Why You Shouldn’t Wait to “Find Your Passion” to Switch Careers

Are you tired of your current job? Do you long to make a career switch to something with more meaning?

Are you waiting for inspiration to strike?

Welllllll………. I’m here to burst your bubble.

I DON’T GET IT!

A Job Can’t Make You Happy

I see this all the time on social media and hear it in my everyday life. People complaining that they have lost their sense of meaning and need a career change to fix that.

Why in the world would finding a new job give you a sense of purpose?

I get needing a job change. Everyone has been there at one time or another. AND there’s nothing wrong with it.

But looking for meaning in a job is not the way to make the internal changes that bring real happiness. That can’t come from an outside source. It’s like when you hear, “You have to love yourself before you can love someone else.” This is the same concept for a job. If you are unhappy inside, you will ultimately be unhappy at any job you have.

What is Wrong With Your Current Job?

This should be the first question to ask yourself. There are legitimate reasons why a job is not the right fit anymore.

Here are few reason you may want to quit:

• Bad boss
• No room for promotion
• Poor teamwork
• Unethical business practices
• Unsafe conditions
• Low pay
• Nasty co-workers
• Long commute
• Need to move for family
• Company in trouble and might be going under
• You feel you chose the wrong profession
• Poor support from management
• Not enough work hours available
• Feeling burned out

Sometimes you look around your work site and just think, “Ugh. This place is the worst!” And sometimes IT IS THE WORST.

But if the that is a feeling that comes and goes, then the real reason may not have anything to do with the job. It may be general discontent.

General discontent is the wrong reason to quit a job you already have in hopes of finding a new one.

3 reasons quitting could be a bad idea

1. If you don’t have a new job already lined up.

2. You aren’t sure you will like the new one any better.

3. You may not be qualified for the new role you want.

But I don’t want to leave you with only negatives so here are some reasons quitting might be a great move.

3 reasons quitting could be a great idea

1. It could break you out of a rut.

2. Networking

3. New job skills in a new setting

I Quit My Job 4 Years Ago and I Don’t Regret It At All

I’ve been a PTA (Physical Therapist Assistant) for 19 years. Around 6 years ago I started a job that just wasn’t doing it for me. It was a combo of low morale in the workplace, an old facility, questionable ethical practices, and insurance changes that affected the job. For me it was a long time coming. I love the work but I hated the politics and dealing with the ever changing insurance and government regulations.

I got into it right out of high school when I was full of nonsense optimism and was single and thought I had to have a job that would give me a sense of accomplishment and purpose. Being a PTA did both of those things.

But now I’m older, and my life has changed. I have a family, a partner whose job has time requirements also and A TON more financial obligations than I did as a teenager.

So when I needed to make a change I had to do so with some forethought and practicality.

I found a new career online that allowed me to do all the things that were truly important to me. Now, instead of “the job” and all the things it was supposed to provide, I was instead thinking of my family, my time, my energy, and money.

{Don’t underestimate the value that money has} It may not bring happiness, but it can bring peace of mind when you aren’t having to live paycheck to paycheck, and you can actually save up for retirement so you don’t have to work until the day you die.

I switched to a career as a Virtual Assistant (VA) and haven’t regretted it for one single minute. Now I have the freedom to work from anywhere that I can get a connection to the world wide web on a computer or cell phone. It’s basically a dream job.

>>I wrote all about how to become a VA in another article here<<

It’s focused on therapists that want to switch careers, but is applicable to anyone that is looking to begin a legitimate work from home job.

If You Are Going to Make a Career Change, Use Logic NOT Feelings

Let’s brainstorm some of the important questions you need to ask yourself. Think of the answers to these as you read through or get out a pen and some paper and make a list.

