34: 3 signs it's time for a career change

Welcome to Season 3! Are you thinking about making a career change, but aren't sure? I speak with certified life and career coach Deirdre Taylor about three big signs you should watch out for that are telling you it’s time for a career switch. We also cover how to begin taking those first steps with your career change in this episode of Career Switch Podcast.  

Deirdre has over a decade of experience supporting her clients, many of whom are career changers. She also hosts a Masterclass series for professionals who are unhappy with their careers and ready for something new.     

Episode Highlights:

• Signs it’s time to change jobs vs making a career switch
• Being aligned with your values = being authentic
• Excuses we use to deal with the signs we’re experiencing
• Longing for something else 
• Physical and mental symptoms 
• How to take those first steps to making a career change

Find Deirdre Taylor at:
Website: deirdretaylorcoaching.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/deirdretaylor

More episodes featuring Deirdre Taylor:
Ep 7: Lost with what career switch to make? 

Music credit: TimMoor from Pixabay

Podcast info:
What's your career switch? What do you think about this episode and the show? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Transcript

Lixandra: Hi, everyone. I'm Lixandra Urresta, and this is Career Switch Podcast. This show is here to encourage you to take action with whatever career change you're considering or working on. Maybe you're trying to switch industries or professions or break out on your own and start a business. In some episodes, I talk to people who've made their own career switch, whether by choice or circumstance. They share the good, the bad, and the truth about their journey, including what worked for them and what didn't. In other episodes, I speak with experts who offer their best career advice on challenges that can come up during the process of making a career change. After all, it takes guts to switch things up, and it's not easy. However, it is possible. 

So, I hope you hear something in this episode, an idea, a suggestion, a piece of advice that'll spur you into action with your own career switch, whether it's taking that first bold step or trying something new. Welcome, I'm glad you're here. 

Welcome to season three of Career Switch Podcast. Thank you for being here and for supporting the podcast since 2021 when it started. I want to let you know right off the bat that I am now working on my second career change. I left my 9-to-5 job in advertising a few months ago, and I am now freelancing as a podcast producer. My goal is to use my editorial skills in podcasting permanently, so I'll be sharing my career change experience with you throughout the season. And here's my first share. Before I decided to leave my full-time job, I'd been feeling that something was off for a long time. I wasn't connecting to my work, I was feeling restless, and honestly, I was frustrated. So it got me thinking, were these signs that it was time to switch it up? It took me months, but yes, eventually, I decided that I had to make a career change. 

So, when I started working on season three, I reached out to certified life and career coach Deirdre Taylor. Deirdre has over a decade of experience supporting her clients, many of whom are career changers. She also hosts a masterclass series for professionals who are unhappy with their careers and ready for something new. 

In this episode, Deirdre and I talk about three big signs you should watch out for that are telling you it's time for a career change. We also cover how to take those signs and begin taking those first steps with your career switch. 

Hi, Deirdre. Thanks for joining us today. Let's dive in. This episode is for anyone who's feeling like something is off at work. Maybe they're feeling restless, maybe they're feeling bored or frustrated, and they're thinking that it may be time for a change. What are three big signs that it's actually time for a career switch?

Deirdre: I think when you're in a position where you're really dreading work, when you get the Sunday night dreads, that's a big red flag. When you have those Monday morning, I'm sick to your stomach here, I have to put in another week kind of feeling. When you find yourself dragging through your days bored with the content of what you do, that's really something very important to pay attention to. Think about the amount of time we spend at work.

Lixandra: Right. You and I have both made career changes, so we can definitely relate. And I certainly relate to experiencing the dreads and just the day dragging on, nine to five, keeping an eye on the clock, waiting for the afternoon to wrap up. Now, when we first spoke, you did want to stress the amount of time that you've been feeling like this, right? Because if it's only been a short while, then it could be something else, like situational or circumstantial.

