I recently talked to two friends this past week about their career changes. One was a friend from work. The other was somebody who I met through a game night. As somebody who recently switched careers (from mechanical to software engineering), I asked them both about why they were changing careers. And the reasons they gave were all very relatable.
It didn’t occur to me until later that night that I was witnessing some part of “The Great Resignation”. I knew this phenomenon was happening but for it to happen close to people I knew felt a little comforting and scary at the same time.
I know 6 people personally who have switched their careers to something entirely different. I won’t name names but here’s what they went from and to:
- From an engineer to a baker (she’s opened up her own bakery shop)
- From an engineer to teacher (she now teaches math for high school students)
- From an engineer to free lance worker & plans to live the RV life for the rest of the year
- From an engineer to data analyst working remote 100%
- From an engineer to UI/UX designer
- From an engineer to free lance artist
They’ve all switched for similar reasons. After talking with all my friends, here are the two most prominent reasons why they changed careers. I should note that I use the word career instead of “job”. If your job is harming your health, it may be because of a toxic work environment (like a bad boss or just a bad company). When you don’t like what you do and want to do something completely different, that’s when you should explore a career change and not just a job change.
Not feeling fulfilled with what you do
The most common reason why my friends have changed careers is because they weren’t feeling fulfilled with what they were doing.
Imagine this: you come home from work feeling empty, bored, and/or sad. Would you want to feel that way 5 days a week for 52 weeks a year (and potentially for 30-40 years since that’s typically how long you work before retirement). I definitely wouldn’t and I’d venture to bet that you wouldn’t want to either.
I believe we all have some longing to feel fulfilled in different areas of our life. We want to enjoy and feel that we’re making an impact somehow. If you’re not fulfilled in your work, your life will start to feel imbalanced. That imbalance will affect other areas of your life as it did for a lot of my friends. For example, they found it harder to invest energy to maintain their significant relationships.
For myself, I was just feeling empty doing my mechanical engineering job. The constant stress poured into my life outside of work. I didn’t want to do anything after coming back from work. I found things that I used to enjoy less interesting like exploring the city or rock climbing because I simply had no more mental strength to do those things.
That imbalance will create a lot of stress that can really affect your health, which is the second reason why my friends decided to change careers.
When your career harms your health
If your career is harming your health, that’s a good sign that you should consider a career change. Your health isn’t just your physical health. It’s also your emotional and mental health too.
Work to live. Don’t live to work.
Some of my friends have told me that they’d come back from work just so stressed and depressed. They were sacrificing their health to try and maintain some false sense of need to be at work. They would be so mentally exhausted from the stress of meeting unreasonable deadlines or doing work that they didn’t care about. Some of them would cry and fear going back to work the next day.
I had to go part time because I was going through all of what they said. I’ve had days where I cried driving home. I’d fear going to sleep because I knew I had to wake up the next day and repeat the same stressful day over again. My health was at that breaking point where I knew that if I continued hating myself and the job, my health issues would become irreversible.
I believe that your health is important than your career. If you don’t have your health, you really can’t do anything. Don’t live to work on something you don’t enjoy. Work to live to enjoy the things that make you fulfilled.
Closing Thoughts
I feel like I was told from a very early age that there was only one path for me once I graduated college. It was to work in a corporate job that is related to your major; however, after meeting friends who broke that rule, I realized that I could explore other careers that I find more interesting or satisfying. Whether you’re changing your career in your 30s, 40s, or 50s+, the resources and opportunities to do something else are more accessible.
It’s not easy to change your career but since we only have this one life, wouldn’t you want to do something you enjoy or feel like you don’t need to sacrifice your health for? I know that not everybody has the financially means to do so, so I speak on behalf of those who have that privilege to do so.
Aside from the reasons I mention above, are there any other reasons that you changed your careers? I think exploring and engaging in different reasons can help others who are considering a career change or who are in the process of doing so. If you already changed careers, how are you feeling now compared to when you were in your previous career?
Also – if you’re a mechanical engineer, here is somebody else who quit their job & career to do freelance writing!
As always,
Be Confident. Stay Curious.
