Erik of Money Crashers wrote this great bit on career transitions. I’ve written a similar post on the topic here, one on starting new careers. I love how he placed the thoughts and feelings of career-switching in this part of a great first paragraph:

Let me guess, you are completely bored at work, you watch for the clock to strike 5 o’clock, and you can’t stand the people that you work with. If you are nodding your head right now, then you might need a change of scenery. Chances are that it’s not the work place, it’s the career. If you enjoyed the work you were doing, you might be able to get over the fact that you can’t stand the people around you or the occasional downtime when business is slow. You may have thought about switching careers in the past, but you were paralyzed with fear. Here are some excuses that might be holding you back from making the jump to a different career.

Then again, chances are, it’s the workplace, not the work.The workplace is just a combination of so many factors. It’s a very complex environment that if even one issue upsets your own personal balance in the workplace, you could might as well blow your head off from frustration.

The Workplace

First off, people. Office politics and kissing-ass doesn’t appeal to me. And we all know how most places operate, right? There’d always be that idiotic boss, the boss’ favorite, the insensitive co-worker, the unprofessional bunch… The list just goes on. But what can a person do, right? They just exist in every darned workplace.

Second, the physical place. We all have quirks on how we want to go about our business. Maybe it’s too cramped for comfort. Or maybe the cubicle environment triggers your claustrophobia as a kid. Or maybe the colors hurt your eyes. The physical environment plays a very larger role in your productivity.

Third, the way things are done. It may not be the people and the company may even provide you with Lazy Boys to sit and work on. Policies can also be be stifling. As I’ve wrote before, certain personality types need some special considerations for them to fully function. While it takes real skill to adapt to policies, it’s can be detrimental to your productivity if you’re completely taken out of your element.

Fourth, sometimes it’s how you feel as part of the organization. You may fully function really well in your spot but you may not feel valued at all in the proverbial greater scheme of things. Feeling real small can also damage your morale as a worker.

The Work

As Erik pointed out, if you’re pissed off with the idea of waking up early in the morning for another day of going about your work, then it can be the work. Maybe you’re just tired of doing the same thing over and over and over again, and a promotion would just intensify the whole thing.

If that’s the case, then be wise enough to be sure of what you’re feeling and decide on your next move as soon as possible. In any case, it wouldn’t work if you’re not happy with what you’re doing at all.