3 Signs You Ended Up in the Wrong Career
Wrong career? If you see these three signs, you might consider choosing something else that would be a better fit!
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People end up in the wrong career because they choose to appease another or because they needed a salary.
Artur Meyster is the CTO of Career Karma (YC W19), an online marketplace that matches career switchers with coding bootcamps. He is also the host of the Breaking Into Startups podcast, which features people with non-traditional backgrounds who broke into tech.
There’s nothing wrong with either of these reasons. They’re very common. But it’s important to recognize how likely it is that you ended up in the wrong career if one of these options lines up with your choice.
According to Forbes, most people know within a day of working if the job is right for them.
So, clearly, the choice is yours as to whether or not you act on the common signs that point to you being in the wrong career.
However, in order to act on those signs, you need to know what they are. Keep an eye out for any of the below signs that you’re in the wrong career and take the needed steps to get out of that job while you can.
You Can’t Focus at Work
Everyone is guilty of feeling the Monday blues at some point and there is nothing wrong with being bored sometimes at your job.
If you notice, however, that your work never seems to capture your attention, regardless of the tasks assigned, it may be an indicator that you’ve put yourself in the wrong career.
Take some time to figure out what causes your lack of interest and see if it’s something that can be fixed by switching jobs in your career.
If it’s not, then it’s a problem with your career and you should begin to look into pursuing a different path. To discover what it’s that may capture your attention, try to focus on what makes you passionate.
Pretend that you’re in an interview and being asked the question: tell me about yourself. How would you answer this? What sets you apart from other people and interests you?
Once you have figured this out, you should do research into jobs that line up with your passion and overall goals.
Don’t settle for a job that is convenient when you can pursue a path that lights a fire in your heart.
Your Skills Don’t Match the Job
Whether your job is too easy or too difficult, a mismatch of skills for the work you’re doing is a major sign that something is wrong with your chosen career.
More often than not, this happens to people whose job is too easy, as they ended up being overqualified for the position but accepted the job offer anyway.
Reflect on your skills and what careers they would apply best to. If the answer isn’t the job you have now, then you need to ask yourself why you’re working in your current career.
Even if you’re not quite sure what you want to do, there are trade schools that can teach you the skills needed to enter virtually any career.
Focus on discovering what drives you to wake up in the morning every day and narrow down what a career may look like which reflects that passion. Finding what motivates you is the quickest way to identify a job with a skill match. After all, you chose to develop your skills because they likely interested you. Don’t settle on a job that doesn’t reflect your unique skillset.
There is a Lack of a Future in Your Career
One of the fastest ways to know if a career is right or wrong for you is to think about the future. Where do you see yourself in five years?
If the answer has nothing to do with the job or career you have now, you need to take the time to sort out why that is. What career goals do you have and how can you line those up with what you are doing now?
These are the questions you need to ask yourself in order to set up a dynamic career that leaves you interested and ready to work.
Contrary to popular belief, it’s possible for anyone to land the dream job that they want if they only take the time to actually identify their interests and passions.
Final tips when you ended up in the wrong career
Discovering you’re in the wrong career is all about introspection and self-reflection. Without these two things, you will never determine if you’re in the wrong career.
Notice the common signs that point to the truth and make the decision to act on them when necessary.
There is no shame in being in the wrong career.
But staying at a job that doesn’t make you happy will only lead to you becoming jaded with your work.
Avoid the disappointment altogether by finding a career path that lines up with your goals and interests.
