3 Important Questions to Ask Yourself Before Changing Careers

Don't change your current profession until you consider these three questions.

#1 Are you dissatisfied with the type of job you are currently doing, or is it just the company that you work for that has made you consider another career option?

If your boss has placed unrealistic expectations on you, you may be feeling stressed out and that's when you may start thinking things might be better if you only had a different job. Before I left to stay home with my kids, I taught junior high school. The administrators at the school made us do so much unnecessary paperwork and required us to present lessons that the students hated. In turn the students acted completely disinterested, and I hated working so hard to capture their interest. I started to doubt my love and ability to teach reading and writing. Ask yourself if you would love to do the job you are doing if you were your own boss and made up the rules. If your answer is yes, it may be time to switch companies or consider working for yourself.

#2 Have you researched the new career you are interested in before you make the move?

The saying the grass is greener on the other side of the fence may apply here. Sometimes jobs look much more exciting on the outside than they really are. When I went to undergrad, I wanted to become a film director. Doesn't it sound like a glamerous job? I thought so. Then I went to film school and made some student films. What I learned is that to be a film director you need impressive leadership skills, the ability to work for twelve to fifteen hour days for weeks at a time, and the ability to juggle multiple tasks. While I love to tell stories, I learned that directing didn't utilize my strengths like screenwriting did. See if you can take an internship position in the job you are considering, or at least talk with several people in that profession. Have a long list of questions for them, and be prepared to have them tell all the tasks you will be doing, not just the "fun" ones.

#3 If you don't make the move, will it negatively affect your current life?