10 Clear Signs You Need a Career Change (And What to Do Next)

I still remember the moment I knew.

I was employee #2 at our Mosaic office in midtown Phoenix, helping scale the company from a startup dream to an origination machine. On paper, everything looked perfect: the title, the equity, the trajectory. But I'd sit in meetings feeling like I was watching myself from outside my body. The work that once energized me had become something I endured.

Then came the layoff that forced the question I'd been avoiding until I was literally 35 years old: What do I actually want to do with my life?

That experience, and fifteen years of leading teams through growth, chaos, and transformation, taught me something important: the signs that you need a career change are usually obvious long before we're willing to see them. We rationalize. We wait for the "right time." We tell ourselves it's not that bad.

It is that bad and life is too short to stay stuck. Especially here in Phoenix, where opportunities are expanding and professionals are upgrading their careers faster than ever.

Here are 10 signs it's time for a change, and what to actually do about each one.

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1. Chronic Burnout That Won't Go Away

You're constantly drained, even after vacations. Job burnout hit 66% in 2025, an all-time high, and here's what makes it worse: you're probably doing the work of two or three people because colleagues left and were never replaced.

I had a client who kept a bottle of Advil on her desk like it was part of her office supplies. Every morning, two pills before she even opened her inbox. That's not a coping strategy. That's a signal.

What to do: Figure out whether your burnout stems from workload, lack of support, or the nature of the work itself. That distinction matters. If rest and boundaries don't help, start exploring options with better work-life balance. Your body is telling you something. Listen.

2. Severe Sunday Scaries

You finish Sunday dinner and your stomach drops. You lie in bed scrolling your phone because you're dreading the moment you fall asleep, knowing what comes when you wake up.

I know this feeling intimately. I once worked at Yelp during the height of the 2009 financial crisis, and my job was cold calling small business owners to sell them sponsored advertising. They either hung up on me, yelled at me because they were furious their reviews kept disappearing, or cried on the phone because business was so bad they thought they'd have to shut their doors within months.

I had exactly one good day a week: Saturday. By Sunday afternoon, the dread was already creeping in. My Sunday scaries were intense, and my sign was clear.

This isn't normal, but it's common. 54% of Americans feel anxious as the weekend ends. Research shows people with Monday anxiety have 23% higher cortisol levels, not just on Mondays, but chronically. That sustained stress response is why Mondays see a 19% spike in heart attacks.

What to do: Track your anxiety patterns for a few weeks. Is the dread about specific tasks, certain people, or the work itself? If Sunday scaries persist despite coping strategies, your current role isn't sustainable. Full stop.

3. Zero Opportunities for Growth (Or a Boss Who's Blocking Them)

You've been in the same position for years. The people above you aren't going anywhere, and their retirement feels like an eternity away. You're blocked.

Sometimes the obstacle is structural. But often it's your direct manager: a boss who doesn't care about your development, actively blocks you from opportunities in other departments, or simply won't advocate for you. I've sat across from dozens of professionals in Phoenix who were genuinely talented but invisible because their manager saw them as a threat, not an asset.

What to do: Before you start job searching, try to solve this internally. Set up a meeting with your manager specifically about career development. Come prepared with clear goals and ask for specific, actionable feedback on what it would take to advance. Document everything.

If your direct manager is the problem, work around them. Network within other parts of your organization to find mentors and advocates. Many companies have skip-level meetings or internal mobility programs. Use them.

If you've managed up, asked for clear feedback, built relationships across the organization, and you're still hitting a wall, then you have your answer. But exhaust the internal options first. Sometimes the opportunity you're looking for is one department over, not one company away.

4. Your Compensation Lags Market Rate

You're getting 2-3% annual raises while inflation runs at 3-4% and monetary debasement runs at another 7%. That's not a raise. It's a pay cut with better marketing.

Here's the hard truth: if you lag behind market rates, you will never catch up through merit increases. The math doesn't work. Workers who stay five years or longer are almost guaranteed to be underpaid relative to new hires. In Phoenix especially, where rapid tech growth and salary compression collide, I see professionals getting underpaid even faster than national averages.

In my experience, the sweet spot is typically staying at a company 3-5 years and then leaving for a higher paying opportunity. Do this enough times throughout your career and you show employers stability (ie: you’re not job jumping every 1-2 years) but you’ll also see serious 10-30%+ raise opportunities going from one employer to another.

The 20% Raise Test: Imagine your boss calls right now and offers you a 20% raise. Does it actually matter? If that increase wouldn't make up for your current dissatisfaction, compensation isn't your core issue, and it's definitely time for a change.

What to do: Research market rates on Glassdoor and LinkedIn. If you're significantly below market, request a compensation review with documentation. If they can't adjust, test the market. You'll likely be surprised by what you're worth elsewhere.

