Whether you want to completely change job paths or simply want to try out your profession in a new industry, making a significant career change can be a scary concept to many people. There are a lot of decisions that you’d have to make in order to go through with it, which will lead to some hesitation, even if you’re someone who embraces change.
That’s why we have put out this list of common fears that stop people from making big career changes. Hopefully, knowing about them will make them easier to tackle when they come up in the future.
The Fear of Missing Out
When most people talk about the fear of missing out, or FOMO, they’re referring to consumerism. However, you can experience FOMO in any area of your life, and that includes your current job. Even if you have a promising new position lined up, the fear of missing out on what will happen at your office after you leave could keep you from taking it.
It’s normal to develop attachments to coworkers and love your current job, but the thing to remember is all of those things have a strong possibility of happening at your new place as well.
The Fear of Moving
With new career opportunities usually comes a big move. It could be anywhere from a few towns over to a few states over. Either way, you’ll want to be as close as you can to this new place of employment. However, just like the job, it’s easy to develop attachments to a location, making it difficult to say goodbye. Plus, the very concept of moving is extremely tedious and stressful.
Fortunately, there are ways to better deal with the stress of a big move, but there’s no guarantee that it will become less challenging to pick up and leave after removing a majority of it.
The Fear of What Others Will Think
This problem is most relevant when changing fields, especially if you’re already in a highly-respected one. Unfortunately, people can be quite judgmental when you’re making what they consider a wrong career move, and the closer you are to them, the worse that’ll feel. Many people end up getting stuck in jobs that they absolutely hate just because they’re worried about what others will think if they leave.
This is not an easy mental hurdle to surpass, but the key is to keep reminding yourself that it doesn’t matter what they think. This decision is ultimately yours, and in many cases, it will only affect you. You need to break past this fear and do what you believe to be the best choice for your life.
The Fear of Failure
Hands down, the biggest fear that stops people from making big career changes is the fear of failure. Nothing is worse than making this massive shift, only to find out that you were wrong and it wasn’t the right fit for you. That then puts you in the dilemma of admitting defeat and going back to your old job or sticking with something you hate to avoid the embarrassment of failing.
The reason why this one is so awful is there’s no easy fix. It’s just something that you’ll have to learn to take a chance on and see what happens.
