There's hardly ever a good time to change careers. So you might as well stop going around saying, "This is not a good time to change careers" and make a change if it's what you want.

Not so fast? Well, why would it be the wrong moment in time to change your career direction? Why would this be a dismal time to search your soul for work that's more fitting for who you are and where the world is headed and where you can be more employable?

Why, when you may not have even liked what you did all these years, would this be a deplorable time to listen to that restless gnawing in the pit of your gut that's been nudging you to change? To take stock of what you'd like to have more of in your work. Things like challenge. More meaning. More of a life.

This moment might be the perfect juncture for a career change. But you'll never know if you get swept up in the collective negative floating around these days that it's not a good time to change. It's just downright silly to conclude that until you actually weigh the pros and cons for your particular life. It doesn't make an iota of sense to throw out the idea of a career change before you even know what's involved.

Do you know what's involved? What might a career change cost you in terms of time, money and relationships? Will you have to go back to school? How will making this change affect your life and those close to you? How long will it take? What can it lead to? How might you be happier?

These are the things to take into account. Then you can determine whether a career change is enough of a priority to tamper with your life in the way a career change does. Then you can make up your mind whether it's a good time or not.

If you deduce it's the right thing to pursue, then you can create a plan that lets you work toward your goal while still eating, keeping a roof over your head and living a relatively comfortable life.

But if you're concerned that circumstances aren't right for a career change, what are the perfect circumstances? When will they come about? What do you need to do to make those circumstances possible?

There are lots of worries to get in your way. No one can guarantee how successful you'll be. You may make less money than before. But it's possible you'll wind up making more. You may get rejected 100 times before someone wants to hire you. Then again, one "yes" could change your life for the better.

Reach Andrea Kay at andrea@andreakay.com.