Why Changing Careers is Hard and How Therapy Can Help

The logistics of changing careers are difficult but psychological blocks can also play a role in keeping someone stagnating. If you’ve been wanting to leave your career for a long time due to it no longer feeling like a fit, feeling burnt out, or wanting to pursue something more creative, here are some possible reasons why you haven’t been able to do so and different ways to approach it instead. 

1. Your job has become your identity 

You’ve devoted years of your life going to school to train for your job and have dedicated a majority of your waking hours thinking or worrying about your job. Even if it hasn’t felt satisfying in a long time you can’t leave because your job has become so integrated into your idea of yourself.

how therapy can help you transition careers

Sometimes jobs or careers are chosen at a time in life when it serves an important function for that period of life but that doesn’t mean that it will always be a fit for who you are.  It doesn’t mean that you chose the wrong career, it just means that your career filled a purpose at a time when it was necessary, but it’s no longer serving that purpose because you’re no longer that same person. 

2. You don’t know what else you would do 

You may be in a position where you could do anything you wanted to if you only knew what that was. It sounds like an enviable position to be in, to have the world be your oyster, yet it can also be depressing to know that you could do anything, but not feel passionate enough about something to take action. Figuring out a job or career that might be better suited to you can stay as a vague idea for years if nothing is done. It’s usually by taking action, like writing about it or doing therapy, where ideas can start to germinate. 

Sf therapy for career transitions

3. You’re worried about what people will think if you left your career 

It’s true, you might hear some concerned gasps from friends or family members when they hear that you are leaving a career that you’ve dedicated so much of your life to, but they’ll probably move on with their day and get back to worrying about their own lives once they’ve expressed their opinion. Also, you’re the one that needs to get up every day to do your job, so your opinion about your job is the one that matters the most. 

4. You feel guilty

You could feel guilty for different reasons. You feel guilty for having the opportunity to do whatever you want. Maybe your parents didn’t really get to choose what job they did, whereas you’re in a position to earn a living being a ballroom dance instructor on a cruise ship if you wanted to. You could feel guilty because you’re leaving a “noble” profession. You may be a nurse or work in the non-profit sector yet you have a desire to make more money or not be on your feet all day. But guilt tells you that you have to do a job that “serves” humanity or the disenfranchised. But wouldn’t you be serving your fellow human beings more by doing a job that inspired and excited you? 

5. You’re afraid of failing

There are no guarantees in life so it wouldn’t be wise to just quit your current job without being certain what your next step is unless finances are not a concern.  But there are ways to dip your toe into the water with different careers without upending your whole life. While keeping your current job, you can take a course at your local community college or volunteer in a position to see how you like the field you are considering. Even if you try something and it doesn’t work out, you’ll learn something from the experience. You don’t have to live the rest of your life wondering “what if….?”

During a transition like this, a therapist can explore the deeper psychological reasons that might be keeping you stuck as well as act as a sounding board, a reality check and support. This post is for educational purposes only but if you’ve been considering leaving your job for awhile now and haven’t been able to take any steps, contact me for a free phone consult to see if I can help.