Deirdre: Yeah, there's a very important distinction here. So there are certain signs that your career is wrong for you, you're on the wrong track entirely. And then there are other signs where the situation you're in, the context you're in, the boss you're working for, the company you're in is not the right fit for you. Sometimes in the course of in fact for almost all of us in the course of a career, there are situations during our work lives where we are out of alignment with whoever's in charge of the management at that time or we don't get along so well with our boss or our colleagues. That doesn't indicate that it's time for a whole career change necessarily. That's one where you really need to think about do i basically like the company and like what i'm doing and i need to stick this out because it will change eventually or do i need to look for another job internally or do i need to begin to do a career search for something else in my industry the kind of change where you really are on the wrong path entirely you don't like what you're doing you have to be feeling that way for a while You know, you just feel like you're just not on purpose. You have left your dreams on the floor somewhere. Not feeling authentic. And grinding through each day because, you know, you invested a lot to get here. You're grinding through because you've got bills to pay and responsibilities to your family. And because change is hard.

Lixandra: What do you mean by not feeling authentic?

Deirdre: whether you are in alignment with your values. Our values are very important to us and our values change over time. They really are motivators for us. And when we're out of alignment with our values or when our company is out of alignment with our values, that's hugely stressful. So if we're seeing activities or behaviors at the corporate level that we don't agree with, practices that, you know, just don't feel right to us or are ethically questionable to us, I mean, these are huge red flags. And whether that means for you that you have to go and do what you do in a different company, a company that's more aligned with your values, pay attention to that. Or whether it means that you have to do something else entirely because the whole field that you're in is out of alignment with your values.

Lixandra: And how do many of us deal with these signs?

Deirdre: We have to watch our assumptions. Often what happens is when we begin to think of a change, all kinds of big assumptions. I can't do that because I'm too old. I've been doing this too long. Nobody else will want me. I've only been in this one career. I've only been in this one industry or this one company. All kinds of talk, right? I'm going to lose money. I'll never make as much money. So one of the things I do in working with clients is really help them calm down those voices and discern for themselves which ones are real and have to be paid attention to and how to manage that, not ignore them, but then how to empower ourselves to really pay attention to the things we are best at, the things that we love to do, and to listen to, this is the second sign actually, what are our longings? often paired with this discontent is a longing for something else. If not this, what? I mean, what dream did you set aside as a child? As a young person, I had wanted to be a journalist. And somehow, just through the course of events, I ended up in business. And for a while, I was in administration, and I hated it. You know, I absolutely was the world's worst admin. I'm just… So what are you longing for?

Lixandra: Something you just said resonated with me when you said you were the worst admin. I think that's a sign, too. There were certain things at my last job that I just didn't understand. I'd tell my friends, it's not sinking in. It's not sinking in. And at first I doubted myself. I doubted my abilities. But as the time went on, as you were saying, and I kept feeling this way, I realized it wasn't me. I know. The job just wasn't for me.

Deirdre: Sometimes we are actually not in tune with our strengths at all. We're not in tune with the things we're best at. So we're sort of find ourselves forcing ourselves to do whatever it is that we're supposed to do. We have to honor ourselves and our own gifts and our own inclinations.

Lixandra: Tell us more about the longing, the second big sign that it's time to make a change.

Deirdre: I had a client, we'll call her Anna. She'd been with a very big name that we would all know in the high fashion industry, in an international role, flying around. And I think she was in charge of supply chain. And as time went on, she realized she hated supply chain. She loved the high fashion world, but she found herself at a different point in her life, now married. She had twins. And she started longing for a totally different life. She did not want to be traveling internationally anymore, but she was making big money and she was the main breadwinner. So she felt trapped and it took her some time to figure this out. But the good news is she now lives in a small town and has a well-paying job and her husband has a better job and they are very happy in a totally different environment. Now, that didn't happen overnight, but she had these longings and she paid attention to them.

Lixandra: Eventually. Eventually, yeah. I say that because I'm sure she thought because she had a family and she was the breadwinner that she had to stick it out.

Deirdre: Yeah. We have longings to do with our work, and then we have longings in other areas of our life that also need to be paid attention to, and they're all interrelated. Sometimes those longings have to do with more intimacy in your life or better relationships with your family or more time with your children. And the job you have doesn't fit. So that's another sort of kind of longing that can indicate that you need to make a change.

