Work got you feeling like you want to take a permanent lunch break?

Do you find the people in your life staring open-mouthed at you when they hear your “work voice” for the first time? Do you spend the first hour of your day dreading logging on or walking in the door? …Are you happy?

You’re putting 40+ hours of your life into something every week, why let your career just be something that happens to you? Let’s break down the fundamentals of how to navigate a possible career change:

• Have a problem? Break it down. Is the issue you’re having an industry problem, company, personal or a task/situational issue? Sometimes when things come up, it feels incredibly personal… but is it always? Taking a step back to look at your problem with a wider lens and a dash of empathy can help curb those knee-jerk reactions when you want to frisbee your computer out the window. Maybe your manager was having a bad day. Maybe this is a common roadblock for someone in your role. That being said…
• Keep a pros and cons list. You should already be keeping track of all your accomplishments, achievements and things you love about your job (…you’re doing that, right?), but also try to keep track of all the things that suck. When it comes time to hit the trails or get back to work, you’ll have a list of things where you can see patterns of bad experiences and be able to decide if that outweighs all the good parts.
• Be friends with your benefits. If you have the luxury of compensation not being the end-all-be-all deciding factor for your job, make note of all the things your company provides for you. Sure, you may be able to job hop and grab 10k more a year, but is that worth the total offer you’d be giving up (benefits, stock, mental health, fitness reimbursements, working from home, etc)? And if you find yourself saying, “I don’t get paid enough to care,” figure out the base salary that would make it worth it and stick to that.
• Make it a ‘me’ moment. Allowing yourself the flexibility to move jobs should come from a place of understanding your self-worth. Your worth doesn’t come from your compensation or your title. It comes from belonging to a place where you can share your gifts, ideas and a role where you can show up authentically. It should align with what you feel you’re good at and what you want to be known for.
• You need to know how the business makes money and how your role impacts that. How is your role going to fit into the ecosystem of that company? Most importantly, how much influence can you have in this role? Influence translates into job security and feeling content in what you’re doing. I hate to say it, but if you have no influence, you’re instantly replaceable. Anyone can push a button, but here you are being passionate and seen by stakeholders in the company.

Okay, so are you staying or going? Either way, now you can make a slightly more informed decision.