• Can I transition to a new job with my current company?
• Will they train me?
• Will they pay for it?
• Will a new company train me and/or pay for or reimburse it.
• How much will it cost to begin the new job? (uniforms, equipment, training, difference in commute costs, difference in pay)
• Will I need to move?
• Do I have the disposition for the new job? (Becoming an elementary school teacher or swim instructor when you can’t stand kids would be a bad choice.)
• Do I know what I will be doing? (What a typical day will look like.)
• Will I have a boss or will I be the boss?
• Do I need to go back to school, get trained or certified and if so, how much will that cost in 1. time 2. lost wages 3. tuition/loans
• Can I slowly move into the new career doing part-time initially?
• Am I able to perform the new job? (This is a big one. For example, massage therapy or woodworking are very physically taxing.)
• Am I smart enough to do the job? (While I would love to be a geophysicist, I know I’m not going to be able to complete the schooling to become one. I just don’t have it in me.)
• Does it provide a good benefits package? If not, what is that worth? (Some jobs have great 401K or retirement packages but not the best salary. Would the benefit in the long run be worth it to you in the short term?) (Also, if you have to cover the cost of the missing insurance or benefit options, would that lower how much you take home each year and is that something you can work with?)
• Will it fix a problem? (A problem like: 1. my kids have to be dropped off at 8 so I need a job that will let me do that instead of paying for before school care. OR 2. my commute is an hour now but the new job is only 15 minutes away OR 3. I want to work a night shift job)

Let’s Go Into That Last One a Bit More? {What Problem Will It Fix?}

I’ll give the example of why I switched careers.

I was burned out nearly completely. The job satisfaction that was always there was being slowly worn away by long hours, poor morale and what I felt were bad work practices. Not to mention the company kept cutting our benefits. Every year there was either a reduction in 401K matching, fewer vacation days, a lower level insurance plan or increases in productivity requirements. If it wasn’t one thing, it was another.

Something had to change.

I thought about getting another job in the same field, but with more and more changes being projected in the news I knew it was only a matter of 1-2 years before I found myself in the same position, just somewhere else.

So why bother?

The problems:

• I didn’t like what I was doing anymore
• It wasn’t going to be solved by a new setting or company
• It wasn’t a short term issue that would resolve itself
• It was going to get worse

The solutions: (to choose from)

• Find a new job doing anything else
• Be unemployed
• Open a business

I chose a new job in a brand new field.

But not because I thought it would give me meaning. It was strictly to fill a box I needed to check off. 

I love my new job so much. More than any other job I’ve ever had.

It may not provide me a sense of purpose, but it does provide the most important thing of all —–> TIME.

Time to work and still make money, while being flexible enough to let me do the things that do give me meaning.

For me those things are:

1. Being able to participate with my kids in school, sports, medical and dental appointments, etc…
2. Make my own schedule
3. Work from literally anywhere in the world with a connection. ( I regularly work from the back porch, carpool lane, coffee shops, kitchen table, bed, restaurants.)
4. Visiting with friends and family (I take my laptop and see people all over the country while still getting to work.)
5. Take vacations anytime I want. (I don’t have to work around holidays or other people’s requests or PTO.)
6. Working out
7. House projects (Just this week I built a platform on the side of the house for the trash can and scheduled work around when the area would be in the shade. I just went to work on the computer inside when it was very sunny out)

What are the things that give your life meaning?

Grab a sheet of paper and make a list of the things in your life that would like to do more of. The things that you’ve always wanted to do, make you smile, feel peaceful or give you that warm sense of accomplishment.

A realistic list, not stuff like win the lottery or successfully travel through a wormhole.

Some things that you could do or have more of if you did switch jobs.

Everything I wrote on here is why I think finding a “passion” or “meaning” in a new job before you make any decisions is bad logic. It actually may keep you stuck in your current situation longer than you should be. It also can set you up for failure in the new job as well, because you’re looking for something that may not exist.

Remember *A JOB IS A TOOL TO GET YOU WHAT YOU WANT. NOT TO BE EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE*

For more job related content check out these articles from LGM

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR COVER LETTER AND RESUME WHEN YOU WANT TO SWITCH CAREERS [4 STEPS]

5 FREE TRAINING RESOURCES FOR BLOGGERS FROM ADVENTURES IN BLOGGING {TO GROW YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS GAME}

HOW TO GET A JOB OFFER AND ACE THE INTERVIEW (EASY 3 STEP PROCESS)