Career Growth: Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

The average person will change jobs at least 10 times during their lifetime. Are you ready to make a change? Perhaps at your current company, your career growth has stalled. Or maybe you have been affected by a recent layoff. Or maybe, you are just bored. Whatever has made you decide to start considering a career change, it is a big decision. It starts with asking yourself some important questions. Here are four questions to ask yourself before you make a change.

What Will This Mean for my Career Growth?

There are some careers that the longer you work, the more opportunity you have. A career change means you are basically starting over. You have to determine if it is worth it for you. For example, maybe you work at a grocery store in produce. You have done it for so long, you know all of your vendors, you have regular customers, you even get to choose what fruits and vegetables to display. A move to the bakery would mean losing all of that experience and tenure. But it also means career growth because you will be learning a new skill and learning about a new department of the grocery industry that could put you in line for management.

Do you Want to Change Your Career or Change Your Boss?

We all have good days and bad days. When the bad days are more than the good days it makes sense that you would start considering a change. But changing careers will change the path of your career growth. You may need a job change, not a career change.

What am I Good at That I am Not Doing?

The old saying goes, if you don’t use it, you lose it. Are there skills that you have that you are not using? It is important in any job that you are able to build on your skills you have.

Where Do you Want to Be in Five Years?

I dread this career growth question in the interview process but, when thinking about your future, it is an important one to ask. What would you like to see different in your future? For example, my kids are almost out of the house and I love to travel. If I was making a career change, I would like to have career growth that would lead to travel opportunities. When my children were little, I needed a career that was flexible enough for me to be at their activities, so I chose a path whose career growth kept me at home more.

Now think about where you would like to be. Will you be in a bigger house? Will you need a new car? Do you want to live in the country? Now ask yourself if the potential career growth of the career you are considering matches your goals.

A change in your career can be scary. Sometimes people will tell you that it is worth it. Others will tell you it is a mistake. Only you will be able to make that assessment. Whatever you do, make sure that you honestly answer the questions above and choose what will work for you. Now you will have to find a company willing to give you an opportunity. Do not worry, you are worth the chance!

Read on for more ways to make your job search a success: Career Growth: How You Can Change Industries