Is it time for you to make a career move? The question can be nerve-wracking, but to get ahead you have to be ready and willing to shake things up sometimes.

Ask these questions from the Harvard Business Review to decide whether you should take the plunge:

How fulfilled are you? Ideally, your work and career should have purpose and meaning. You may not feel energized 100% of the time, but if nothing about your job makes you look forward to accomplishing its goals, you’re probably not going to succeed in the long term, and you’re likely to burn yourself out over time.

Are you learning and growing? If you're not mastering new skills, encountering fresh challenges, and going through new experiences, you’re in danger of stagnating. You don’t want to repeat the same tasks year after year until retirement. Look for roles where you’re in a position to explore new opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Do you like the direction you’re headed in? You may not yearn to become a CEO, but you should have career goals that excite you. Where do people in your position usually go? Does that appeal to you? Can you make a course correction? If not, you could be destined for a dead-end career that doesn’t fulfill your needs.

What can you do right now? Chances are you can’t automatically shift to a new career at the same level of responsibility (or salary). Start making plans for the future. Sign up for classes that address your ultimate goals. Connect with people doing who are doing what you want to do. Read up on what’s out there so you can decide the best steps to take.

What relationships should you build? Look around at the people in the profession you want to enter. Get in touch with them and learn all you can about how they reached their position of success. The more people you know, the more advice and assistance you can get as you navigate your way to a new career.