8 Signs It's Time for a Career Change

You know something's not quite right. You've been feeling it for some time.

Maybe you're restless. Or angry. Or frustrated. Or scared you'll get to the end of this wild ride and regret that you didn't make that one big change you always swore you'd make.

For many of us, that one big change involves our careers.

We get so locked in, swept away or caught up on autopilot with our careers sometimes that it's hard to even see the signs that it's time to throw up our hands and say (once and for all), "Enough!"

We worry about the investments we've made in the other career path, the money, the judgment of our families and friends, the "What if I'm just being ridiculous?"

We get so swirled up sometimes that we don't even allow ourselves to consider that it's time (or well past time) to do something different. More fulfilling. More challenging. Flat out better.

Let's make time to consider.

8 signs that it may be time to make a career change:

1. You feel like you're not growing or being challenged anymore. We're on this earth to learn, grow, help others, conquer adversity, solve problems ... contribute. If you're in a job or career that doesn't seem to be providing opportunity for much (or any) of that, reconsider.

2. You realized that you're wasting your talents; that your dream is going unfulfilled. You've got something to offer that's unique to you, and that the world is waiting for. If your career isn't providing the platform from which you can share the best of you -- or you're letting a long-time dream pass you by, have a second look.

3. You suspect you're on a trajectory that's taking you in the opposite direction of your goals. Maybe you took a job out of necessity a while back, even though it wasn't at all in line with where you envision yourself heading. Maybe your role has changed over time, into something you no longer recognize or enjoy. Any which way, if you're looking to go north and you're currently pointed south, you're at a darned good spot to reassess.

4. You constantly feel a sense of apathy, boredom, exhaustion or resentment. I'll go on and state the obvious here: these are not good feelings to experience day in and day out. Trust that these emotions are your indicator light announcing we've got a problem.

5. You're convinced that no amount of money could fix your current situation. As in, there's no light at the end of the tunnel. If you're stuck in something with little potential to be more than survivable-at-best, it's time to rethink the plan.

6. You experience a keen sense of dread every single morning. I personally have been there. Mine was so pronounced that I started having anxiety by like noon on Sunday every week before heading back from work. Like apathy and exhaustion, anxiety and dread are also mighty powerful billboards that something is amiss.

7. You're relying regularly on unhealthy methods of escape as means of coping with your situation. Need a list of the common ones? Booze, gambling, overworking, affairs, drugs, or just plain old checking out on the people who love and rely on you.

8. Your friends or family members are (maybe frequently) asking you if you're OK. Sometimes, the people who know and love us the most pick up on stuff well before we do. If you trust and love them, trust their intuition.

Scoring: If you've tallied up more than a couple of "yes" answers as you've strolled through this list, you owe it to yourself to carve out some quiet time to consider: Is it time for a career change? Am I going to give this a serious look? Am I worth this? (Answer to that last question: Oh, hell yes.)

Now What?

If you've read this far and realize that a career pivot may be exactly what you need, this might be a wonderful place to start (I'm super excited to share this with you all) -->

I'm co-producing a FREE online career pivot conference with Michelle Ward, an incredible career coach, human being and the force behind The When I Grow Up Coach.

We've been behind-the-scenes for weeks interviewing some of the industry's top career change experts (16 in total!) about how to figure out your "what next?" and then gather up the gumption, build out the plans, and activate.

The virtual event is called Pivot Assembly: Evolve Your Career With Confidence and it runs (all day) Sept. 13-15. We've got two tracks within the conference -- one for people considering a "traditional" career pivot, and one for those thinking about maybe starting something on your own.

Some of the my very favorite career experts (including Jenny Blake, Pam Slim, Scott Barlow and Ash Ambirge) will be sharing their best tips, insights and ideas for those feeling like it's (about darned time) to find a job you love. And it's virtual, so you don't need to drive, fly or show up anywhere other than your laptop or iPad.