5 Signs Its Time to Change Careers - CareerAlley

5 Signs Its Time to Change Careers - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. This article is written entirely from my own thoughts and experiences and I can only hope that people reading this can relate to the things I am saying. My name is Tim and I qualified as an Optometrist in 2012 following in the family footsteps of both my older brother and sister. I wouldnt say I was pressured to make this career choice but it always seemed such a natural choice and to be honest aged 16 I didnt really know what I wanted to do. After practicing as an Optometrist for about 8 years, I knew I had had enough and it was time for a change. I needed something more stimulating, something that would make we want to get out of bed in a morning and along with my business partner we set up clinic comparison website called TreatmentSaver.com. The great thing about this website is that I was still able to use the knowledge I had learned from my Optometry degree but I was able to channel it in to something completely different. I can honestly say it was the best decision I have ever made and going to work in a morning is now an absolute pleasure. I wouldnt say there was a sudden Eureka moment where I said to myself I am changing careers, rather it was a slow realisation that I was no longer enjoying what I was doing. Looking back there were signs of discontent from as long as 2 years before I actually made the decision to leave and below are what I believe were the tell-tale signs: Clock watching: I found myself literally counting the minutes down until the end of the day and I would never stay a minute later than I was paid to do. Although I still clock watch in my new career this is for completely different reasons; I genuinely cant believe how quick the day is going and my main concern is not having enough time to get things done! Counting patients: I found myself literally counting the number of patients I needed to see in order to get me through my day! Mental fatigue: Strangely the more routine I found my job the more mentally draining it became. I think after you have done the same thing for so many years you can spend large parts of the day on auto pilot. This is not to say that I was not giving my patients the care and attention they deserved, rather I could do everything required so easily. I think this lack of mental stimulation leads to you feeling tired and drained. Less studying: When I first qualified I found myself attending lots of conferences and training courses to further my knowledge and skill-set. As time went by I was less interested in what was going on in the profession and generally just attended the things that were compulsory. [easyazon_link asin=1451608322 locale=US new_window=default nofollow=default tag=caree07-20 add_to_cart=default cloaking=default localization=default popups=default]Job envy[/easyazon_link]: I found I was envious of many of my friends professions and constantly wondered what it would be like to do something else. I am sure there were more signs than this but these are the ones that spring to mind. The reality is that it is extremely difficult to decide to change careers and I think this is especially the case if you have spent many years studying to achieve the appropriate qualifications. There is a degree of guilt that comes with choosing a different path as you feel you have wasted all those years. I found the best way to deal with that was to say to myself that I still had that profession and it was something I could return back to if required in the future. That why you can see it as a blessing rather than a noose around your neck. For anyone considering[easyazon_link asin=1607743620 locale=US new_window=default nofollow=default tag=caree07-20 add_to_cart=default cloaking=default localization=default popups=default]changing careers[/easyazon_link] I wish you good luck! Article written by Tim Harwood, founder of TreatmentSaver.com. This is a Guest post. We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey