I’ve been talking to a number of people lately who are considering career moves. Between my social media connections and my healthcare IT job board, this should come as no surprise to anyone. In most cases, these are people who have jobs that are looking for something different or better. Very few of them are people who don’t have jobs and are searching for a new one.
I always find this an interesting predicament. The problem is that many of these people think that ANY change will be better. Of course, once they make the change they start to realize all the great things about their previous jobs and realize that switching jobs doesn’t always mean it will be better.
The reality of life is that every job or career situation has pros and cons. The proverbial phrase
“the grass is always greener on the other side” applies perfectly here.
Why is it that we can always clearly see the negatives of our current situation while rarely seeing the positives? What is is that we can always clearly see the positives of a new situation while rarely seeing the negative? I’m sure there’s some psychologist out there that can explain why, but I just know from personal experience that this is the case.
With this knowledge in mind, it’s important to evaluate the goods and bads of your current and future job. It can be hard to be honest about these things, but it’s necessary for you to make the best decision possible. One way you can know you’re not being honest with yourself is if you think your current job is completely awful and the new jobs look completely perfect. If that’s the case, slow your roll and take some time to think through the positives and negatives you’re likely missing.
If your view is clouded. Ask a trusted friend or colleague. Be sure they’re someone who’s not afraid to tell it to you straight. Career moves are a big deal. Make sure you have as much unbiased information as possible before you make the change. Otherwise, you might make the change only to realize that your current job isn’t so bad.
