14 Signs It’s Time to Move on from a Role

Despite being filled with passion and excitement for a role in the past, your motivation might have dwindled throughout the years.

If you’re unhappy in your career, you must take the appropriate steps to change it. Some people might need to improve their resume, work on their soft skills, or gain an additional qualification. For example, a registered nurse could set about takingRN to MSN degree to improve their career prospects and take it in a new direction.

Unsure whether you need a career change? Here are 14 signs it’s time to move on from a role.

• Limited Challenges

While knowing a job like the back of your hand might make you feel confident in your career, it might no longer provide much of a challenge. There is nothing wrong with sticking with a career that allows you to excel every day, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of your ambition. If you love to learn and want to grow in your career, consider taking the next step on the corporate ladder.

For example, if you’re a registered nurse, you could train to become a nurse practitioner by enrolling in an RN to MSN program to embrace a brand-new challenge. If you choose to earn an RN to MSN degree, you’ll boost your clinical knowledge, which will allow you to assess and treat patients’ chronic diseases and illnesses.

If you don’t step outside your comfort zone, you could look back on your career with much regret. So, apply for a promotion, gain extra experience, or join a life-changing course, such as an RN to MSN program.

• Sunday Evening Dread

Do you feel nauseous at the thought of work every Sunday? Maybe you dread returning to work after a vacation. If your job doesn’t make you want to jump out of bed in the morning, it might be time to find a career that does. While few people will cartwheel into the workplace, the thought of the working day shouldn’t fill you with anxiety. If it does, it might be time to seek a new role, employer, or industry.

• A Low Mood

If you struggle with a low mood throughout the working day or complain about your job to your loved ones when you return home, you might be ready to move on from a role. If a job fails to bring you joy or doesn’t tap into a passion, you might need to shake up your working life to improve your happiness and career satisfaction.

Of course, all you might need to do is make a few adjustments to create a happier working life. For example, it might help to take a step back from negative co-worker friendships, or you could cut your hours to enjoy a better work-life balance. Embracing new challenges could also lift your spirits, so say yes to a big project when one arises, ask your boss for extra responsibility, or enroll in an online course, such as an RN to MSN program.

• Business Uncertainty

If your colleagues are fleeing the business in their droves, or you’re hearing whispers of an employer’s financial or legal issues, an organization might be in trouble. When a company faces various problems, you will have two options: remain on board with the brand or jump ship.

While you shouldn’t take rumors as fact, you shouldn’t ignore potential employment issues, either. If your intuition is telling you a company could crumble soon, it is a wise idea to find a new position elsewhere to ensure you don’t lose your job. Your loyalty is admirable, but it won’t pay your bills.

• A Toxic Environment

Once healthy professional relationships can take a turn for the worst, which can create a toxic environment. If you feel your colleagues stop talking when you step into a room, or you often overthink every little thing you say to others in the workplace, it might be time to say goodbye to a company.

Other factors that can create a toxic environment include:

• Workplace bullying
• Unprofessional employer behavior
• Inadequate human resources
• A lack of teamwork
• Harassment or discrimination
• Poor leadership
• A blame culture

If your job is affecting your mood and mental health, you might need to seek a new role with more supportive co-workers. If you don’t feel like you can be yourself each day, or you’re treading on eggshells, you might struggle to ever feel happy in your current position. Don’t waste another year. Start looking for a job with a better company culture and exit the business in a positive, professional manner to protect your reputation.

• New Opportunities

Even if you’re content in your current role, you might have received various emails or phone calls from recruiters or LinkedIn messages from prospective employers. If you have a glowing resume and many sought-after qualifications, such as an RN to MSN degree, many employers might be eager to poach you from an organization.

If you’re happy in a role, then you don’t need to leave a business for a bigger salary or greater job prospects. However, if you love to challenge yourself and want to enjoy greater financial security, you’d be wise to consider job opportunities that arise elsewhere. There is no harm in attending an interview to learn more about a role, a business, and a path to progression. It could be the best decision you ever make.

• You Can’t See a Future

Even if your existing career fills you with much joy and satisfaction right now, you must ask yourself if you have a clear path within an organization. If you can’t see a future at a business and there are limited progression opportunities, it might be time to close this chapter in your life.

While you might love your colleagues, customers, or a laid-back environment, it might not match your goals for the future. You can choose to remain in the fixed role, or you can get an early start on your career and climb the corporate ladder at a faster rate.

