It’s important to have long-term career plans. They often provide guidance as we move forward into the unknown. But it’s almost as equally as important to know when it is time to abandon those plans. Although it’s helpful to have a career map of your proposed professional journey, you have to allow for life’s realities to intervene. Heres how to know when it is time to pack up and start fresh.
1. When Job Stress Starts Impacting Your Life
Job stress, when it’s too much, can start to impact your home life. From your health to your relationships, or even maybe your emotional well-being, too much job stress is not ideal. If you have a significant amount of stress at work, it becomes nearly impossible to not bring it home with you. If you’ve already spoken to your employer with no avail, it might be time to move on. Maybe just in a new role or maybe in a new field entirely.
2. When the Companies Values do not Align with your own
Your job at the very least should give you a sense of pride and meaning. If telling people where you work makes you cringe, it’s a good sign you don’t have much respect for the company that employs you. Maybe the company is even doing something that goes against your personal morals and makes you feel uncomfortable. If that’s the case, it’s an obvious sign it is time to move on.
3. When the Industry is Changing
The workforce is changing more now than it ever has before. Position, hell, even entire career paths have disappeared over the years. On top of that, there are entirely new jobs and careers that might be worth chasing. If you’re overly rigid in your career ambitions, you’re only hurting yourself by not opening yourself up to opportunities that could equally match your interests and skill sets. If you find yourself in a role that might soon be disappearing, it might be time to move on.
4. When Your Expectations are Too High
It happens so often that you find yourself in your dream role, only to find out it is nothing like you would have expected it to be. Perhaps the culture of the company isn’t what you envisioned. Or even worse, maybe the sacrifices you have to make aren’t worth the emotional toll. If you land your ideal role or get a spot at your dream company, but find that it just doesn’t fit, it’s probably time to move on.
