Signs you should change jobs.

First published on LinkedIn on 24 February 2020. Republished here as written.

These are some personal signs you may not be happy with your current career choice:

• Waking up in the morning comes with a sense of dread and uneasiness because you'll have to eventually go to work. These feelings are inescapable and very hard to ignore and tend to be the earliest signs of dissatisfaction with your employment.
• You are reprimanded for things that are typically trivial; coming in on-time, staying on task, staying focused on the task at hand, turning assignments in on-time. This is either subconscious self-sabotage, or a case of you losing respect for your job or your superiors.
• You have a lack of desire for advancement, either within your field or your company. This does not necessarily refer exclusively to getting promoted. If you aren't interested in more training within your profession, that could be a signal that you're bored, unchallenged, or uninterested in getting better.
• You spend much of the workday wishing you had more time for your personal projects or hobbies. This is sign that you're working within a career or job that's personally satisfying or gratifying. Personal interest plays a key role in determining job satisfaction. "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." - Confucius

The symptoms I described are not foolproof in diagnosing a career switch. By that I mean that having any one symptom does not necessarily mean you should go out to find a new career this instant. However, if these symptoms occur regularly and have become a source of conflict with your colleagues or manager, then it might be time to do some soul searching to determine what's causing you to be so distracted.

These are some market signs that you should probably start considering alternative career possibilities:

• Your job is repetitive and able to be automated. Even if your boss loves and thinks the world of you, if they can save money by automating your job, they will. If you find yourself in competition with a machine, you should be considering career alternatives. Otherwise you risk losing a job that can never be replaced. Try leveraging the skills and experience you gained at your current job to related positions, or take the risk and start training for your dream career (it's never too late!).
• You're unhappy about recent changes in how your company operates or recent changes in management. This could be because your company merges with another and you're either unsure of how the changes will impact you or you disagree with the direction the company appears to be going. Or, this could be because you seem to have a personality conflict with a new manager.

The second set of symptoms typically are not related to any changes within yourself, but are instead due to the world changing around you. If those situations apply to you and your current profession, it would be a good idea to explore other potential opportunities. Or, at minimum, start planning to get some new training or begin searching for a new employer.

Steve Jobs has an amazing quote for doing something that makes you unhappy: “I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

Moreover, no company wants you to be with them if you are unhappy. It affects your morale and eventually the work that you deliver. Find something that you like and that makes you happy. Sometimes you have to make a few missteps before you get there, but in the end it’s worth it.

But I think the main factor you have to consider is to shift your focus into yourself. How do you feel about Mondays & Fridays? Do you feel fear or anxious about going to work every morning? Do you feel yourself growing over time? Developing new skills?

All I’m trying to say is shift your focus into yourself, because in the end it’s self interest really, what do you see yourself get out of the job? All these red flags can be seen as a warning signs.