How to spot the signs it’s time for a career pivot
The average person will change careers five to seven times during their working life, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Career pivots happen often and they usually stem from either something not working out or an interest in trying something new. A lot of the time, it’s a mix of both. But how does someone know when it’s time to make a career change? Are there certain signs to keep an eye out for?
We spoke to career experts and leaders to find out.
1. Your mind and body are telling you something is off
Dreaming of a career change usually starts with burnout in one way or another. But it’s different from a regular bout of burnout that many of us experience at one time or another.
“You can differentiate between a project that you really don’t like that is maybe bumming you out, versus the core responsibility of the role is not feeling motivating,” said Liz Simon, COO of Industrious and career pivoter herself.
This can be burnout and stress that lasts months on end, that show up in other parts of your life. You might experience loss of sleep, headaches, increased anxiety and overall stress, impacting every other part of your day.
“Health is a major dealbreaker,” said Vince Chan, who has had 18 career changes and is now an entrepreneur. “It’s non-negotiable. Are you losing sleep? Is it just for this project or beyond? Are you taking medication? Do you have a loss of interest in your favorite TV show? It doesn’t mean quit your job the next day. But if you see persistence, you need to watch out for it. It’s not just being exhausted, it’s a matter of something is off.”
That consistency is a surefire sign of needing a change — one that might expand past just a different job, but perhaps a different industry or career path entirely.
2. You’re bored to the point of continuous disengagement
While someone might feel burnt out from overworking, there is the other end of the spectrum as well: feeling bored.
“There’s the ‘I’m feeling a little bored right now’ to ‘wow, I’m continually finding myself disengaged or that I’m not making an impact or growing doing what I’m currently doing,’” said Simon. “Sometimes it even flips into your personal life and is affecting you outside of work where you’re feeling negative about your job.”
If you find yourself looking for other things to do all day long, it’s probably time to try something new.
It can leave you with a constant feeling of stagnancy and no longer feeling challenged. For a lot of people, career growth is extremely important. Some industries can offer more career growth opportunities than others. If they see their friends in a different industry moving up the ladder year after year and they haven’t been offered anything in their industry, they might see if the grass is greener on the other side.
3. Your work is no longer authentic to you
One day when career coach Nikki Innocent’s mom looked at her, she said, “You know, you used to be a lot more fun.”
That is a story many of us might have heard before. When we are so focused on work and get sucked in, we might wake up one day and realize that our day-to-day responsibilities are actually nothing like what we originally signed up for.
“It was one of those types of reflections of somebody that has seen you over time,” said Innocent. “It was a part of my essence that disappeared or changed or shifted in some type of way and sometimes we need that external feedback to help us disrupt the rhythm of our own cycle.”
That’s why it’s important to ask ourselves what we actually want out of work. Are you getting it in your current role or industry? If not, it could be time for a change.
“Look back at your past life and look at your current role,” said Chan. “Maybe your current role is already sidetracked or distracted from what you used to be. Ask yourself what was the original version of yourself. Why did you originally join this profession? Maybe something is off in the current role. What drives all of your actions?”
Additionally, you might find yourself compromising your core values and beliefs in order to succeed.
“If the demands of your role require you to abandon your integrity and ethics on a regular basis, this is a sign that a pivot could be necessary,” said Topsie VandenBosch, psychological safety consultant. “When it’s time to make a career pivot, sometimes it has more to do with whether our jobs are allowing us to show up as our fullest, most authentic selves.”
4. You’re dreaming of a different life
It’s like when you’re in high school playing baseball but staring at the football field and knowing that that’s actually where you want to be.
Today, it is so easy to compare your industry or job to another thanks to social media platforms like LinkedIn and X. It’s possible to transfer your skills somewhere else, or even choose entrepreneurship if that’s where your heart is. Some people avoid a career pivot out of fears of things like starting something new, feeling like it’s too late in a career, a pivot having a negative connotation and so on.
“With my past career pivots, I started questioning myself,” said Chan. “I lost confidence in that I worked so hard and my classmates were already doing this and that, where I started comparing. That’s when I even thought, ‘If I quit my job now, people may see me as a quitter and I might lose my reputation in the industry.’ I had all of these worries.”
Innocent knows that Chan isn’t alone in those feelings. “I think there’s a fear. I think understanding your relationship to fear and scarcity, and your relationship to expansion and abundance is important. If you’re afraid of doing something, you’re going to find the reasons why you shouldn’t do it,” Innocent said.
Someone can choose to stay put, or make that jump and own their career pivot and even market it accordingly. That’s what Simon did when she jumped between industries.
“Whether you want to move into a different role or industry, think about what your transferable skills are,” said Simon. “The transferable skills for me were being COO at one company to COO at another company, which helped me make that shift. It’s industry agnostic. It’s helpful to focus on that, because thinking about breaking into a new industry can feel daunting.”