Have you ever experienced the “Sunday Scaries?” It’s a feeling you get on a Sunday afternoon or evening when, even though you’re not at work, you start to get anxious about what’s to come Monday morning. It’s not a pleasant feeling – and it’s a reality for many of us. If the Sunday Scaries are routinely a part of your life, perhaps it’s time for a change.
There are two options to remedy this situation:
- Apply for a different role or a promotion at your current organization.
- Apply for a brand-new role at a different organization.
This is not usually an easy decision. There’s often a (false) sense of comfort that comes with staying in a role or with a company that no longer suits your needs. It can be the easier option, but it’s not always the best choice.
So, let’s do a little soul-searching and pinpoint precisely what’s causing unhappiness in your current role – and what you can do to take matters into your own hands and banish the Sunday Scaries for good.
A Personal Deep Dive
When you’re ready to do something about your professional discontent, taking the time to take a personal inventory is essential. After all, you can’t correct a problem until you know what it is.
Ask yourself these questions:
What is making me unhappy in my current role?
- Is it the actual work? Do you dread the type of projects you work on? Maybe it’s boring, maybe you struggle with it or perhaps you simply don’t enjoy the majority of your responsibilities.
- Is it the environment? Do you need more flexibility with your schedule? Maybe you want to work from home, or perhaps you would benefit from a shorter commute.
- Is it the people you work with? Do you have a good relationship with your manager? Do you wish your co-workers gelled better as a team? Do toxic relationships exist at work?
- Is it my compensation? Do you feel underpaid? Do you wish there were opportunities to make more money?
What would make this job better?
- A change in the scope of work. If my work was more challenging or I had more ownership of my projects, I would be happier in my current role.
- A change in environment. If I switched to a different team or had a better work-life balance, I would be happier in my current role.
- A change in people. If I reported to a different person or if my co-workers got along and helped each other, I would be happier in my current role.
- A change in paycheck. If I got a pay raise, I would be happier in my current role.
If you answered yes—a promotion may be worth pursuing. But if none of these things will change your outlook, perhaps it’s time to explore a career change.
Have you considered a career in technology?
Who Can Work in Tech?
Anybody. But let’s take a look at why that’s true. You likely have a preconceived idea about what an IT professional looks like. If Hollywood has any influence over your perception, the IT guru is probably a young, hoody-wearing, head-phone-clad genius with little-to-no social skills. But the truth is, many different careers in technology require many different types of people – and personalities.
Related Blog: 7 Things You May Not Know About Working in IT
Because virtually every organization today requires tech support and strategy, there are a wide range of job opportunities out there – some of which you may not be aware even existed.
Tech Support: This includes jobs that help end-users, internal and external, with technology problems and maintenance. Support can be a great entry point into the tech industry.
Tech Infrastructure: These jobs work with real or virtualized hardware and the cloud. They maintain and optimize an organization’s networks and keep things running smoothly.
Software: This includes jobs responsible for building tools and applications to help an organization run more efficiently and with the best customer experience possible.
Cybersecurity: These jobs are tasked with protecting an organization’s digital assets, preventing cyberattacks and breaches, and proactively dealing with them when they happen.
Data and Analytics: This includes jobs that gather, manage and analyze the increasing amounts of data organizations collect to inform better business decision-making.
Tech Enablement: Many jobs work closely with tech to achieve the best results. These jobs could include project management, marketing, customer service – and more.
The point is that technology careers now encompass so many different areas of an organization that the IT guru stereotype just doesn’t ring true.
The Perks of Working in Tech
There are many benefits to working in the technology industry. For starters, IT career growth and salaries are above average, it's one of the best careers for work-life balance and technology culture can't be beaten.
At nearly double (or 2x) the national estimated growth rate, tech jobs are projected to be among the fastest-growing occupations from now through 2033, according to CompTIA State of the Tech Workforce 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Lightcast. The demand is there – and so is the money.
The average salary for an IT pro in the United States increased to $111,348 in 2022, up from $108,857 in 2021, according to the 2023 Dice Tech Salary Report. Of course, being an average, that means some jobs pay less – and pay more. But that’s one of the best perks about working in tech. There is limitless room for growth.
When you launch a tech career, you may start in tech support. But after a few years of experience, you can jump to virtually any specialization, keep growing your knowledge and skills, and keep moving up the salary ladder. Often, with these moves comes other benefits – like work-life balance, mentor support and professional development opportunities.
Related Blog: What Are You Waiting For? 9 Reasons to Work in IT
How To Make the Switch
If you’re ready to make the change, here’s how you can do it.
Start by doing some research. Check out our Your Next Move series for articles about different job roles and the type of experience and training you need to get there. Start networking and talking to people. You can learn from others just like you – transitioning into tech from another industry. And you can learn from people already in tech. Find people in the job you want and start asking questions.
Once you have a bit more to work with, start putting a plan in place for yourself. If you need to level up with training, consider IT certifications. CompTIA certifications are vendor-neutral, meaning you’ll gain knowledge that isn’t specific to just one platform or product. Core certifications, like CompTIA A+, lay the groundwork for the specialized pathway certifications, and additional professional certifications cover necessary IT skills like project management.
Related Blog: Switching Careers to IT: A How-To Guide
Don’t let the Sunday Scaries rob you of your weekend! You don’t have to settle for a job that you don’t love. A tech job could be just the change you need. Explore our Career Change website to learn more.
Thinking of a Career Change?
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