When Is Ok to Reset Your Executive Career?

If you are struggling with whether resetting your career right now is a good idea, then read on. In fact, even individuals with 10, 20, or more years of experience feel at some point that they are standing at crossroads in their careers. Read on for the top reasons to reset your career–and a reason not to reset your career.

It is time to reevaluate whether you should continue on your existing career path if:

You have earned a new degree or valuable certification

If you are midway or more into your professional career, and you have just finished a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree–or even a specialized certification–you might want to change careers to best take advantage of your newfound expertise. It definitely might seem that it is time to leave your old career and industry behind and move forward with the new.

You are bored with your industry, not just your company

There is a huge difference between being bored in a specific company and being bored with an industry overall. There is always another company to explore if your current company is not providing you with the right challenges. Hence, it is wise to tease apart the sense of ennui you feel related to your current company and the opportunities in it and the sense that you have maxed out your industry.

You are discouraged by the lack of growth projected for your industry

Growth patterns in every industry change, and some industries even die out in favor of those offering better technology or improved solutions. Yours might be experiencing a period of contraction, much as the housing and construction market did in the early 2000s and as health care has been projected to. If you can see the handwriting on the wall, and the future of your current industry appears dismal, then take some time to evaluate your role in it. If you cannot see yourself in a viable industry two, five, or ten years down the road, then perhaps it is time for you to explore new industry options.

You are at the logical end of a career progression

I have worked with a number of individuals who reached the senior executive level in their industry and realized that they did not have much else in them to add to their current role. As one executive put it, “I don’t know what I want to do next; I just know that it’s not what I’ve been doing for the last 20 years.” If this sounds like something you might say, perhaps it is time to explore a lesser role in a completely different industry.

When you should not change careers or industries

If you are having a rough time of it in your current company, you might feel compelled to toss the baby out with the bathwater and escape your industry altogether. While I never would suggest that you should stay in a toxic environment, you might find that it is not the industry that you cannot abide but rather your current company. If you know you truly appreciate so much of what your industry has to offer, then take time to evaluate your options and explore other companies in your industry. You might find, as one of my clients did, that the work powers you, but you need a fresh environment in which to do it.

Are you considering an industry change? Call Five Strengths.