Sit down and write a path to success. The nurse practitioner role is a great example. For example, to become a nurse practitioner, you’ll first need to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and then complete an RN to MSN degree program. From there, you have the opportunity to go down various career paths, which means there is always the chance to shake up your career and try something new.

• Zero Feedback from an Employer

It is difficult to learn in a role if your line manager doesn’t provide in-depth feedback on your performance and potential. If you’re receiving generic praise or zero constructive criticism, you might never identify your weaknesses or strengths. Plus, you might continue to make various mistakes that could prevent you from securing a promotion or training opportunities. The best managers aim to help their employees reach their potential. If yours is failing to do so, you owe it to yourself to seek a position elsewhere.

• You’re Not Using Your Skills

Many employers are guilty of ignoring their employees’ skills each working day. As you will have taken the time to master a topic or technique, it makes perfect sense that you will want to use them in the workplace. However, if your employer is presenting you with mundane tasks over allowing you to use your skills, you must ask yourself if it’s the right position for you.

If you’re stuck updating spreadsheets or tackling monotonous jobs that bring you little career satisfaction, you’ll likely feel drained and unsatisfied by the end of the working day. Find an employer that recognizes your talent and will view your skills as a business asset.

• Constant Restructuring

It is common for businesses to restructure departments or managers when they have poor direction or leadership issues. If you’ve had more than two employers within a year, you can guarantee there are many problems that you’re not privy to in your role. The constant restructuring isn’t only frustrating, but it probably isn’t the best environment to progress in your career. After all, management’s attention might be on improving turbulence behind the scenes, and your job might not be safe if you do secure a promotion in the business.

• Listen to Your Gut

Even if you have a great career, a progression path, and supportive colleagues, a little voice inside of you might be telling you it’s time to move on. As a result, you might feel pulled in two different directions. However, your gut is telling you to leave for a reason. Ask yourself what you want in the future.

For example, would you like to take the next step on the career ladder? An ambitious registered nurse might never feel happy until he or she has earned their RN to MSN degree and secured a career as a nurse practitioner. Or maybe you know you could earn a bigger salary elsewhere. If so, there is no shame in leaving an organization for a bigger income for yourself or your family.

• A Lack of Passion

If you work to live instead of live to work, you are not making the most of your life. There is a role out there that can make you happy, but it is up to you to find it. For instance, if you believe your current role doesn’t serve any value and you’d like a job that helps the community, you could enjoy a career in healthcare.

You could relish a job as a clerk, medical assistant, or front desk receptionist. You could even enroll in a degree program to become a doctor or registered nurse. The thought of gaining a degree might be daunting, but it could prove you can complete any task you set your mind to. As a result, you might take on bigger challenges in your career that tap into your passions and help you secure a senior position, such as an RN to MSN Nurse Practitioner program.

If you don’t believe in what you’re doing, or you aren’t satisfied in a role, look for a field that will make you feel good about yourself at the end of the day. Ditch your office job for a career that gets your body moving, or enroll in a course to walk into a role that will make a positive difference to the community, such as an RN to MSN program.

• A Poor Work-Life Balance

A poor work-life balance cannot only affect your personal life, but it can take a toll on your mental health. If you work late many days per week or your job doesn’t provide much flexibility, you might need to talk to your boss about reducing your hours, decreasing your responsibilities, or working from home one or more days per week.

If your employer isn’t willing to accommodate your request to meet your personal obligations or improve your mental health, search for a new opportunity. Your career shouldn’t come at the cost of your health or relationships, which is why you must look for a role that provides a greater quality of life.

• Overlooked for Promotions

Despite applying for multiple internal vacancies, your employer might have decided to promote your colleagues or an external candidate. If so, you likely feel disheartened in your role and are doubting your knowledge and skillset.

If you feel you’re often overlooked for promotions, don’t settle for the same position. Request a meeting with your employer to discuss where you’re going right and wrong. They could provide informative feedback on your interview skills, resume gaps, or soft skills, which you can work on to increase your career prospects.

If they cannot provide clear reasons regarding why you have been overlooked, it is unlikely your situation will not change in the business. Moving companies could be the key to greater career prospects and job satisfaction.

Conclusion

If one or more of the above reasons matches your working life, you shouldn’t be afraid to seek a brand-new position at a different company or work towards a new career. As most hard-working professionals spend an average of 40 hours per week in a job, you must re-evaluate a career to avoid regrets.

Think carefully about what you want out of a role, such as financial security, job satisfaction, or a rock-solid path to progression. To do so, you might need to gain additional experience, work on your soft skills, or earn a degree that can improve your prospects, such as an RN to MSN degree.