5. Values Misalignment

The work feels meaningless. You clock in, perform well, but feel nothing.

One of the most rewarding aspects of any career is feeling genuine excitement when you accomplish something: bringing in a customer, finishing a project, solving a hard problem. Another time in your career when excitement levels can be high is when you’re working on a company mission feels bigger than you because it’s impacting the world in a positive way. When those wins or mission driven feelings bring you nothing, something fundamental is broken.

A 2024 Deloitte survey found that 56% of Gen Z and 49% of Millennials left roles because their values didn't match their employer's. This isn't about being picky. It's about being human.

What to do: Write down your core values. Compare them honestly to your organization's actions, not their mission statement. If the disconnect is fundamental, begin exploring companies that walk the talk.

When the Problem Isn't the Work, It's What the Work Can't Give You

Sometimes the signs aren't about hating your job. Sometimes they're about loving work that can't love you back.

I'm working with a client right now, a 31-year-old vet tech who's genuinely talented at what she does. I've watched her with clients: knowledgeable, compassionate, completely present with both the animals and the people who love them. She found her calling.

But she makes $18 an hour.

She lives with her parents because she can't afford her own place. She watches animals on weekends just to scrape together extra cash. She feels stuck, embarrassed, like she hasn't made enough of her life. She wants independence: her own apartment, the confidence to date without feeling like she has to explain herself.

The painful irony? She's exceptional at her work. But the career she loves has a ceiling that's crushing her.

So we're not working on finding her passion. She already has it. We're reverse-engineering a path to a role that honors her strengths while actually paying her what she's worth.

That's the thing about career transitions: they're not always about escaping something you hate. Sometimes they're about building a life that matches who you've already become.

6. Physical Symptoms of Work Stress

Unexplained headaches. Digestive issues. Sleep problems. Sudden weight changes. Maybe you've started medication because of your job.

Over 60% of employees in toxic environments report stress-related health issues. Your mind might rationalize staying, but your body keeps the score.

What to do: Document your symptoms and when they occur. See a healthcare provider. If symptoms clearly improve when you're away from work, that's diagnostic. No title or salary is worth your health.

7. Constant Career Daydreaming

You spend lunch breaks on job boards. You cringe when people ask what you do. You keep imagining a different professional life.

Here's what I tell my clients: if you're daydreaming about the same career path repeatedly and consistently, your mind is telling you something important. And if you're actively seeking out articles like this one? That self-selecting behavior is itself a signal. You already know.

What to do: Pay attention to which careers consistently capture your imagination. Research them through informational interviews, not just online research, but actual conversations with people doing the work. Start a side project to test the waters before you leap.

8. Work Stress Bleeds Into Personal Life

You're so depleted that you have nothing left for the people you love. Or worse, you're taking out your frustration on them.

I had a client tell me he realized how bad things had gotten when his daughter stopped asking him to play. She'd learned not to bother. That moment broke him open.

When work becomes all-consuming, your personal world shrinks. You miss the moments that matter. Research shows 83% of Gen Z report that Sunday Scaries have damaged their personal relationships.

What to do: Have honest conversations with loved ones about what's happening. Set firm boundaries. And recognize that if work consistently prevents you from maintaining healthy relationships, that's not a scheduling problem. It's a career problem.

9. Toxic Workplace Culture

Constant stress. Poor communication. Blame instead of solutions. Employees are afraid to speak up.

Nearly 75% of employees report having worked for a toxic employer. And here's what I learned scaling teams from 4 to 100+ people: culture always starts from the top. If leadership isn't actively fixing it, it's not getting fixed.

What to do: Document specific instances of toxic behavior. Determine whether it's your immediate team or the whole organization. If the culture is entrenched with no signs of change, prioritize your mental health and plan your exit.

10. Everyone Around You Is Quitting

Multiple teammates have left in recent months. They seem happier. They're making more money. They're not looking back.

You don't want to be the first person caught in a layoff, but you also don't want to be the last person turning off the lights.

What to do: Network with departing colleagues. Ask about opportunities on their new teams. Watch for warning signs like hiring freezes and budget cuts. Don't wait for the other shoe to drop. Get ahead of it.

What Actually Helps

Recognition is step one. But recognition without action just becomes rumination. Here's how to move forward:

Know Yourself. Get clear on your strengths. Not the skills you've developed because your job required them, but your hardwired talents. The things that came effortlessly to you even as a kid. If you were the one organizing neighborhood games, that's strategic leadership. If you were the kid everyone confided in, that's relational intelligence. No one can compete with you being authentically you, but first you have to know who that is.

Know the Market. Research your target field through real conversations, not just job boards. Talk to people actually doing the work. Understand what's valued, what's compensated, and where the gaps are.

Build the Bridge. Create a financial runway so you can make decisions from clarity, not desperation. Close your skills gaps intentionally. And take consistent action, because intentions don't matter. Actions do.

