How to have a great day at work: Think about switching careers

In her regular column, business founder and wellness expert Nicola Elliott looks at one thing we can all do that will make our nine-to-five feel happier and healthier

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The sun is (finally) shining and whether you’re lying on a sun lounger contemplating real life back home or sweating in your office, summer is a key time to question if what you do all week still rows your boat or if you may have fallen out of love altogether.

In my opinion, a good job hits the sweet spot between something you really love and something you’re really good at, but finding that isn’t always so easy and how do you know if you’re in the wrong one? First off, make sure you’re not considering a total career 180 after a bad week, an awkward boss or a tedious project (all temporary).

A key question to ask yourself when seriously contemplating jumping into a whole new career is – are you still learning? Your professional life has to be about learning and if that’s not possible, or you aren’t interested in it, it’s a red flag that there may not be a future for you in your industry.

Career changes are often gut driven: if you’re having sleepless nights or thinking you just can’t live with yourself if you don’t make a change to even try and investigate it, then it may be time to trust your gut.

Be honest with yourself that if you do decide to start a new career you’re probably going to have to start from the bottom and that comes with some considerations.

Your salary for one will most likely take a dip so are you in a place where you have managed to put aside enough in savings for six to 12 months (or whatever you calculate you may need) leeway for that? And can you get your head around a much lesser title or team to support you? If these short-term issues pale in comparison to your desire to move, it’s a green flag.

I can’t stress how important networking is. So much of this can be done online now, finding people in your new chosen area on LinkedIn and asking them for a five-minute chat is often something they’re happy to help with.

Finding a mentor or starting to build a good support network is something you can actively do on your own time, and gather information constantly. Passion, hunger and the ability to be a sponge really can attract some great mentors.

If you don’t feel ready to make a full jump, consider the side hustle (this can work for moving into a new job as well as starting a business.) I did this when I started my business Neom – working on evenings and weekends and sometimes taking calls in the toilets at lunchtime at my old employer.

I’d always recommend this route because it doesn’t just mitigate some of the pain of starting something new and it taking a while to get going, but it allows you time to develop your service or product, see what works and what doesn’t and wait for a time a little down the line where you’ve got enough confidence that this is going to take off. For me, it was going to a home and gift show and securing enough orders to know my idea had legs.

If you’ve decided to go, never burn bridges with ex-colleagues or employers – life has a funny way of those people re-emerging often at the most inopportune times; there’s no benefit to leaving on bad terms.

Having a plan B to fall or revert back to is never a silly idea. And finally, take everything you’ve learnt and recognise how universally applicable so much of it is – you’d be surprised at how much writing contracts or dealing with idiots are useful skills that will come in handy over and over again. You’re probably better prepared than you thought.

Nicola Elliott is the founder of the wellness brand NEOM, and her book, ‘The Four Ways to Wellbeing: Better Sleep. Less Stress. More Energy. Mood Boost’ is published by Penguin