking all your energy and joy from your life, and you can’t just quit? Or perhaps you have quit, and you don’t know what your next step will be?

1. You need to figure out what it is that you enjoy. There’s no point moving the problem from one similar job to the next i.e. changing the scenery but not the situation.

• Are you good with numbers?
• Do you enjoy helping people?
• Do you love social media?

All of the above likes could be incorporated into a job that you would enjoy.

2. If you’re struggling to find out what your strengths are, or you know what they are but don’t know how they would fit into a job role, complete a Skills Health Check on the National Careers Service website. The link can be found here.

3. Research the job roles that have been suggested to you. You will be able to see the entry requirements, as well as a brief overview of what the job involves.

4. Once you’ve found a job that really interests you, you will need to look at either getting the correct qualifications or job searching. It might not be an instant fix, but if you’re working towards making a change, then it will help to make things more bearable.

5. Ensure your CV & interview skills are honed to perfection. We can help you with that.

6. Work in a job that you love and wonder why it took you so long to make the change!

I now work in a job that I enjoy, but if you’d told me that while I was still in my previous role, I would never have believed you. I promise that it is possible to make a change and improve the situation.

For further advice and guidance regarding the results of your Skills Health Check, Career Changes, or CV & Interview support, please contact us on 0800 100 900. Our qualified advisers can help you make the next step.

-Sophie, Business Support Co-Ordinator