How I knew it was time for a career change

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I spent 20 years in my first career, seven of which were great.

The other 13? Not so much.

Like many, I left university feeling utterly clueless about the right direction, and so I fell into the field of communications.

Too young to know beans about myself or my options I merrily set about building my future. You may picture an eager young Alison intent on attacking the career ladder with aplomb!

Now the memory of those first few career years makes me smile.

Excited to be in the world of work and dabbling in a field that was creative, I made the most of the opportunities, learnt a tonne, and built some lifelong friendships. And I progressed pretty rapidly.

From the outside, everything looked rosy, but there was one small problem.

The further up the chain I went, the more I struggled to feel happy and fulfilled in my job. What had started out as a fun, interesting and varied role gradually became something quite different.

I ended up with a lot of responsibility, but little autonomy. I couldn’t affect or change decisions from HQ that made little sense locally. I regularly had to act on decisions I fundamentally disagreed with, particularly when it came to people. And I had to do more and more of the sales work I wasn't suited to.

In short, it was stressful, anxiety ridden and thankless.

So in the face of such torment, what did I do?

You guessed it. I kept at it for another decade!!

Having built my career to that point, I assured myself it was too late to make a change. I argued I couldn't possibly waste the time and energy I'd put into it, so I put my head down and told myself it would get better. When things got tough I tried to concentrate on the benefits, and when it got really bad I changed companies, only to find the exact same thing in a different location.

So, after years slogging away at it, what finally led me to the point of no return?

How did I know, beyond doubt, it was time to make a career change?

For me, there were five distinct factors, which a lot of my clients have experienced:

1. My body broke down. It started off with a general malaise. I felt heavy, tired and drained of energy most days. But over time it got worse. I was permanently tense, had regular chest pains, and was prone to sickness. And then it got really bad. I became over-sensitive to different food types, until my digestive system broke down completely. GPs couldn’t pinpoint the cause and the medicine they gave me didn’t work. I put it down to being unlucky, and then getting older, and then just part of my make up. But in truth I was suppressing my feelings about my job and refusing to acknowledge how stressful it was, to such an extent that it caused persistent, physical ill-health.
2. I couldn’t switch my brain off. No matter how tired or exhausted I was, I was kept awake every night with a thousand thoughts running through my head. Everything from “How will I get through tomorrow’s meeting?” and “How on earth am I going to navigate these politics?” to “I wish I didn’t have to do this” and “How will I find the energy to cope?” And worst of all were the questioning thoughts, for which I had no answer. “What am I doing?”, “How can I get out of this?”, “What would I do instead?” The result was I became a chronic insomniac. I averaged 2-3 hours’ sleep per night and ran off pure adrenaline during the day. Which only served to compound my health problems.
3. I was hell-bent on distraction. To numb-out how I felt, I filled my time. And I mean really filled my time. Despite utter exhaustion, ongoing ill-health and the fact that I hate busy, noisy bars, I was out most nights. Anything to block out the discomfort of my job. I also treated myself to posh dinners, designer clothes and wildly expensive, exotic holidays as rewards for getting through the days, weeks and months. And on evenings and weekends when I simply didn’t have the energy, I would binge-watch TV and film to escape my reality.
4. I put on a show. At work I played a part. I was like an actress, dutifully performing her role. To fit the mould I portrayed a business-like, unemotional, bullet-proof executive and did my best not to show weakness. I donned a metaphorical suit of armour and battled my way through every day, spending the majority of my time feeling nothing like my true self. It was uncomfortable, grueling and draining, and left me disquieted and ill at ease. 
5. I didn’t want my boss’s job. My own job was bad enough, but the idea of theirs filled me with horror. The thought of my boss’s role left me feeling empty, dejected and looking for the escape hatch. I had no aspiration to keep going and hit the top job, so it left me treading water and lost without a direction.

Now, if these signs strike a chord with you, there’s a good chance it’s time to make a career change.

Why? Because these kinds of issues don't show up when you’re fulfilled in your work.

I am a case in point. 

Today I have zero health problems, I sleep like a baby and I have no need of unhealthy distractions. I’ve dropped the armour so my clients get pure, unadulterated me (which may or may not be a good thing!) and my career future really excites me. I experience anticipation rather than dread when I wake up each day, and I have more energy than ever :)

So if you’re debating whether or not it's time to make a change, testbed your own experience against the checklist above.

And if the result isn’t favourable, you’ve got your answer!

Alison x

P.S. If you'd like help determining the right career change, check out my coaching programme and book a free, no-strings consultation call with me.