Life may be going well. You have a good job that pays reasonably well. But still, you feel a nagging dissatisfaction. Is this really how you’re going to spend the next 30 years? It’s not exciting enough to look forward to every day.
Or, you may be more actively unhappy with your job. You want to do something else, but you don’t know quite what. Plus, it’s hard for anyone to make a change. It’s comfortable enough, and it’s a steady paycheck.
In both cases, you may not be on the career track you want to be on. You’d like something more – more aligned with your interests, more enjoyable, or even more lucrative.
Here are some questions to ask yourself if you don’t feel like you’re on the career track you want to be on.
Do your skills blend with your aspirations?
One good way to look at changes in career tracks is to see how much your skills blend with your aspirations. You may have superb skills as an office manager or an administrative assistant, for example. That’s your current career path.
But you could want to work in another area: customer service, say, to use your strengths in dealing with people. Or, you could want to branch out into another path. Perhaps you are a superb baker of cakes, and would like to open your own bakery.
If you want to work in another area, your skills don’t current blend with your aspirations. You need more of a blend to be happier.
Consider the market for your aspirations
Once you’ve assessed the blend for your skills and aspirations, consider the market for your aspirations. Are companies hiring customer service agents? If you want to open a bakery, is that feasible?
If an aspiration-based career track is available, start planning how you get there. Don’t quit your current job! Plenty of people plan and start working a gig after their day job. The reason? It gives you a chance to see how the new path will go. Are you happier? Are you making enough money for it to be a reasonable change? Never leap without a firm path beneath your feet.
Think about where you’ll be in 10 years
There’s one more element to this mix. Think about where you’ll be in 10 years, both with your current track and any new one you’re thinking about. Will you still be happy? Will there still be jobs available? (Customer service, for example, is increasingly being done with virtual assistants rather than real ones.)
It’s important to plan for career longevity. Ask around and see what managers and others think of the prospects for your current career 10 years out.
Contact a Staffing Firm Today
Thinking about a new job? A staffing agency can help. We offer job postings and advice on how on potential future career tracks. We’re happy to help. Contact us today.