Knowing when it's time to move on

Someone contacted me a year or so ago very fed up with her admin position.  She was wondering how she could make her job more interesting.  She was also having relationship problems with her colleagues.  I could feel her frustration.

I found her email the other day so thought I would contact her just to see how she was faring and things have not gotten any better.

My red flag to go is when the joy is gone.  I like to have a job where I have fun and can feel satisfied when I've done a good job.  I also want to feel challenged and have a sense of accomplishment when I have figured something out.  When I stop having that, I just go through the motions and that is never good.

There is always economics though and the need to earn a living so that has to be taken into consideration.  Can I afford to move on?

Sometimes there are opportunities in your own back yard that you can try.  A new boss, a new set of tasks and new work colleagues.  I used to work for a law firm and I recall a move I made to another law firm just across the street.  Nothing had really changed, except for the fact that I had a new boss, the area of law was different than I had done before and my desk faced a different direction.  Where I was located had more sunlight because I sat near a corner office.  Perhaps a change in direction will do the trick. 


I was working with a young admin assistant.  She was a good admin, but her passion was in graphics.  She was pleased when she did a good job in her admin role, but when she had a chance to create something, you could see her come alive.  She ended up staying for a short time and then signed up for a graphics course at the local college to pursue that dream.  I wished her well.  It is always nice to do something you are passionate about.

But sometimes, it is just time to move on.  If you do decide to go, do your homework first.  Check out the local job market, send your resume out to test the waters and look for something that gets your heart racing a bit.  It might seem scary at first because it is a new challenge.  If you read my previous article you will see I did that when I took the minute-taking job, but when I finally did it, I loved it and never looked back.  That job too eventually became routine and I moved on to something else.

The main thing is to have joy in whatever you are doing.