Change Careers — if that's at the top of your New Year's resolution list, or even if you've just started debating it, you know how hard it can be to make that decision, especially in this economy. But there are so many valid reasons to consider changing careers, it's something to consider with serious thought. If you're feeling more like a wage slave, and less like a happy camper, keep reading. Here are 7 good reasons to change careers.
If you're spending more time at work than anywhere else, or everywhere else put together, then it might be time to change careers, or at least change jobs! A «normal» work week is 40 hours. A heavy workweek is 48, but anything more than that, especially for weeks in a row, is obscene and in some cases, even illegal.
you can't eat, you can't sleep, you're snappish with friends and family, your skin is a wreck. If work is making you entirely too stressed out, you ought to consider changing careers. This much stress, and your responses to it, can literally make you insane. Don't let work drive you crazy. It's time to change careers.
As if having frenemies in your regular life wasn't bad enough, do you have to have them at work, too? No, you don't. Poisonous co-workers can add to the stress you're already prone to at work, and can make the entire staff look bad. Don't play that game. Take the high road, avoid gossipy, back-biting coworkers, and look for a new career.
Average commute times are on the rise, but if you're spending more than an hour each way on your commute, that adds up to a lot of wasted time. If you can make the most of it on the train or bus, that's great. But if you're stuck in the car in rush-hour traffic, talk about stress! Maybe it's time to change careers... or at least look for a job in the same career that's closer to home!
I'm not a writer for the pay; I'm a writer because I've never wanted to be anything else. But if I couldn't afford to meet my obligations on the pay I make as a writer, I'd have to change careers. Likewise, if you can't make ends meet in the career you have now, consider changing careers, even if it means going back to school.
If you're topped out in pay and benefits and advancement in your current career, and you're still decades away from retirement, give some serious thought to whether or not you think you can be happy in this career. If you suspect you'll be bored to tears without the challenge of the corporate ladder in front of you, again, consider a career change.
Remember when I said I wasn't a writer for the money, but because it's what I've always wanted to be? I love what I do. If you don't, and your work just makes you miserable, follow your hear and change careers. Do it the right way, weighing the pros and cons, but at least give it some thought.
When you read this list, did you see yourself in two or more of the items? If so, then it might really be time to change careers. Remember, though, it's always easier to make the switch to a new career when you're already working, so don't quit your job until you have a new career lined up. Have you made a career change lately? Which of these reasons inspired you to change careers? Do tell!
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