Michael Georgiou from Aligned Career Coaching, helps professionals who have fallen out of love with the work they do find careers that both fulfil them and bring them joy. We asked Michael what falling out of love with a career might look like, and what professionals can do to start the process of finding a job they love…

Q1. In your experience, what are the signs that someone is starting to fall out of love with their career?

There are many signs or symptoms that you can come across that indicate you might be falling out of love with your career. You might have experienced one or more of the following signs:

You’ve experienced little to no development in the last 1 to 2 years
You’re dreading going to work
Your job no longer stimulates your mind / you no longer feel challenged
You’re no longer inspired by what you do
You get a sense that something is missing from your career

Of course, this is not an exhaustive list but this will at least bring you a bit of self-awareness if you’re feeling this way about your current career.

Q2. How would someone identify what career they could potentially transition to?

Given the vast number of careers that exist in the world, you need a filtering system in order to find a career that aligns with You!

Let’s keep things simple and focus the mind on the following categories:

Strengths
Skills
Interests
Natural talents

Start off by listing 2 or 3 strengths, skills, interests, and natural talents that you possess.

Next, you want to research the different types of careers that are out there, based on the inputs/criteria you listed out under each of the above categories.

This is a great way to start the process of generating ideas for a career that you can potentially transition to. This might take a bit of time but it’s a self-discovery exercise that will benefit you, so it’s worth investing that time.

Q3. What advice would you give to someone who is struggling to identify whether they’re falling out of love with their career, or simply falling out of love with their current employer?

It can sometimes be easy to confuse the two.

I think it’s fair to say that anyone would be happier to work for an employer with a supportive work environment, with flexible hours and good people; compared to an employer with a less supportive work environment. So, with that being said, let’s now try to isolate the career itself.

In order to do this, it’s important to first understand what your career motives are. For anyone who is in this situation, I would ask them the following question: ‘What motivates you the most in your career?’

To help answer this overarching question, consider the following:

Do you want to be part of a bigger cause?
Do you have the need to constantly learn and develop?
Do you just need to be in the right working environment?
Do you have ambitions to climb through ranks?
Do you mainly just care about earning as much as possible?

There is no right or wrong answer here. If your current career doesn’t align with your motives and values, it’s a further indication that you might be ready to explore a different avenue.

Q4. What advice would you give someone to help them fall back in love with their current role?

First and foremost, it’s important to get clear on where you want to go in your career. Our career choices can have a huge impact on other areas of our lives, so it’s important to first get clear on what you want. If you’re in a role that is so out of alignment with you, then it can be difficult to force yourself to fall back in love with it. The objective here is not to force yourself to fall in love with a role or a career that doesn’t make you happy. However, you can absolutely develop a new positive perspective or a new appreciation for your current role, if it’s part of a bigger journey, to reach your career and life goals.

Q5. What would your top 3 tips be for someone who is considering a career change?

Tip No. 1: Understand your ‘why’ first.

You must first ask yourself, ‘Why do I want to change careers in the first place?’

Understanding your ‘why’ does two key things:

It gives you clarity and a sense of direction.
It can serve as a reminder of the bigger picture, if or when you face any obstacles along your career transition journey.

Tip No. 2: Don’t make big career decisions based on emotions.

Let’s be real, we spend the majority of our waking lives at work, so making career decisions is not a small thing. There are different factors to consider, depending on each individuals’ circumstances. At the same time, your next career move doesn’t need to be all or nothing either. It’s important not to act with emotion, as it could result in unclear thinking and therefore poor decision-making.

Tip No. 3: Appreciate that there will be a process involved.

When you’re just starting out, it might feel like you're staring up at Mount Everest. But if you focus on one small step at a time, it will make the process a whole lot easier. You’re much better off leaning into the process and embracing it.

But remember that changing careers is also a self-discovery process as well, so make sure you have fun with it!