How to Know When the Career You’re in Is Wrong for You
ow to Know When the Career You’re in Is Wrong for You
Identifying a mismatched career is extremely important to the longevity and success of the career you hold. Being in the wrong career; can lead you to feel jaded at work and make you lash out at those around you; due to your frustration and anger with your job. Fortunately, there are a number of key signs to keep an eye out for; which indicates you are in the wrong career.
Perhaps more important than anything is recognizing that it’s possible for anyone to end up in the wrong career. Sometimes, people accept the first job that came their way; just because; they liked the idea of having a stable career. Alternatively, sometimes we end up in the wrong career because we accepted a job in order to appease someone. Regardless of the exact reason; you should always try to get out of a career that is a bad match for your interests and skills. How to know when the career you’re in is wrong for you.
Are You Interested in Your Company?
Believe it or not, a lack of interest in your company’s business; is a huge sign that you may actually be in the wrong career. Why did you choose to work for your current company? Did the work they do fascinate you? You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to work at NASA; many of their employees chose to work for them because of what the company does as a whole.
If you have no interest whatsoever in the things your company is doing; then you are probably in the wrong career. It’s important to ask yourself what you really want to do and what interests you. However, even older employees may not have realized yet what career they want to have and, due to this, have chosen to stay at their current company.
Despite possibly not knowing what you actually want to do; it’s important to leave a job where the company does not capture your attention. Focus on identifying which fields make you feel passionate and then pursuing work for a company in that field.
Do You Believe Your Skills Are Fully Utilized?
A fantastic sign that you aren’t in the right career is if your skills are underutilized. Perhaps you studied your whole life and developed an impressive array of skills that few people have, but then; you land a job that uses none of those skills. This can frustrate you and even lead you to believe the work you are doing is meaningless.
In fact, it’s widely known that most of the skills used in the workplace are actually learned on the job. As covered, employers are aware of the fact that college students will not have the skills necessary to complete their jobs and must be trained. Therefore, you need to do extensive research on any career you consider to see what the top skills used are.
Not doing so, may cause you to end up in a career where the skills you do use; completely bore you. While what you spent years learning may not be applicable to the workforce; it’s more than possible to find a career that lines up with what you are passionate about. Don’t settle for a career path that leaves you feeling underutilized and not appreciated for the impressive skills you boast.
Does What You Do Interest You?
Similar to not being interested in the company you work for, does your day-to-day work bore you to no end? There’s nothing wrong with being bored at work and, as discussed by Forbes, the right amount of boredom is actually a good thing.
However, if every little task and assignment you are given bores you, as well as your job as a whole; it’s more likely than not that you are in the wrong career. To discover what interests you, try asking yourself what makes you unique? By discovering what sets you apart from the competition; you can begin to narrow down which careers may be a better fit for your personality and traits.
Upon realizing that you have ended up in the wrong career; it’s important to take the needed steps to escape that job. Attend an educational institution or pick up new skills that can allow you to head into a career path that is a better fit for who you are. Leaving a job because it doesn’t line up with your skills or interest; is an extremely valid reason for quitting, and no one can hold that against you. For the sake of your mental and physical health, get out of a mismatched career early. Otherwise, you may simply become complacent and stay in the job.
Featured photo by bruce mars on Unsplash
