Most people spend forty or more years working full-time (we’re not counting summer jobs during school). Over that span of time, no industry or job stays the same and neither do people; we all change. So, it should come as no surprise that many people find themselves, at some point in their working lives, on the wrong career path.

You may feel tempted to tough it out, rather than work to discover a better fit you and then pursue that path. Career coaches advise against toughing it out, in most cases, citing it leads to everything from mental and physical health damage to stunted financial growth.

If you’re curious if your discontent with your job is simply due to a bad employer or symptomatic of a bigger need to change career paths entirely, read on.

Signs in might be time to switch paths

1. You have trouble relating. Along with a general disinterest or apathy toward your responsibilities, you find it difficult to relate to coworkers’ career passions. Perhaps you have trouble finding value or excitement in industry developments, or quickly tune out “shop talk” with coworkers.
    
2. You regularly daydream about other jobs. Daydreaming about not working is common and only human; but daydreaming about working, just at another desk in another career, that should raise a red flag that maybe you’re not where you should be (anymore).
    
3. You’d rather go back in time to change your career path than go forward on your current path. This thought can happen in the middle of your college career, a year after graduation, or ten years into your professional life. Starting from scratch sounds more exciting, more full of possibilities you want to chase, than trying to make small changes in your current career.
    
4. You feel a lack of inspiration, growth, or desire to improve and meet challenges. You haven’t felt curious, committed to improving your corner of the industry or company, or the desire to improve. (Consider taking up hobbies outside of work to test out your passions, risk-free, that could lead you to a new job.)
    
5. Your health has been in decline. Sustained stress can produce symptoms like sleep problems, general aches and pains, digestive issues, or regular colds. It can also impact your mental health: anxiety and stress, depression, social withdrawal, always feeling tired at work, anger problems, or mood swings.

Reasons you might have chosen the wrong career

1. You were too young. Even after years of intense schooling and tests, very few people in their early 20s can truly make a fully informed decision about their career path for the next 40+ years. Think back: how alike is your day-to-day job with the books you studied? Lacking self-awareness is simply a part of youth, not necessarily a character flaw. You might not have understood your own values, perspectives, and talents when you picked a career.
    
2. You chose a path based on your parents. This can easily happen when parents project their own desires onto your life. Perhaps you mistook your personal values for theirs and are only now seeing the difference.
    
3. You’ve experienced personal growth. One career path might have fit well for a period in your life, but seasons come to an end and people change. Careers can change too.

What now?

Some helpful questions to ask yourself:

• Did I choose this career path to please someone else or to follow in my parent’s footsteps?
• Was this career the easy option at school?
• Have I had to compromise my personal values and beliefs to do my job?
• Was money the main reason for choosing this career?
• What else is happening in my life that could be the root cause of these issues?
• How do I enjoy adding value to a workplace?
• What are my professional strengths and preferences that I want to regularly use in my job (communication style, work style, learning preferences, unique gifts, life priorities, passions and interests, etc.)?

Being on the right career path for you should feel personally fulfilling, and you should want to solve the challenges that come with any job.