What is your first thought every morning from Monday to Friday?
If you seem to toss and turn, hitting the snooze button while mumbling about how you hate your job or your life, then you’re probably one of those people who think a job is a deadly chore.
You are a miserable soul, and your job or career is sucking the life out of you.
Is it time for a change? Not necessarily.
Maybe the job isn’t the problem, in which case a job switch wouldn’t help much. On the contrary, you might feel that your choice of career has everything to do with your misery.
Here are nine tell-tale signs that your career is to blame — and that it’s time for a change.
1. The Work Just Isn’t You
If you’re required to take on responsibilities that you feel aren’t a good match for your talents or skills, then you are probably looking at a job that was never right for you in the first place.
This is exactly why employers look for the right “fit.” They are expecting a candidate who is comfortable with the roles and responsibilities of the job. If you feel like you’re on the wrong team, chances are you are also on the wrong side of the field.
2. You’re Always in a Bad Mood
Thanks to your wonderful job, you don’t have an ounce of patience anymore. You find yourself bickering and barking at anyone who crosses your way or “makes you lose your patience.”
When it’s your job that demands you add something new to add to your already-large list of things to do, you just can’t bear it. You are the mean person behind a desk with a terrible job and zero tolerance for “nonsense.”
3. You are Constantly Exhausted
You seem to be tired all of the time. Your work is like a soul-sucking demon leaving little, if any, life in you.
Most of your time and day is spent working at your job, and during off-hours you try to make up for the stress and exhaustion, but it NEVER seems to be enough. Even your body hates your job and doesn’t seem to want to adjust to its schedule.
4. You Know Your Talents Lie Elsewhere
If you are 100% sure you are not doing what you are best at, it’s time to stop daydreaming about that dream career and start making a move toward the change.
Your time and skills seem wasted in the job you are currently doing. For you, your career has no purpose or meaning.
5. Your Growth is Stunted
You have been looking for a promotion or even a salary change for years, but something always keeps getting in the way. It could be your boss, a company policy or dreaded politics.
Whichever the case, you don’t seem to be moving forward in your career no matter how hard you try. This is another surefire sign that you need to get out.
6. You are Perpetually Bored
You are so bored that you don’t even notice your surroundings. You seem to ignore all the good in your life because you are running like a robot.
Not only are you unexcited in the morning when you wake up, but you also lack any amount of energy or enthusiasm you had in you when you started out. This is also how you go to bed every night of every day.
Passion and career are at far ends of the continuum. You even doubt the possibility of it.
7. The Remuneration Just Isn’t Enough
Your current compensation doesn’t make up for your unhappiness with the job. You feel like they are paying less than the amount of work you are doing.
It could be your unhappiness with the job or the fact that you are actually being underpaid. Either way, your job doesn’t seem to reward you in any way, be it financial or non-financial.
8. Sunday Nights are the Worst
You don’t just dread the Monday mornings and experience many call the “Monday morning blues,” you hate them.
Not only that, you also start feeling the pain and anxiety the Sunday night before.
9. Your Overall Behavior is Negative
Lately, you’ve been a negative person, and you feel that your job is to blame. You find yourself giving off those vibes mostly during work.
What comes out of your mouth is unkind, cruel and callous. Your colleagues and customers might just shake it off with a shrug and leave you be. However, there is a problem with your attitude and you know it. You simply blame the frustration you experience while you work.
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If all or most of these feelings sound familiar to you and your own career situation, you need to take control. Try various ways to add more meaning to your work, even if that means asking your boss to change or add more responsibilities.
If you’ve tried this and other approaches and you still experience a draining situation, it’s time for major change — a career change.
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