The Impacts of a Career Change on Your Personal Life

December 15, 2017

A few decades ago, the majority of people were employed by the same company over long periods of time, or even their entire working lives. It took years and years to get a promotion and it was all about climbing up that long salary ladder. But today, the days of being loyal to a company for 30-40 years are long gone, as most people change their jobs more than 10 times during their lifetime. Spending less than 5 years on average on a job is certainly different than the security previous generations enjoyed. Changing a job so often can have a serious impact on your personal life, whether you’re getting more ambitious with every new job you take on, or your stress level goes through the roof because of the same thing.

Why We Change Jobs

Negative Work Experience – Almost one-quarter of all people who opt to change jobs do it because they’re unpleased with the current job. Whether it’s that their efforts aren’t recognized, or they’re having troubles with the boss, there are plenty of reasons why people feel the need for a change. And once they do change the careers and get rid of the bad feeling – they inevitably feel like they’ve done a great thing, which has very positive effects on their personal lives.

Career Progression – While everything may be great at work and just as you’d agreed when you started working there, the fact is that most people want to push their careers further and your current job might not be in a position to support it. The feeling of stagnation is now more common than a few decades ago, as people tend to be more ambitious.

New Technologies – Another big reason why people opt for a career change is that new technologies keep appearing on regular basis. If you’re a 3D modeler who wants to start working in a VR environment, you might have to change your job because your current company isn’t interested in VR at all. The quicker you react and find a job related to the new technologies, the better chances you’ll have at succeeding.

Self-Employment Is On the Rise

This is one of the most popular post-millennium career changes, as more and more people opt to go for self-employment, the vast majority as small-business owners and freelancers. Freelancing, in particular, has become the number one option for the younger generation, as it brings more independence and freedom to their lifestyle. Younger people are less likely to be comfortable with strict working hours, as an 8-hour shift doesn’t bring joy into their lives.

This has allowed many people to work from home, which can have a great impact on their lives. Not only are they able to customize their workspace the way they want to, but they’re also spending more time with their families instead of being stuck in an office.

Career Change Requires Additional Training and Education

Most people who decide to pursue a new career soon find out that they’ll need to go through a training period in order to qualify for a new job. Whether the job requires a formal degree or learning from online-sources, it will clearly affect the amount of free time you have and how you can use it. You’ll need to change your lifestyle to better organize your schedule if you’re to find enough time to learn a new skill, so be ready for that. Another impact is that your budget is going to be affected as well, as for most courses you’ll have to pay a fee to participate.

You May Need to Move to Another City / Country

One of the biggest changes to your lifestyle comes if you decide to take a job in a different city. Not only will you have to travel, but you’ll also need time to adjust to a completely new setting. Chances are you won’t have many friends there either, so your personal life might become a bit more lonesome – at least in the beginning. Moving from Adelaide to a big city like NYC or LA will certainly bring change to your personal life, whether it’s positive or negative.

When pursuing a career in a different location, you should take extra measures and be certain that it’s what you really want to do. Having a change of heart once you’ve already moved can be extremely expensive, plus you’ll be stuck in a city that you don’t know and don’t want to know. A good tip is to visit the location you’re going to prior to accepting the job, as getting to know it in person can be a completely different experience than what you see online.

Career Change Can Improve Your Sense of Well-Being

While changing careers requires people to get out of their comfort zone, they can also positively affect our sense of well-being. Change, any change, makes people feel more alive and like they’re doing something with their lives. Being stuck in place for a lifetime can have a detrimental effect on humans, as they reach the old age with a sense that they’d done very little in life. A few decades ago this wasn’t the problem, as people put more accent on a family as a goal. Today, pursuing careers is actually more important, as most people don’t even opt to start a family until they’re satisfied with their careers.

Final Words

Changing a job brings a period of uncertainty, but it also lets us keep up with times and do the jobs that we want to do. Today, there are so many jobs that won’t exist in five to ten years that it’s almost impossible to predict who’ll be working where in the future. New technologies and the development of AI will eventually push-out many traditional jobs, but also create the need for new ones. People who willingly opt to change careers tend to have an easier time than the ones who are forced to do it, so try to be prepared and aware of what’s coming.