By Beverly Baskin ED.S, LPC, CCC, CPRW
Some issues that you may be experiencing due to your job include anxiety, depression, anger problems, substance abuse, addictions, and burn out. Your time may be spread so thin, and your work is so consuming that your world feels upside down. Work should be a part of your life but not your whole life. If that is the case, something may be wrong.
Freud said that “a successful person can love and work.” Work is one of the most important parts of our lives, and choosing the wrong career path may lead to serious mental health issues, besides taking a large toll on personal and workplace relationships.
As a Licensed and Certified Career Counselor, Certified Professional Resume Writer, and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, people ask me “How do I know if I am in the wrong career?” I tell them that “you know in your heart, but the mind, because of your obligations, tries to forget that.” Denial works when you know that there are bills to be paid, but the results can make you sad, anxious and feeling that you are sacrificing your own needs.
Here are some visible signs that you are in the wrong career:
- You have not been making progress in your career or have not received promotions.
- You are in a position that is not taking advantage of your strengths.
- You don’t feel a passion or excitement about what you are doing.
- You used to feel passionate, but you are experiencing burn out and no longer express enthusiasm about your work.
- You are not able to grow in your role because you do not have the educational qualifications to go on to the next level.
- There are no other career paths, and there are no openings because you boss is young and not leaving or retiring.
- Your values have changed and no longer align with your company’s values. A new regime has taken over and they are doing things that are not in sync with your ethics, standards, etc.
- Finally, you feel anxiety on Sundays and a pit in your stomach each Monday, as you head into work!
Some people hate their job but not their chosen profession. If that is the case, you can explore the same position in other companies or similar positions in other areas of your organization and apply for a position that is more suited to you. Try networking and asking questions and becoming friends with people in those areas. At that time, a Certified Resume Writer can develop a career transition resume for you. My clients’ resumes target their key strengths and how they would like to use those transferrable skills in another job or industry.