Feeling miserable and unfulfilled in your tech job can be a strong indicator that it’s time for a change, especially if it's affecting your health, motivation, and sense of future security.
Signs such as frequent stress-related health issues, boredom with your daily tasks, a lack of career advancement prospects, and insufficient salary to compensate for your dissatisfaction highlight the need for a new direction. Yellow Tail Tech can guide you in transitioning to a rewarding tech career, offering support for individuals with little to no IT background to thrive in this dynamic industry.
If you've reached a point where you’re thinking to yourself “I need a new career,” but wondering if you should listen to that voice, ask yourself if you’ve also been noticing these 4 signs. If you have, chances are it’s time to pursue a career change into tech.
There will be days in your current job where you’ll be doubting if it’s really the right one for you, and everyone can relate to that. Sometimes, we have doubts about our job just because of minor or sudden inconveniences at work. When this is the case, once these issues are resolved, things usually go back to normal.
However, if you often catch yourself feeling miserable while attending to your daily responsibilities as an employee, you should start taking it as a good sign that you might need to consider a new tech career. In other words, if you keep feeling the itch to switch, and it’s become a pattern more than a one-time thing, then you should probably listen to that inner voice.
As Forbes put it, “if you don’t like your work, it won’t like you back“. This remains true today and will remain true in the future, so you really need to pay attention to the signs that your current work is no longer working for you.
If this is your current dilemma (or has been for a long while), read on, because we’ve listed the other unignorable signs that you need to find a more fulfilling tech career.
1. Your Body Keeps on Saying So
Work is not meant to be easy, especially as you try to advance in your career, but it isn’t meant to challenge you at the expense of your health either.
The primary sign that you need to look for is if your work is taking a toll on your body. And by this, we mean physical, mental, and emotional health. Are you often getting sick due to stress and overwork? Probably lack of sleep, increased irritability, or even loss of recreational time? More-frequent-than-necessary burnouts? This is your body’s way of telling you that your current job sucks…the health out of it (literally).
2. You’re Unenthusiastic and Bored Beyond Saving
This is when you notice that you don’t seem to give it your best like you used to. You perform just enough to go by. Your motivation is fading, and even if you try to take on new tasks that might excite or reignite your passion, you just couldn’t care less anymore (even if you do it anyway). You’re not expected to be happy about your job every time you clock in, but this shouldn’t be your everyday story. If it is, you probably need a new career.
3. You Don’t Feel Like You Have a Future
When we like our jobs, we often consider advancing by aiming for promotion. However, if you start disliking what you do, you become less invested, and the promotion you wanted won’t be enough motivation to keep going anymore. Even picturing yourself in your boss’ or another superior’s position makes you feel even more dreadful. Losing the desire to move forward in what you do makes your daily tasks robotically routine and eventually meaningless.
4. Your Salary Doesn’t Seem to Make Up for All the Signs Mentioned Above
Maybe you were already aware of these signs, but you still chose to stay because of the salary and other perks offered by your company. This is more common than you might think. If the COVID-19 pandemic, which shook up a lot of jobs we thought were secure, taught us anything, it’s that job security is indeed something to hold on to.
But it’s not the end-all-be-all. If, lately, your paycheck seems to be outweighed by the many signs you were overlooking, then staying for the money is probably not the best idea. Thankfully, tech is one of the most lucrative fields, and it is also filled with many types of different positions that can feel rewarding and meaningful, from software development to project management to IT and data analytics.
But how do you start a career in tech with no experience?
Considering a Career Change to Tech? Read This
Want a bonus sign? If you’ve read this far, then chances are you’re hanging by a thin thread, and you just need the right amount of validation. If all of this fits your current relationship with your work, then it’s really time to break up with your current job and start a career change into tech.
Note: Changing jobs or shifting to a different tech career shouldn’t be a decision you rush into, no matter how many articles tell you to do so. You have to explore and research all the options that are accessible to you. After all, our income is how we provide for ourselves.
Therefore, changing a career isn’t just about finding meaning. It’s also about ensuring you can adequately take care of yourself and those you love. That’s all to say that there are many factors to consider before switching your career, in addition to those listed above. But it’s also true that you shouldn’t stay in a job that is a mismatch.
So, what field do you switch into? If you find yourself here, then you’ve probably heard good things about pivoting into tech or IT. This is a smart choice. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Computer and Information Technology Occupations professions are “projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations from 2024 to 2034”.
Curious? Learn more about the IT industry here. Looking for a preview? You’ll be glad to know that this industry not only is growing quickly, but it also offers some of the most stable and high-paying jobs with options to work remotely for your convenience and well-being.
Yellow Tail Tech can help you with this. We assist people with little to no IT background to build impactful careers in tech.
Our students are just like you. Here are some of their testimonials on what factors drove them to shift careers:
“It was being laid off multiple times and the strong desire to change my career path that lead me to switch careers.”
-Adrian Hill
“I want to make more money to support my family, and get a more technically oriented career that is fully remote or away from the general public for health concerns.”
-Henry Barragan
“I wanted to switch from healthcare to IT because of stability, pay, flexibility, and for the opportunity to grow within the tech industry without spending thousands of dollars on another degree.”
-Evelyn LaBoy
Book a 10-minute intro call with our Enrollment Advisor and learn more about how we can help you shift to a rewarding tech career!
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is IT a good option when switching careers?
IT offers stability, high demand, remote work opportunities, and strong salary potential, making it one of the best industries for career changers. - How do I start shifting into a tech career with no background?
Begin with beginner-friendly IT programs, certifications, or guided career training that prepare you for in-demand tech jobs without requiring a new degree. - Are IT jobs future-proof?
Yes. IT continues to grow, offering stable and high-demand roles in areas like cloud computing, cybersecurity, and data management. - How do I prepare for a tech career change?
Research your options, learn basic IT skills, connect with mentors, and consider training programs tailored for career changers.
