Am I considering a change of job. Help me decide please.

[Welliwould]

*edited to apologise for the transposition in the title. Should read: I am considering a change of job... sorry about that!

I've been in my current firm for years, had several jobs with them but all related and all in the same team. I'm 50. Current role is fine, a bit boring but busy, and I love my team. We all do different but related things, I'm the only person in my my particular role. I also really like the firm I work for as the benefits are great. I'm not looking to leave the firm at the moment.

I'm basically doing a specialist procurement related/supplier relationship management role, but I'm not a procurement professional, my qualifications relate to the thing I'm procuring for the firm. There is a procurement team in the firm but they do the bigger stuff like buildings, utilities and software. When people outside of work ask me what I do I usually tell then I'm an administrator, as that's how I see it, I just do a load of admin and talk to a lot of people while I'm doing it. And then I change the conversation as it's just not that interesting. And it's very much not a fun role, my team are good fun, but the role itself... no fun at all.

I'm thinking of asking if I can go on a secondment to the procurement team, it's been hinted at in the last few months and I've not showed interest due to not being in the right headspace at that point in time, see point 1 below for the reason. But now things are a bit more settled at home and it cropped up briefly again in conversation this week so it's in my head again. I think it would expand my career prospects, which aren't that plentiful if I stay in the super team I've been with for years unless I gain extra qualifications. I'm pretty sure they'd say yes, my firm are quite keen on secondments, I know the procurement team are under resourced, whilst not actively recruiting at the moment, and I'm not unknown to them. They seem to be nice people. Secondments usually lead to the person joining the seconding team permanently, so it could take my career in a new direction and hopefully increase my earning potential. I am already doing a procurement related role, so don't think it would be too much of a leap.

So far so positive. However, there are lots of things to consider...

1. DH has cancer, incurable and recently diagnosed, we've no idea how long he has left, could be 2 years could be 20. This comes with ongoing medical observation, hospital visits and possible treatments for the rest of his life. Do I need the extra pressure of learning a new role when we already have a lot on our plates?
2. DH doesn't need physical care yet, but will, and I need to make sure we have enough money coming in when he will no longer be able to work/contribute and we might need to pay for adaptions to the house etc. So future earning potential and employability is important
3. I can't say that procurement fills me with excitement, I suspect it'll be another no-fun role. I'm considering this purely from the practical view of opening up career options and earning potential.
4. There's a chance my department might take on more tasks, or I could try to do some training/learning in an adjacent discipline. Either of these could make my job a bit more interesting and raise my earning potential, and I could maybe steer my career in a direction that could be a bit more aligned to my interests and how I see myself. But I'm not sure I have the time or the will to do extra study in the evenings and weekends and unless I do, I will just be stuck in the same role in my current team
5. It's possible that I've worked so hard at convincing myself that it's fine to accept my lack of career prospects for a comfortable and unchallenging role that I'm very good at (which does bring a certain level of job satisfaction), that I'm unable to see myself as motivated/ambitious enough to pursue something different and push out of the comfort zone.

I like change, I like being someone who can be relied on, I like sorting out a mess or a problem and making it better, I work better with deadlines, I'm self directed and have a solid work ethic. I have never considered myself to be particularly driven career wise but I am motivated by the possibility of a better salary and professional recognition.

So, advice please! Anyone currently working in procurement able to tell me what you love about it? Anyone know how to figure out if I should do nothing and stay as is or if I should make a change? And if I do make a change, do I develop new skills in my current team or jump to a new team and potentially an entirely new career? What would you do in my shoes? Finally, do you think it's possible that this is a reaction to the cancer thing? Am I trying to exert control in my work life because of the lack of control over the health situation? And should I be worried about that? It's not necessarily a bad thing, right?

TIA

[StrongTeaDropOfMilkNoSugar]

It’s a secondment, not a permanent change, therefore a two way door decision at this stage. Take it, give it a go and stretch yourself. It’ll feel uncomfortable, and it should. Don’t let that put you off or dent your confidence, it’s all part of personal growth.

Sorry to hear about your DH. Similar situation here, and we’re 6 years down the line from his diagnosis. I realised early on that whilst our lives had changed forever, I still had to live mine and my work gave me purpose.

Good luck, you’ll be brilliant.