Finding the right career isn’t easy, sure there are personality tests that can help you determine what you’re good at, but there’s no right or wrong way to approach a career and a lot of our lives are made up with just finding out what works for us and what doesn’t.
You shouldn’t be afraid to leave if your job is getting you down, of course we all need financial stability but at the end of the day a good job equals a good life and you won’t have to fear a dreaded burnout if you look forward to your day!
Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to find out if you’re in the right career.
#1 Am I passionate about this?
Does your job get you up in the morning and have you dreaming sweet dreams at night? Are the tasks they give you challenging enough for you but easy enough to complete?
Do other people regularly compliment you on finding your path and how well you do your work?
If you used to be passionate about your job but have lost your drive, you might need to ask for more challenging tasks or take on a few different assignments, everybody gets bored if they’re doing the same thing over and over.
Determining if you are passionate about your line of work is the first step to determining if you’re in the right career.
#2 How do I feel on Sundays?
If your Sundays are filled with dread and you can’t imagine getting out of bed on a Monday morning it’s pretty obvious that something needs to change.
Maybe you love your job but just hate mornings and love lying in bed? Or maybe not. There’s always a root cause of a problem, so find out exactly what it is you’re dreading and try to change it.
If you really hate your job then it’s pretty obvious that it’s not the right one for you, but it could also be that you need a change of company or position.
#3 How often do I complain about my job?
Talking about your job all the time is a side effect of really loving it, but everybody complains about the work they have to do at some point or another, even if it’s their dream career.
How often do you find yourself complaining about your job, work environment or tasks? If it’s more than 50% of the time, you are definitely not in the right career.
#4 Do I feel like I’m valued?
Feeling valued can be a combination of lots of little job perks like being taken seriously, having space and time to develop ideas, having the responsibility of projects and tasks, getting on with your co-workers, having adequate free time, being praised and valued by employers and having obvious employment benefits.
If you feel valued, creative and that you have space to grow, you’re in the right career!
#5 Am I willing to do extra work?
Do you find yourself excited by new projects, volunteering for after hours work and desperately wanting to go the extra mile?
Sure you might benefit from more pay or a promotion if you put in extra work, but if you weren’t in the right career you wouldn’t want to put in any extra hours, you’d be the first out the door when the time to leave arrived!