Lixandra: And Deirdre, what's the third big sign that it's time for a career change?

Deirdre: Humans are capable of an amazing amount of denial. We can stay pretty miserable for a pretty long time, you know, with the devil we know. Often then, it shows up in our body. It shows up in overweight. It shows up in sleeping too much or not enough, anxiety, depression, snapping at people, bad-mouthing our company.

Lixandra: And stomach issues? Absolutely. Body aches? Yes. I remember my neck and whole body would be aching by the end of the day.

Deirdre: Yeah, regular headaches or stiff shoulders or, you know, upset stomachs or finding yourself snapping at your kids more than you need to. So we really, you know, we want to pay attention to what's called the soft signals in my business. The soft signals are the early warning, you know, it's not a crisis yet. These are important things to pay attention to. If you don't pay attention, your body has a way of sort of really breaking down when you put it under too much stress for too long.

Lixandra: Why should you pay attention if you're bad-mouthing your company or job? I would think that it's just a way to vent, right, to your spouse, your friends, whoever. But I guess if you're doing it for a long time, then it's something to be aware of.

Deirdre: Again, it's a matter of time. We humans have ways of releasing our stress and our discontent. And one of the ways that we can help to make ourselves feel better is by putting down the company or the policies or the boss or the situation. So it's just another thing to pay attention to, especially when taken in combination with some of these other things we've been talking about.

Lixandra: And this probably goes without saying, but you should also pay attention to how you're feeling. I remember often feeling frustrated with work. I mean, you don't want to get to that point, right, where your manager and colleagues notice that you're unhappy.

Deirdre: When I'm thinking of a client who cries all the time in the office, she's actually very senior. And I was shocked to find out it's not unusual for her to be reduced to tears in her world. When our emotions take over, whether it's our anger or our tears, I would hope that listeners will take action for themselves before it gets to that point. There's a timeline here. You know, if you start out being kind of unhappy, you have to think about, is it the immediate situation? Do I love what I do, but it's not the right context and I have to change the context? Or is it that I really don't love what I do? I don't even like what I do. In fact, I hate what I do. And that's when you have to think about, is there something else I can do? What else could I do where I could earn decent money and really enjoy my life and my work life a great deal more?

Lixandra: Okay, so that's a great segue into our next topic. What can we do to address these signs after we're aware of them?

Deirdre: Okay, well, first of all, we have to recognize that, you know, change is hard, and there are going to be some fears and some talk that comes up. So my strong advice is that we push pause on those thoughts, set them aside. You don't ignore them, they don't go away. But you can kind of play with your mind and say, Okay, I hear you. And we're going to set those aside for now. How about imagining your life three years from now, if you were to imagine that it all worked out, and you set aside the voices of doubt, and you set aside the how right now, and you really focus on the what and the why. What would I be doing, and why is it important? So imagine, Lissandra, that you and I met three years from now. It all worked out, and you were just so excited to share with me what your life looked like. And you do it in the present tense, which is very important. I am so grateful and happy now that. Now that what? Right? Where are you? What are you doing? And, you know, it can be broad strokes. I know that you aren't going to necessarily be able to label a title and a company at this point. So, go with what you know for sure. I'm so happy and grateful that I'm using my strengths of this and that. I'm so grateful that I'm working with a boss and colleagues that have these kind of characteristics. I'm delighted to be working in an organization that has this kind of mission, or this kind of product or service. So, you start with what you know, and then you can narrate. It's an iterative process, okay?

Lixandra: I just want to say that for myself, three years from now, I'm so happy that I'm using my editorial skills, podcasting full time, creating content that is helping others, being of service, feeling fulfilled. Yeah. And I'm financially stable and enjoying my work.

Deirdre: Yes, yes. And you know, for some people, it's I've got good life-work-life balance. Some people might say, I'm really on purpose. I've got a real passion for what I do. I feel like I'm making a difference in the world. Some people might include, I'm so delighted that I'm able to be so financially viable. And you know, I'm making really good money. I feel really rewarded in what I'm doing. So those are the kinds of things that you, you know, you craft that for yourself. I encourage my clients to write this out by hand, on paper, in a notebook, and read it regularly and beginning to really fall in love with it. Really imagine it real.

