How to know when it's time for a career change

Last week, I sat across from a 36-year-old on the verge of his fourth career transformation. "I've never been more certain about anything," he told me, eyes alight with possibility.

As he mapped out his career journey, I wondered: How do we know when it's time to reinvent ourselves professionally?

Some might call him unfocused or flighty. I saw someone who knew himself well enough to recognise when it was time for a change.

The Great Career Divide

We tend to fall into two camps when it comes to our working lives. Some of us are specialists - finding joy in diving ever deeper into our chosen field, becoming experts, and deriving satisfaction from mastery. These are the surgeons with 30 years of experience, the academics who've published countless papers on increasingly specific topics, the craftspeople who've honed their skills over decades.

Then there are the explorers - those of us who thrive on variety, who learn quickly, contribute significantly, and then feel the familiar itch that signals it's time to try something new. Neither approach is inherently better, but society often celebrates the specialist while viewing the explorer with suspicion.

The Loyalty Trap

Many of us find ourselves somewhere in the middle - not entirely fulfilled but not quite brave enough to leap. We've invested years, built expertise, developed networks. We've become comfortable, even if not challenged. The thought of starting over feels daunting, even if we daydream about it during tedious meetings.

We stay for practical reasons - superannuation, mortgages, school fees - and because of something less tangible: a sense of obligation. We’ve become experts at something; surely leaving would be wasteful?

Signs It Might Be Time

How do you know if you're in a natural career lull or if it's genuinely time for a change? Here are some signals worth noticing:

·      You've stopped learning or feeling challenged

·      Sunday evenings fill you with dread

·      You find yourself envying people in completely different fields

·      You're more energised by your hobbies than your job

·      You've accomplished what you set out to do in this role

·      Your values no longer align with your day-to-day work

Reframing Career Changes

That 36-year-old career-changer I mentioned earlier? He isn't wealthy or without responsibilities. He has a mortgage and a young family. What he possesses is clarity about what matters to him - variety, purpose, continuous learning - and the courage to design a life that honours those values.

Perhaps we need to stop seeing career changes as starting over and instead view them as building upon what came before. Every role teaches us something valuable - about ourselves, about working with others, about solving problems. These skills transfer, even when industry knowledge doesn't.

Think of your career not as a ladder to climb but as a winding path to explore. Some sections might be uphill and challenging, others leisurely and reflective. The goal isn't necessarily to reach the highest point but to enjoy the journey and contribute meaningfully along the way.

Finding Your Own Rhythm

There's no universal ‘right time’ to make a career change. Some people thrive on changing every five years; others find profound satisfaction in a lifetime dedicated to mastering one field. The key is knowing yourself well enough to recognise which approach suits you.

If you're feeling stuck, start small. Talk to people in fields that interest you. Take a short course. Volunteer. Read widely. The next step might become clearer without having to make a dramatic leap all at once.

"The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle." - Steve Jobs

Whether you're a dedicated specialist or a serial career-changer, that sentiment is hard to argue with.