We are all supposed to know what career path we want to do before we have any experience or really know what we want from our lives. Therefore, it is of little surprise that some people end up regretting the decisions they made or feeling a bit unfulfilled. Does this sound familiar?
Signs You Have Taken a Wrong Turn on Your Career Path
Perhaps you want more from your career but you are wondering whether there is even more to be gained? Are you just dreaming? To find out the answers to this, read on to discover some of the indicators that you have taken a wrong turn somewhere along your career path.
Jealousy
There is only one place to begin, and this is with jealousy! We often tend to categorize jealous as something to be avoided. However, it can be a key sign that you simply need to make some changes in your life.
If you feel jealous of a friend or family member and the work that he or she is doing, this does not make you a jealous or greedy person. It is simply a sign that you need to do something different with your career. Rather than being jealous, make the changes you need to make so that you can have a career you are satisfied with and proud of.
However, in order to truly get to the bottom of what changes you need to make, you need to figure out what triggers your jealousy. It is likely that there is a certain element of the person’s job that makes you jealous. So, are you jealous of the career that they have, for example, being a lawyer or a landscape gardener, or whatever it is that they do?
Or, are you jealous of certain aspects of their career? For instance, it could be the working hours, the working environment, the perks, or something different. By figuring out what actually triggers your jealousy, you will then be able to make the right changes so that you can be satisfied with your career.
Money troubles
Another sign that you have taken an incorrect path with your career is if you are struggling with money. As much as we don’t want money to be the main driving force when it comes to our career choices, there is no denying that it has a monumental impact. After all, we all need to have money to get by, pay our bills, and so on. If you are struggling and you feel like your pay has never increased since you started your job, it is time to make some changes. Simply talking to your boss is a good place to start.
However, if this conversation does not yield any benefits, you need to look for other ways to make more money. You may assume that the only way to make more money is to put in more effort, for example, work overtime or look for a second job. However, this is not the case. You can look at the way your payment structure is and seek changes in this regard. This may mean moving company but you can still stay in the same sort of field. Real estate is a brilliant example in this regard.
There are some companies that operate on a percentage of 100 real estate commission. This means that your monetary reward is based on your sales rather than you earn a set amount regardless. This is something that appeals to a lot of people, as it can be satisfying knowing your hard work is always rewarded.
Boredom and energy depletion
In addition to the two points that have already been mentioned, if you are suffering from constant boredom and you feel like you have no energy for your job, this is another indicator that you have taken an incorrect turn on your career path. Of course, it is natural to feel bored and uninspired from time to time.
After all, we all have to carry out tasks that we are not particularly interested in. However, what we are talking about here is something more than the frequent ups and downs of a typical week. We are referring to a feeling of constant boredom, no matter what. If your willpower has completely disappeared and you feel completely exhausted and zapped of energy by the end of the day, this is probably due to the fact that you have ended up on the wrong career path.
If this sounds familiar, it is important to sit down and figure out what is causing these feelings. What is doing the damage? The best way to get to the source of the problem is to break down your job into a number of components. Are your co-workers wearing you out? Do you have to take a long commute?
Is the subject matter draining you? You really need to find out what element of your job is draining you the most. Once you have done this, you will then be able to make the changes that are necessary so that you can get your zest for work and life back again!
So there you have it: hopefully, you now have a better understanding as to whether you are on the right career path or not. If you have noticed one or several of the signs that have been mentioned above, it is important that you do not start to panic or worry. There is nothing that cannot be fixed! You simply need to address the concerns you have and the mistakes you have made so that you can get your career back on track.