What to Do When You Stop Loving Your Career Path
You may reach a point in your career where you become stagnant. This might pertain to the actual position you occupy, or it could be more of an emotional feeling of being stuck. The tasks and responsibilities you used to love, you might now dread. This is a scary feeling, especially when you feel trapped in a path or a company. Here are some great tips to cope and work with the situation at hand.
It is never too late to change your career path
On average people change jobs 10-15 times over the course of their lives. And that number is on the rise, with millennial employees cited as the most likely to “job hop.” Of course, this is easier to do if you have a new career in mind. In an extreme example, maybe you work in a bank but dream about becoming a painter. In this instance, a first step,might be to start an Instagram with your art, along with a website in addition to befriending people who work at art galleries. This creates the opportunity to do what you love while getting feedback about the viability of this pursuit and learning more about what it takes to make a living as an artist.
You might find that a switch to your dream career path requires training. With the rise in instructional technology and informational videos, many online programs are available for people looking to get training in other fields. .. Otherwise, researching graduate or certificate programs that will accept undergraduate degrees in different fields of study could also be an option.
Therapy can help you find the root of the problem
Your job could be bringing you down for reasons that you aren’t fully realizing. This is especially true if you happen to be living in a big city. Maybe you still love your career but are going through a hard time elsewhere in your life. These challenges could be seeping into your work life and decreasing your motivation levels. This is why career counseling in NYC is a great option to consider. Career counseling is especially useful in big cities where a lot of pressure is put on workers and much is expected of people to perform at a high level. There you can find the support that could save your career and increase your motivation. Sometimes it takes an expert helping you get to the root of the problem so that you can then better understand yourself and move towards higher achievement.
Therapy is also great when you are feeling overwhelmed about work and life in general. A good therapist can assist you in exploring and organizing your thoughts in a healthy way that can help you excel at work and throughout your entire career. Career counselors are also experienced in guiding their clients through the career change process.
Focus on things that make you happy about your job
Sometimes a quick fix is to just think about the things that you like about your job. Think about your values and why you chose your career path. Sometimes you might be at the wrong company or be ready for a new challenge. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to entirely change careers. This might just mean you need to take on more responsibility or apply for a position at a higher level. Overall, remind yourself at work that you are in charge of your own happiness and seek out opportunities – big and small – to regain a sense of autonomy and control over your career path.
It also helps if you enjoy the people you work with. If you’re extroverted, maybe start organizing work events at your company to build relationships. Or consider exploring options to support a charitable event with your work colleagues. The basic idea is that there are likely opportunities to make seemingly minor, but meaningful shifts in your relationship to where you work and the people you work with.
Don’t forget that you are in charge of your own life. It is up to you to take these essential steps to explore yourself and your career. Although you may feel locked in, it is never too late to make a change—big or small.