For a while, the middle class was large, strong, and a market to reckon with in planning new products and services.  Even if they did not possess the highest purchasing power, they had the numbers and the possibilities going for them, or so it seemed.  For a while, the choice was not only limited to either being rich or poor since there was a level where reasonable life comfort can be  attained where extravagance or affluence is not a necessary factor.

Economic observers are getting pretty uneasy about the unfolding scenario where bailouts are being offered to large multinational companies at the expense of the hardworking middle class.  Having exhibited the capability to take care of themselves, members of the middle class are offered no special privileges.  Unlike the poor who have the advantage of government subsidy and the rich who have the privilege of influence, the middle class literally had to rely on themselves to keep from slipping to a lower economic level. 

It would appear that middle class income earners have to follow the lead of their subsidized counterparts in order to get a break.  There are reasons why middle class people work hard and living with dignity is very much part of them.  Though not particularly looking for freebies,  they need some form of protection from the threats posed to their economic standing such as unabated rising costs of basic needs.  There is something so wrong in seeing the fruits of additional work go to payment of additional costs of existing expenses.

So why does the middle class appear to be shrinking?  The pressure from all possible sources has been so much that many aspiring middle class earners had no choice but to succumb to a downgraded economic class.  A solution has to be offered fast before the middle class is reduced to a word found only in the dictionary.

The reasons we provide when we want some change in our lives can be real or perceived (if not imaginary).  It is no different when we think of leaving our existing careers.  Somewhere in the middle of that desire for change lies the truth of  job dissatisfaction.  Because a career change can have a potentially drastic effect on a person’s life, it is important to determine whether such a move is warranted or not.  

The most obvious manifestation that a career or job change has to be seriously considered is when you don’t like your job.  It makes no sense spending another minute in a job that you don’t like, much less abhor, right?  But what if there are considerable economic conditions to consider like providing the essential needs of your family?  Then the decision-making becomes more complicated as compared to when a person has to decide only for himself/herself.

In this case, not liking the job per se should go a little down the line in the list of considerations.  Occupying the top slots for reasons to absolutely consider a career change are job-related illnesses, an abusive work environment, discrimination, inability to perform family responsibilities, and a better offer from another company.  These reasons are not mere excuses to leave a job since they do not only present a matter of simple inconvenience but real threats or incentives to an employee and his/her family’s well-being.

Other reasons that should send us to the thinking chair for career change include many other considerations such as not agreeing with company ethics and policies, the absence of career growth opportunities, lack of challenges left to conquer, questions in the company’s long-term stability, and change in family circumstances that requires finding a new job.  Employees who do decide to leave their current jobs to find another, must realize that they cannot escape being asked about their previous jobs by companies where they decide to apply afterwards.  For prospective employers, there would be acceptable and unacceptable reasons and you better be sure you have the right one.