Are you, like many individuals I speak to, sat on the fence, unable to make a decision? You're sitting in an organisation where you have frustrations and concerns, and fundamentally you recognise that you won't be there in two to five years' time. You know you'll move on eventually. Yet something keeps stopping you from dusting off the CV now.

If that's you, this is for you. Let's work through the main objections people raise with me about why they shouldn't make a move yet, and my response to each one.

Objection 1: The Economy and Job Security

There will always be some economic or political turbulence to point at, and yes, uncertainty can raise concerns for the construction industry. But here's what I can tell you from a recruitment standpoint, which is a great barometer of market confidence: I'm as busy as I've ever been, and my clients, both in London and up and down the country, are very busy and incredibly confident about their pipelines.

The fundamentals for employability are excellent. We need to build more homes. We need to keep improving infrastructure, both physical (rail, roads and so on) and social. And it's been well documented in both national and industry press that we face ridiculously huge skill shortages that are not going away any time soon. Without wishing to be flippant: if you're a talented individual in a core construction or property profession, you will not struggle to find employment.

The counter I hear is "I'll wait until it's a good time to move, economy wise." Well, who the heck knows when that is? Nobody can predict what could happen at a national or global level. Back in 2007, my business, and frankly most businesses, sat there thinking things would just keep getting better, with no cloud on the horizon. Then 2008 hit hard. You never know. And even through the depths of 2008 and 2009, most good individuals I knew found work relatively quickly, even those who faced redundancy. If you're unhappy where you are, wider economic factors are not a reason to stay.

Some people also raise the "last in, first out" fear: join a new organisation, a downturn hits, and surely the newest person goes first? I can categorically tell you that's a myth, and it's not how companies decide who to make redundant. If anything, it's often the longest standing individuals who go. I've written about this in depth separately, including the flip side question people rarely ask: rather than worrying about what happens if you move, how confident are you about the workload and stability of the organisation you're already in?

Objection 2: A Possible Promotion

"Maybe I should stick around for a promotion." Firstly, do you actually know when it's going to happen? If it's realistically two or three years away, that's not a good reason to wait. Either you've been told a timeframe, or you need to do some due diligence yourself; a look at your company's org chart and how top heavy it is will tell you a lot about your real prospects.

Secondly, understand what happens after a promotion. When you step up into management ranks, say to associate, you generally need a year or two to bed into the role. You take on more management responsibility and a wider remit, and you need time to prove yourself at that level. What you can't do is get the title and then a month later go to market saying "I'm an associate now, I'll only look at associate roles." In interviews, companies will ask what you've done at that level, and if the answer is one month, you haven't proven you can operate there, so the title alone won't improve your chances.

For me, the logic often runs the other way: make the move now, possibly a sideways one, establish yourself in the right business, and then get promoted quickly there.

Objection 3: Study and Qualifications

Let's split this into two halves.

Employer funded academic qualifications. If your current employer is funding an MSc or MBA, look closely at the arrangement. I often find it's an incredibly intelligent way for an organisation to restrict your salary, both during the years of study and through the clawback period afterwards, because they believe they've got you trapped. Ask yourself: how far behind market rate is my salary? Could I afford to make a move anyway, perhaps taking a loan to cover the qualification, so those golden handcuffs come off? There's also a good chance a prospective employer would support you, covering the clawback cost entirely or meeting you halfway. Think about the maths: a two year MSc plus a two year clawback could mean staying somewhere an extra two to four years for the sake of the qualification, years in which you could be advancing much faster, and much happier, elsewhere.

Professional memberships. For QSs, PMs and building surveyors, the obvious one is the APC on the road to MRICS, a huge milestone I'd absolutely encourage you to get under your belt as quickly as possible. If you're only three to six months away from sitting your APC, there's a fair argument for staying put to avoid disruption and get all your competencies signed off. But if you're a year or more away, you can comfortably move to another organisation and continue the APC process there, potentially with better support if the new business has a stronger mentor scheme and better CPD structure. The same logic applies to the equivalent memberships in every other discipline across construction and property. A year or more out, and it shouldn't be a reason not to move.

Objection 4: "It Won't Be Any Different Anywhere Else"

I hear this particularly from individuals in larger organisations: if I move to a peer group firm, it'll just be the same. Well, will it? Have you ever tested that? Have you actually spoken to prospective employers to find out?

Don't get me wrong: 80 to 90% of the day job will probably be the same. Though even there, differences exist; a very traditional QS practice versus a cost management consultancy that uses technology to drive its client service will feel genuinely different day to day. But even between two organisations with similar service offerings, what will be fundamentally different is the culture and the environment: how they treat people, how they reward people, how the place feels. That's true moving large to large, large to small, small to large or small to small. "Same crap, different place" is simply not my experience. There are real differences in quality, culture and environment between organisations.

Objection 5: The Pain of Establishing Yourself Somewhere New

Yes, this one's real. If you move, there will be a period where you feel like the new kid on the block. You won't know the systems and processes, and you won't have the established relationships others have. At some point in the first three to six months, you will almost certainly ask yourself: what the hell have I done? Have I made a mistake? Am I good enough? Can I cut it here?

All I can tell you is that everybody goes through that doubt. Everybody. There will be a bedding in period, and you will get through it.

And consider the flip side: if that feeling is the thing stopping you, then you're never going to move. Which means either you're prepared to sit for the next ten, twenty or thirty years in an organisation you're fundamentally frustrated with, or at some point, yes, you're going to have to feel like the new kid for a few months. It's a short term discomfort in exchange for long term prospects.

The Question That Cuts Through It All

Having dealt with all of those concerns, ask yourself one simple question: will any of it ever change? Your frustrations, your concerns, your fundamental sense that you don't belong in this organisation long term. Will that change if you stay?

If the honest answer is no, then you're just treading water until the frustration boils over. Yes, you could move during economic wobbles, but if you're good, you'll always find employment. Yes, you might miss a promotion where you are, but you'll be in an organisation you actually want to be in, with better long term prospects. Qualifications are rarely the blocker they appear to be. And yes, it will be different, and yes, you'll feel like the new kid for a while, but you'll establish yourself in a business with a better environment and a culture that fits you.

Stop treading water. If you already know you're leaving eventually, the only real question is how much more time you're willing to lose first.