It’s Sunday night, and after a full weekend of freedom it’s nearly time to go back to work. If the prospect of returning to the office on Monday morning fills you with dread, maybe now’s the time to re-evaluate what you’re doing career-wise.

But before you make any rash decisions (like telling your boss to shove his job), you need to figure out if it’s the job or the company that’s causing the Sunday night sinking feeling. Once you’ve got that straight in your mind, then you can figure how the right career path and how you’re going to get there.
So, let’s get started by answering the following questions:

Do you actually enjoy your job?
This can be a tricky one, the majority of us have some element of their job that they don’t really enjoy (I’m not a fan of budgets) but if you can’t honestly say that you like at least 80% of your role then maybe it isn’t the career for you.

On the other hand, if you love your job and wouldn’t change a thing about it then it’s highly likely that you’d probably feel better if you were plying your trade somewhere else. Discord with management or colleagues, feeling like you’re not progressing as much as you’d like or just feeling fed up with the same routine and faces can get even the best of us down. If this is the case then you already know the solution – find a new job.

Does your career make you feel warm and fuzzy?
If you’ve achieved job heaven by finding the right job at the right company then well done you! But for those who have yet to find that winning combination then their chosen career can leave them feeling a bit flat.

Just because what you’re doing right now isn’t everything you dreamed doesn’t mean you should give up on your career and start thinking about doing something radically different. It might simply be a case of right job, wrong company. Look around for relevant positions in your discipline, what are other companies offering that you don’t already have in your current role? Would this make a difference and have you leaping out of bed on a Monday morning?

Have we been here before?
If you’ve experienced this kind of thing before and a change of scenery hasn’t helped, then maybe it’s time to face facts and admit that this might not be the right career for you. Don’t look at this as though it’s some sort of failure on your part, some of the happiest and most successful people I know did something completely different before finding their perfect fit.

It’s surprising how transferable some skills are between jobs and industries, so don’t be put off at the prospect of a change in direction. Many people don’t retrain if the job doesn’t require it, and those that do retrain whilst working in the job they want, so there’s plenty of options available.

Whatever you decide to do, I’m here to give you all the help and support you need to avoid another glum Sunday evening.