Though changing careers undoubtedly has some huge benefits, it is significant to be aware of the potential disadvantages too. Make sure that you are aware of both the advantages and disadvantages of a career change. There are many who endeavor off their job paths to doing something totally different. It is normal to hear stories about someone who quit his long-term career to pursue his dream of becoming a painter, a medical practitioner, or a writer. There are many reasons behind a career change. Some people feel they are stuck in a channel or they have lost passion for what they are doing. Some realize that they are in the wrong profession and changing the career fields seems to be a logical thing to do.
When we first start your career, we possibly felt passionate about our job and hopeful for what the future holds for us. Over the years, being engrossed in the corporate culture might have since interred any sense of ambition and enthusiasm that we earlier held on to. Maybe you find yourself sitting inside your cubicle, staring on the computer screen, and dreaming of what it would be like if you were the owner of a startup. Career experts encourage everyone to pursue what they are most enthusiastic about. Here are a few advantages and disadvantages of a career change. Let us get into the details.
Advantages and Disadvantages of a Career Change
You can earn more salary
One of the major reasons for changing careers is for more salary. If you want a frequent rise in your paycheck, staying at one company may not help you to achieve that goal, especially as more businesses are reducing their cost-of-living raises and moving performance reviews apart. While hopping around may help you to reach there, at some time, if your resume is peppered with different jobs, your agenda will look clear to your next employer. Decide for what you are worth at and once you are satisfied with your salary level, try to stick to one place for a while.
Career growth
Maybe it is not the money that is a problem, but career growth is also one of the reasons behind job hunting. Staying with a similar organization, or even staying in a similar industry, could restrict your chances for promotion, but a career move will bring new opportunities for advancement. Perhaps, you are looking forward to a leadership role but, for whatever reasons, they are difficult to achieve in your present career. Changing careers could give you a new chance at leadership. You must focus on your strengths and passion. Just imagine how great you would feel to show your best abilities and favorite projects.
Loyalty does not pay. Regrettably, in this economy, it is not realistic to expect a huge raise if you remain in a similar position at your organization. As per the national salary survey by AON Hewitt, an average salary increases in 2012 is about 2.9 percent. If you are earning $50,000, that’s just $1,450 hike- enough to support your regular lifestyle. Even if you achieve a promotion at your present company, you are less likely to obtain a sizable increase than if you were to accept a high-level job elsewhere. In fact, sometimes marketing does not even come with a lift, but with only increased responsibility. If you like where you are, research what the market is paying for the same job to yours and discuss with your boss, armed with that info and a well-crafted reason which explains why you deserve a salary hike. If they cannot reward you with money, ask for other benefits like maybe an additional week vacation or a flexible work schedule. If they know you and your work, an organization is more likely to compel in these other areas.
You can have various experiences. Working at different companies over the course of your career will help you to learn a huge amount across different environments, which can widen your expertise and knowledge. It may take a maximum 3 to 6 months to get fully immersed in a new company/position, so if you do not spend enough time at one place to learn things, you will ultimately end up just scratching the surface- and will be more of an amateur than a professional.
Working in a new environment- If you find yourself getting stagnant and going through the motions, it may be a time to start looking, even if you have not been in your present position for long. It is important to keep yourself inspired at work. An employer who is not giving its employees methods to stay interested will not get maximum from their people and that may not be the team you want to be a part of. Just taking the charge and making the decision to change career paths can build up positivism, excitement, confidence, and ambition.
These are some of the benefits of changing careers. Now, let us see the disadvantages of a career move.
You get an edge over external aspirants- Most of the companies prefer to encourage from within instead of finding people from outside to fill the positions. There are several benefits to classifying, grooming, and keeping talent at a company. Several studies have found that “external hires” can lower the performance evaluations significantly compared to internal workers who are promoted into the same jobs. The technique is to make your wish to progress known to your seniors so that whenever a senior position comes up, they think of you before looking for somebody else.
People could examine your staying power- On this note, potential employers could likely have an important trepidation while reviewing a resume with regular job bumps, thinking, “ if I invest more time and money in training this person, will he or she stay for a long time to enjoy the benefits?” If you are someone who has shown staying power-working in positions for long stretches- you may attain benefits from employers who value commitment and want to establish a long-term strategy and team. However, if you are a person with an uneven career history who wants to make the ultimate jump to your dream job, be prepared to explain why you have made so many changes and have a clear reason why you consider this position/company to be the right place to be.
Doing all the things of your own- This one is more focused on those who are starting a small business with a small budget. Business owners wear several hats and are obliged to learn about different aspects of their business. You understand your organization and your contributions towards it. When you spend a significant amount of time in one organization, you start learning a lot about its history and culture and become interested in its future success. When new people join in, they will look to you as a source as you can share your deep knowledge with them, assist them to traverse the environment, and learn the ropes.
When your boss and colleagues know and trust you, they tend to leave you lonely. When you get into a new job, there is always that test period when your bosses want to see if they did the right job by hiring you. While you may have impressed your superiors during the interview, they want to see that you can give your hundred percent. Having been at an organization for some time, though, you have theoretically proven your importance. So, unless you are working as a powerful micromanager, your superiors possibly trust you enough to let you do your job and positively, provide you a degree of flexibility and autonomy that you might not achieve in a new position.
So, after going through the advantages and disadvantages of a career change, what is the final call? There is the logical approach that if the disadvantages outweigh the advantages, then stick with your present job. However, one of the several benefits of working with a life coach, career coach, and mentor is that they can assist you to work through the negative aspects and organize so you are able to make the changes that you want and as efficiently as possible. Keeping the advantages and disadvantages of career change in your mind, follow your heart and back it up with a proper plan.