The decision to change jobs is a big one, and like any important life decisions, they often come with a mixed bag of emotions. On one hand, you should be excited – this is a significant milestone in your professional career, with the opportunity to not only advance forward, but to experience new things and meet new people. Overall, this should be a net positive for you.
On the other hand, that excitement can be easily overshadowed by your fears and anxiety stopping you in your tracks. You might find yourself going around in circles in your head, thinking of the dreaded what-ifs as your motivation to make a move starts to waver.
If this sounds like you, you aren’t alone. Despite it being more normalised now, changing jobs is still considered a pretty stressful life event, especially if this’ll be your first time doing so. It can get so bad that you might feel tempted to throw in the towel and stay put at your job, against your better judgement. However, doing so will only lead to your career stagnating, and hurt your professional development down the road.
Reasons for anxiety
1. Fearing the unknown
Humans yearn for predictability and stability. For many, the routine-ness of their job helps with that, especially if you’re a seasoned employee. There’s comfort in knowing the environment like the back of your hand, and being able to easily rely on your colleagues if you need help with anything.
However, by changing jobs, you’re accepting becoming the newbie hire again. Having to deal with new tasks, new colleagues and a new environment (plus in some cases, a new industry entirely) all at once can be highly uncomfortable, to the point that you might even start regretting your decision.
Overcoming it
This is where it helps to do your homework in advance. Whether it’s reviewing through each job listing and employer you check out, reaching out to your network for insight and advice, or asking smart questions to interviewers, conducting research on your options can help to resolve your concerns and make it easier for you to handle your job change. After all, while you won’t always get all the answers you're after, you’ll at least know enough that you won’t be walking in completely blind.
2. Fearing failure
Even with your preparations, there’s still an inherent risk of regret that comes with switching jobs. After all, you won’t know how you truly feel about a job until you actually start working. For all you know, what if the job isn’t what you’ve imagined it to be? What if your skills aren’t useful for it at all? What if you want to do something else right after taking up this job? Wouldn’t that mean that you’ve wasted your time and effort?
No one likes experiencing failure, and with something as important as your career, the fear of messing things up can be paralysing, leaving you to second-guess and doubt yourself.
Overcoming it
It may hurt to make mistakes, but in reality, they’re one of the best ways to help you grow, not only as a professional but as a person too. Rather than beat yourself up for honest blunders (which can hurt your self-esteem and worsen your anxieties), it’s better to learn how to adopt a growth mindset and learn from your mistakes.
Plus, your past work experience doesn’t change the fact that to your new job, you’re still a new hire. Chances are that there’ll be people helping you settle in along the way, and will be at the ready if you’re ever unsure about anything.
3. Fearing what others will think
Maybe you’re thinking of shifting to a different line of work, whether for pragmatic reasons or to chase other aspirations, but you’re worried about what your friends and family will think, especially if your current job is considered “secure” to others. Alternatively, you might be feeling guilt about leaving your colleagues behind after working together for so long. As such, you might be feeling stressed about how to break the news to everyone.
Overcoming it
While loyalty is admirable (and in most cases, appreciated), that shouldn’t stop you from wanting to do more with your life if that’s what you want for yourself. Even if you care for them, letting the opinions of others sway your own decisions will only hurt you in the long run.
In addition, the reality is that in any company, people will come and go; you probably aren’t the first employee to leave the company, and you won’t be the last. Ultimately, even if they may be reluctant to let you go, a good employer won’t hold your decision against you.
While it’s absolutely normal to feel scared about changing jobs, you shouldn’t let that fear get in the way of your career ambitions. It’s only by facing and acknowledging those fears that you’ll be able to move forward in your career journey with confidence and excitement of what lies ahead.
