5 Warning Signs That it’s Time for a Career Shift

When your career is stalling, it can be tricky to put into words what’s happening or identify exactly why you feel the way you do. 

But it’s common to feel like you’ve hit a plateau at certain points in your professional life when you type ‘mid-career’ into Google, ‘crisis’ is one of the first autocomplete suggestions.

For decades, research on career satisfaction framed the idea of a ‘U-shaped career’, whereby most professionals progress along quite happily until mid-career, when they hit a curve. Once there, satisfaction levels might be clouded by regrets about missed career goals, passions not pursued, or a dream career that never came. 

In 2024, the number of Americans who wanted to switch careers hit a 10-year high. Meanwhile, LinkedIn data suggests that almost half of US workers feel stuck in their careers.

And that sense of a stalling career is by no means reserved for mid-career professionals. Research by Oxford Brookes Business School suggests that Gen Z are experiencing lower job satisfaction rates and higher burnout levels.

But how do you figure out if you’ve genuinely stalled and need to make a career change, or if you’ve merely hit a hurdle? What if you’ve barely gotten off the starting blocks in your chosen career but are feeling unsatisfied? 

Whatever your situation, there are several warning signs that can help you identify when your career is stalling and figure out if it’s time for a career shift.  

5 Warning Signs That it’s Time for a Career Shift

1. Lack of Mobility

You’ve been in your role a while and after an initial promising period of recognition and reward, you’ve hit a ceiling. After being passed over for promotion, you might have even considered moving elsewhere, but you’re finding nowhere to go. 

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone in feeling like someone hit the pause button on your career progression.

Homa Bahrami, senior lecturer at the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business, says that upward mobility is more limited today than for previous generations.

“Organizations are de-layering, downsizing and automating many roles. As a result, there are fewer opportunities for upward promotion,” she explains. 

Your personal situation could be the result of changes far beyond your control; for example, if your company has recently restructured or if your sector has hit a slump. 

“When a whole industry is affected by a downturn, this means a huge bottleneck for careers and limited opportunities to move,” explains Thomas Roulet, professor of Organizational Sociology & Leadership at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. 

Unrealistic expectations can also fuel feelings of career unsatisfaction. While we see change constantly happening around us, we can come to expect changes ourselves and anticipate a constant stream of growth opportunities. 

“The reality is that most careers are very codified and structured, and skipping steps is not as common as we think: people in most firms have to stay in the same job for a few years before being considered for a different one,” he adds. 

Rushing your career is therefore a potential hurdle to be aware of. Those who have the impression their career is stalling have often “reached a point in which it is much harder to perform, and maturity, skills, and expertise on the human or technical sides are missing”, Thomas says. 

2. Work Fatigue or Burnout

Is your day-to-day work dominated by fighting fires rather than making the strategic moves you know would make more of a difference? Do you spend all your time reacting and lack opportunities to be proactive in your tasks? 

Perhaps you feel like you are only ever treading water because you’re burnt out or exhausted. Contrary to what you might think, overwork isn’t always behind burnout, sometimes it can be caused by your role not being the right fit for you. 

Whatever the reason behind you feeling work fatigue, experiencing this can certainly signal it’s time for a career shift. 

3. Lack of Impact

A sense that your work lacks any real impact on the company, wider society, or the people you work with is a frequent cause of work fatigue, leaving you feeling like your career isn’t going in the direction you want it to. 

Often this can be caused by differing personal preferences, or a “lack of alignment with the team, boss, and your employer’s vision, values and culture”, explains Homa from UC Berkeley.

4. Diminishing Challenge

Common conceptions of career success tend to focus on progress, usually in the form of rising up the ranks, moving into new salary brackets, or consistently meeting targets set for you. 

In our quest to achieve these progression markers, we also develop new skills, discover talents, and become aware of and interested in new work areas. In other words: we grow. 

Has monotony at work and a lack of a sense of any real challenge left you craving a role that better fits your talents?

5. Negative Emotions and Work Behaviors

Research suggests that emotions caused by career plateauing can lead to counterproductive work behaviours. For example, feelings such as demotivation or frustration might manifest in you leaving work early. Or you might find complacency creeping into your work where previously you were detail oriented.

“When there is a lack of motivation, reward or recognition, or growth opportunities, work becomes repetitive or stale,” says Sankalp Chaturvedi, professor of Organizational Behaviour and Leadership at Imperial College Business School.

He feels the actions employees can take to counter these feelings depend on the industry in which they work. However, they need to be realistic when assessing their motivations and consider whether they desire to stay in the same role or company. 

Sankalp also sounds a note of caution when considering career shifts, advising professionals to consider the impact of changes happening in the workplace today. “With digital transformation and AI changing several industries, there is also a chance of limited opportunities if you are not skilled in the area,” he says. 

How to Shift Career Path: Source an Outside Perspective

If you are still unclear on whether you need to take action, seeking a trusted outside perspective can help you make an informed decision about your next move. 

“It is important to get honest input from colleagues in your field or in your own firm on whether this is really stalling or simply that more evidence of performance is needed at this stage, or even that it is not your career which is stalling but the industry that is slowing down,” advises Thomas from Cambridge Judge. 

“Mentors will [also] be able to tell you what is missing on your CV to progress and what is really valued at your level.”

Should I Shift Careers? Making Time for Self-Reflection

If you’ve realized it’s time you took action to put your career back on track, experts recommend starting with some self-reflection.

Homa from UC Berkeley advises to take the time to consider if you are learning in your current role and building meaningful relationships before being intentional about your next steps.  

If you’re considering a career change, she suggests asking questions to guide your choices: “What does a meaningful career look like for you? What are the non-negotiables you won’t compromise on? “

There are also practical steps you can take to start tackling the feeling that your career is stalling. Consider lateral moves in your current organization to expand your skillset and network, or think about becoming a freelancer or contractor for maximum flexibility, Homa adds.