Lixandra: What else do you suggest your clients do?

Deirdre: Another is to do an assessment of your strengths. Strengths is defined as what am I good at? What am I best at? And what do I love out of all of those things that I'm good at? So one way to get to that is to think of an accomplishment that you're proud of from anywhere in your life, maybe even a couple of accomplishments, and think of what it took for you to accomplish those with hard skills. Hard skills are things you've been taught, so what hard skills did it take? And then what soft skills, what qualities did you have to be Did you have to be tenacious? Did you have to have good relationship skills? Those are soft skills. And you make a list of those, all the things that it took to get whatever it was done successfully. And then you go through and you ask yourself two questions. First of all, out of all of these, which do I most enjoy? And what comes really easily to me? And if you can get to a combination of things that are both good for you to do, enjoy doing them, you love spending time, you lose track of time actually, you go into that flow state because you're so enjoying doing whatever it is. That's a sign that that's a true strength for you. It could even be a superpower for you. So you start with that inventory, you know, hard skills and soft skills. Then you look for, well, what other context might value those? What other thing could I be doing where those skills would be rewarded and paid for? That becomes a research project.

Lixandra: Yes, and listeners can check out your other episode of Career Switch Podcast, where you go in depth on how to figure out your career switch. That's episode seven, and I'll link it in the show notes. Okay, Deirdre, tell us about your coaching and how listeners can find you.

Deirdre: I'm a certified both career coach and life coach. I have several certifications. So my website is DeirdreTaylorCoaching.com. Deirdre is D-E-I-R-D-R-E. Most of the people I work with one-on-one and I have a limited number of complimentary strategy sessions that I offer each month. So if anybody is interested in talking with me, I'd be delighted to do that. If you're serious, if you're at the point where, you know, you really want to explore what's next for you.

Lixandra: You also offer a free masterclass series. Tell us about that.

Deirdre: The Masterclass series is really designed to offer people the opportunity to really get real with themselves about where they are in their career, what's making them unhappy, and what they might do to get themselves into a better place. And we look at that through a series of different lenses. What's making you really unhappy? Is there something critical that's going on? What would a value-based career look like for you? And then often the classes are more practical. What are the things that need to happen before you even launch your search? So that's a very popular class is, you know, before you do your resume, are there things you need to be thinking about?

Lixandra: Great. And listeners can go to your LinkedIn page for more information and to register for the masterclass series. And I'll be sure to include your LinkedIn page in the show notes. So as we wrap up, what would you say to motivate our listeners now that we've given them all these signs that it's time to make a career change? Because it's just so easy to stay in that negative space when it's what you're going through every day.

Deirdre: Yes, it is. And it's, you know, I don't mean to ignore the reality of our circumstances, we all live in a world of circumstance, they're very real for us. So we're not trying to minimize the challenge here. But I am saying that a change begins in our mind, it begins with our thoughts. It begins with a decision, actually, to start moving into the direction of something that would be healthier and happier for us. But we have to believe it's possible and we have to decide. So pay attention to those soft signals and know that it's not what we do in life that we regret, it's what we don't do.

Lixandra: Thanks to Deirdre Taylor for being our guest today. You can find Deirdre on LinkedIn and on her website, DeirdreTaylorCoaching.com. And like I said, Deirdre was also featured in Episode 7, so if you're ready to figure out your career switch, tune in to Episode 7. You can find links to the resources mentioned in this episode and more helpful information in the show notes and on our website, careerswitchpod.com. So what's your career switch? Are you motivated to take action after listening to this episode? Tell us at careerswitchpod.com. We'd love to know, along with any feedback you have about the show. Let us know too, if you'd like to be a guest. Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn at careerswitchpod. And please rate, review, and share with your friends and colleagues. It'll help get the show out there. Thanks for listening today. Till next time.