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When everything about your job feels negative, it can have an adverse effect on your mental and physical health. And with a recent Gallup poll proclaiming that only 15 per cent of workers worldwide are engaged, it’s a no-brainer that there are global issues with culture and leadership. But when a job becomes unbearable, you can’t afford to wait until your workplace realises it has to change — it’s time to vote with your feet and plan an escape ASAP. If it’s about time you changed career, here are three straightforward tips for making the switch.

Volunteer

Volunteering can be a great way to give something back to your community and find a sense of personal fulfilment. And there’s every chance that you can channel your passion into a volunteer project — using something that nourishes you to help other people improve various aspects of their lives.

For example, volunteering with charity Creative Youth allows you to focus your creative energies on helping young people set up the annual International Youth Arts Festival in Kingston upon Thames, fundraise throughout the year and get involved with exciting music projects like Kingston RPM.

You can gain experience in administration, events management and digital skills with this type of organisation — and should a paid role ever emerge, you might be first in line if you impress.

Study

Another excellent way to change career path without having to give up work or compromise your family commitments is completing a degree online.

You’ll find a range of vocational courses that let you top up existing skills or start from scratch in a totally new area.

For example, studying with Anglia Ruskin Distance Learning offers the choice of subjects as diverse as football coaching, digital marketing and business management — you can complete modules when it suits, safe in the knowledge that you’re supported by staff and classmates.

Any part-time degree takes a little longer to complete than the full-time equivalent — but online learning fits so much more smoothly into a busy life than campus-based learning.

Career MOT

If you’re not sure which career path to take, but are convinced that you’ve got to get out of the job you’re in, taking a career MOT like Jessica Williams might provide the necessary inspiration. The Sidekicks founder has developed a plan that can help you plot the path forward.

First, assess whether you’re using your skills to their full advantage, if your workplace development is inadequate or whether your company no longer aligns with your ethical values. Next, analyse a few places you’d rather be — whether it’s doing something completely different or something similar with another firm.

Then decide whether an old or new path is preferable and, if you’re ready to proceed, decide how to repackage your existing skills to transfer them or brush up on any new ones that are necessary. So there are three straightforward career change tips — it’s about time you started planning for a job that doesn’t make you dread Monday morning.