Final Thoughts

Career dissatisfaction isn't about having a bad week. It's about persistent patterns signaling misalignment between who you are and what you're doing professionally.

The decision to change careers takes courage. But staying in a role that's compromising your health, relationships, and potential has its own costs, and they compound over time.

If you're reading this, you've already taken a step. Trust that instinct.

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Ready to Transform Your Job Search? Start With a Free Consultation

The most successful people don't wait for perfect conditions—they take action when they recognize an opportunity. If you've read this far, you're already considering whether coaching might be the catalyst you need to reach your next level of success and fulfillment.

Take the first step today by scheduling a free 60-minute consultation call with coach Jeff. 

This is a no obligation call to see if coaching is right for you! Let’s talk not about quitting your job tomorrow but about building the version of your life you actually want to live.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I know if my stress is one of the signs I need a career change?

Normal stress comes and goes. It shows up during tough quarters, seasonal deadlines, or big projects. But signs you need a career change show up as persistent dread, anxiety, or exhaustion that does not improve after time off, vacations, or wins.

If you have tried the usual fixes such as better boundaries, taking time off, changing teams, or talking with your manager and nothing changes how you feel, that is not ordinary stress. That is misalignment. If you have been in "just get through this" mode for six months or more, that is a signal worth paying attention to.

2. Are my feelings about work one of the signs I need a career change, or am I being dramatic?

Your feelings are data, not drama. One of the most overlooked signs you need a career change is when you feel a steady pull toward something different rather than simple frustration with your current job.

Many people try to escape a bad environment and end up somewhere equally wrong because they never identified what actually fits them. Tools such as CliftonStrengths or the STRONG Interest Inventory help separate temporary irritation from genuine misalignment. If your work consistently drains you and your curiosity keeps drifting toward other paths, that is something to take seriously.

3. What are the signs I need a career change versus just a new job?

Here is the simplest test: Would you enjoy this work at the best company imaginable?

If the answer is yes, you likely need a new job. If the answer is no, or if the idea still feels hollow, you are probably looking at a career change.

Another major sign is when your natural strengths have no real outlet in your current field. You can move to another employer, but if your core talents do not match the type of work, no cultural shift or leadership change will fix that.

4. What are the most common signs you need a career change?

After years of coaching professionals in Phoenix, the patterns are unmistakable. It usually starts with exhaustion that sleep doesn't fix and anxiety that peaks on Sunday nights. Then comes the sense of being undervalued or underpaid, often paired with the realization that there's nowhere to go. Promotions either don't exist or don't excite you.

Eventually the disconnection spreads. You stop caring about wins. You feel out of step with the company's values. Work starts affecting your health, your relationships, your ability to be present at home. You catch yourself daydreaming about completely different paths, and your personal life keeps shrinking because the job consumes everything.

No single sign provides the answer. It's the pattern that matters. When multiple signals show up together and persist for months, that's not a phase. That's information.

5. Is it too late to change careers in your 30s or 40s?

Not even close. Your 30s and 40s are often the ideal time because you finally have the raw material to make a smart transition. You know your strengths. You've accumulated real experience. You understand what drains you and what energizes you. And you're motivated by purpose and fit, not just the paycheck.

Most of my Phoenix clients who make successful career changes are between 32 and 48. I worked with a 44-year-old operations director who thought she'd aged out of options. Within six months she'd transitioned into healthcare administration, took a title bump, and stopped dreading Monday mornings. Employers didn't see her age as a liability. They saw two decades of leadership experience and someone who knew exactly what she wanted.

It's not too late. For most people, it's the first time they're actually ready.

6. How do I know if burnout is just burnout or a sign I need a career change?

Burnout can come from workload, poor leadership, trauma at work, or emotional overwhelm. Burnout becomes a career change signal when rest does not help, new projects or responsibilities do not help, wins do not feel meaningful, you do not feel excited about anything in the field, and you imagine yourself doing something completely different.

If burnout stays even after boundaries, breaks, or internal moves, the issue is not how much you are working. It is the type of work you are doing.

7. Are there signs you need a career change that are specific to Phoenix professionals?

Yes. Phoenix has its own career dynamics that I see constantly. Rapid salary compression means new hires often earn more than loyal employees who've been there for years. Fast-growing industries like tech, healthcare, solar, and fintech create new roles quickly but also burn people out at growth-stage companies. There's increasing demand for leadership, coaching, and human-centered roles as companies scale.

If you feel stagnant in Phoenix, it often means the market is shifting faster than your current role can keep up. That's a legitimate sign it may be time to explore a career change.

I’m Jeff Rothenberg, a personal growth and career coach helping people turn uncertainty into confidence and clarity. Whether you’re rebuilding after change, exploring your next career move, or simply ready to grow, I’ll help you create momentum that lasts.