Got The Sunday Night Career Blues?

The way we feel about our job at any given time can vary depending on a wide array of factors: how a particular project is going; technical issues; how well staff is performing; etc. However, when you have a chronic case of the Sunday Night Blues – dreading the return to work each Monday – that’s a sign that it’s time to consider changing jobs or possibly even careers.

In a recent LinkedIn post, Sallie Krawcheck, former banking CEO and current leader at Ellevate Network, talked about the signs that alerted her to the need for change in her work. Some of the red flags she had experienced at different jobs included: conflicting direction from higher-ups; a culture where she constantly had to over-think everything she said for fear of saying the wrong thing; and a realization that it had been eons since she’d even laughed in her workplace. Krawcheck says that if you aren’t able to be yourself at work “…it’s time to look for another job.”

The signs that it’s time for a job or career change are different for everyone, so it’s important to check in regularly with yourself to see how you’re truly feeling about your work. Sometimes the red flags are due to external issues like a culture that goes against your grain, or an overwhelming workload – issues where a change of job could be the remedy. Other times, the red flag is a feeling that something just doesn’t seem right – even though the outer picture looks fine. In that case, it may be time to reevaluate your career.

Switching Careers

I have worked with many coaching clients who, after toiling long and hard to rack up advanced degrees and expertise in a particular field, realized they were in the wrong profession.

I know the feeling all too well. I was ten years into an opera career, which I had spent most of my life training for (including earning two music degrees), when I came to the painful realization that it was not the life or the career I thought it would be. By all appearances it was an exciting, glamorous career – singing and traveling the world – but it ultimately wasn’t sustainable for me.

Transitioning out of that life was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but, out of that painful period of growth and change, I discovered another career passion – helping women find their own true calling – their next right job or career.

While changing careers may feel like a loss in some respects, all of the experiences from your previous career become part of the foundation for your new endeavor – and you’d be surprised how many skills and talents used in one field are transferable to another. My career in music has enriched my work as a career development coach and consultant in a multitude of ways.

Follow Your Gut

We all have an internal guidance system that translates into gut feelings about our current situation and when to make a job or career change. The more you can take time to go inside and connect with your personal GPS through meditative-type activities (eg: sitting quietly, going for walks, working out), the more connected you’ll be to those gut feelings and the next best move to make when it comes to your work. Then you can, hopefully, say ‘so long’ to those Sunday night blues.