Career Change - Why do we do it?
It is a common belief that people only leave their jobs when they are in "pain" - dreading each workday and being plain miserable. Au contraire, whilst this may true in some cases, there are a number of other reasons why professionals leave their jobs. Find out what these are as discovered in an interesting series of interviews conducted across Asia by JobStreet.com.

Smart Resignation - Anticipation
Involuntary resignation occurs when your current company is experiencing an unfavorable financial situation, or undergoing a merger that is most likely to result in an overpopulation of executive talent. Use your better judgement to anticipate the company's prospects and policy changes of the company's prospects and policy. If it seems that your chances are better outside than in, it is prudent to prepare yourself by searching for another job before the company closes down, or before you fall victim to a retrenchment exercise.

Loss of Respect for Management and Lack of Recognition
Uday, a 27 year old Web Content Manager from India, left his previous employer because, "My employer failed to keep his promises. They made me feel like a door mat ..literally!" Glenda, 22, recently resigned from her position as Programmer/Analyst with an IT firm in the Philippines. "Improper management of people" was cited as one of her motivations to leave.

Monica, a 25 year old financial consultant in Malaysia adds, "Sometimes it's the simple things like saying a word of thanks that matter. Not only just with words but also with action.

Management's respect for and acknowledgement employees' contributions is often one of the most quoted yet least practiced creed. If your employer fails to neither recognize your efforts nor provide you with the leadership and motivation to get the job done well, it is logical to reconsider the employer-employee relationship. Do this objectively, evaluating your own part in your performance or motivation.

Individual vs. Organizational Culture and Processes
Every company has its own culture. It is the nature of big multinationals to have policies that regulate everything down to the nitty gritty level. Often, this stems from the need to make sense and order out of mammoth logistical complexities. However, the reality is that it can leave bright and enthusiastic professionals stifled and restless.

"For me, it is the hierarchy. Having to go through 4 or 5 levels of hierarchy above me before a decision can be made. It is so time inefficient and it does not add to my ability to effectively contribute." says Monica.

Unless you are given the ability to make a real and meaningful contribution to the bottom line, you may choose to consider seeking such an opportunity elsewhere. Whilst some progressive organizations in the big league do provide for this opportunity, most of the time, it lies within smaller companies where your role has a bigger stake in the profit game. Such has been said of the latest hot company of choice, the startup dot com or other smaller companies with less hierarchy.

Leaving for Better Prospects
A stronger, and often more advantageous reason to leave your job is when you foresee better career advancement opportunities outside your company. You may also want to expand your field of competence by switching from one field to another, e.g. from civil engineering to selling and marketing engineering-related products to the construction industry. Or in the case of Heera, a 35 year old Indian professional, he made a transition from pure financial consulting to IT consulting for financial management solutions.

"Strategy, organization and processes have been worked and reworked over the years. There is nothing new anymore. Companies now want end-to-end solutions. They want us to provide them with a finished product that only needs to be installed and run. That is IT finding its way into financial consulting.

After working in Andersen Consulting, Teoh, 30, left a great job as a regional Management Consultant in KPMG to join a small, up and coming Malaysian multimedia & E-commerce firm. "I decided to leave my previous job because I was being offered the chance to expand the scope of my role and responsibilities. I have always had a passion for the IT industry, and this was my chance to contribute in its advancement."

These individuals have moved with the times; identifying opportunities for themselves to acquire in-demand skills, thus increasing their marketability and future prospects. But more than that, they made careful decisions by analyzing where the industry was going, matching these against their own interests in finding the best possible match before they left their positions.

Understand Where You Are Today, and Where You Want To Be Tomorrow
The instincts and motivation to go after what you want is something that comes from within yourself. No one can really tell you what to do. It has to do with the work experience and whether it meets your personal needs and career aspirations. With the ever-shifting landscape of the new economy, everybody should take the time to turn inwards to get clear about what's important to them, who they are, what they want out of their work and where they can get it.

Everything considered, one must be careful. Figure out whether your demands can be met within your current organization before you look outwards.

For example, are you in a company where constant teamwork is the required where you would rather be sitting alone getting through the paperwork? Are you enjoying your work, with people you like yet not getting the public acknowledgement of your work from the company that is so vital to your self-esteem?

If what you want is outside your current employment, start your search for a better career option out there. Do not wait until you are unhappy before you start a career change. Moving solely for the reason that you are unhappy, without a clear direction of where you want to head towards, is a dangerous thing.

You Are Not Powerless!
Heading for the uncertainty of a career change is a little like groping around in the dark for the doorway. We may find it difficult at times to anticipate what is ahead of us, our defense mechanism tends to lean us towards pessimism - "There is probably nothing better out there for me anyway."

If you think of your next move in this "flight before fight" manner, then you have lost the battle even before you began. Have a positive attitude about your abilities, the right mentality about your career goals [check out our Career Resources section] and arm yourself with the right tools to conduct your job search carefully and positively.

Words of Wisdom From Those Who Have Gone Before
Uday - 27, Web Content Manager - (India) - "I suggest you look for a new job and then move. Many tend to leave a job and then look for a new one. The intermediate time seems like an eternity. It could be traumatic too. So don't take chances. On the other hand, there are plenty of jobs out there for you. So do not worry about not landing another job!"

Glenda - 22, Programmer/Analyst - (Philippines) - "If your job today is not your dream job, then go ahead and look for another. It is better to be happy than to be stuck in something that will make you miserable."

Monica - 25, Financial Consultant - (Malaysia) - "Weigh out the pros and cons. When you find something you want to do, go for it! Don't stay unhappy. The cons are, you might leave behind good people you got to know. But that is not reason enough to stay back."

Heera - 35, IT Consultant - (India) - "Think carefully about what you want to do and where you want to go before you make the move. First look internally whether these needs can be met within your organization, if not, then look outside."

Teoh - 30, E-commerce Business Consultant - (Malaysia) - "Don't leave a job just because the money is good. Leave because what you're GOING to do is what you WANT to do. It's okay to feel uncertain. If you accept the challenges ahead, you will not be shocked. It is important to move on. Appreciate what you've gone through and the relationships you have developed. But move on."