What do I do next in my career? How to figure it out

Lay offs. Burnout. Stress. Disillusionment. Feeling ‘ugh’.

It seems as if almost everyone is in some sort of a career transition right now. 

Whether you’ve been laid off, are fearing a lay off, or are feeling bored or stressed out, it feels like most folks are thinking about the next steps.

“Where do I go next?”

“What do I want to do with my life?”

“How can I get out of this job and into the next big thing?”

I can relate. I’ve had many career transitions in the past decade: three different industries, five different countries; for-profit, non-profit, impact investing; being an entrepreneur, working for the government, consulting…

Each move has been an intuitive decision made from my gut, and thankfully has given me whatever it was that I was seeking at that time. Social impact and a sense of purpose? Sorted. Freedom and independence? Pretty much. More money, comfort, and adventure? Canada was fantastic for that. Whatever it was that I was seeking, I’ve generally been very able at leaning into my gut instinct and sensing out the right move.

But there have been some decisions that were, truthfully, not great. Actually they were just awful. Two career moves in particular I still recoil at. Both were decisions I made with full knowledge that my gut was screaming ‘no!’ I knew they weren’t right. They were sensible, rational, financially smart, and great career-capital wise…so I did them – even though both my coach and therapist at the time said that I was absolutely right in my gut instinct predictions that they’d be nightmarish endeavours that I’d want to quit soon after. 

One job was so poisonous and the workload so demonic that I vowed I would make it my mission to learn the ins and outs of good management, and good corporate ethics. And thus, I moved into behavioural science where I found my calling. The other was a smoke-and-mirrors nightmare of false pretences, chronic fear, dog-eat-dog syndrome, and employees quivering at their desks feeling wretched. Not a pleasant place to be, but the horror did spark in me such a strong visceral reaction that I found myself catapulted into taking risks that I might otherwise not have been compelled to take. Ultimately, these bad decisions allowed me to trust my gut instincts (I was right all along) and solidify my ability to dig deep, which saved my skin before I grew despondent and defeated by those places.

So, whilst they were lousy, they did fulfil a greater purpose in my life – the learnings were significant, and the organic next steps that followed from them were perfect. I had to struggle to go deep, to figure out the next move – the cliche learning curve.

I’m not going to say that there is no such thing as a bad decision. There is. Just because I was able to dig myself out of the holes I inadvertently put myself into doesn't mean we all can. I am very lucky that I have been in the self-development and coaching space since I was 13 years old (thank you, dad). I’m odd in that respect, and have been cultivating and recultivating my connection to myself since it was ripped out of me with teenage anorexia. As a result, it means that I can make decisions that aren’t great and still drag myself out of them pretty quickly and pivot. And the act of pulling myself out and pivoting, is contingent on my ability to be self-connected and spot that these are ‘bad’ decisions for me, and respond accordingly – quickly. So no poor decision is really a long-term mistake because I have empowered myself to jump ship if and when I need to, without people (corporate?) pleasing or chastising myself.

But we don’t all do that. It’s something we have to learn. 

So how do we avoid getting ourselves into these misguided decisions in the first place? And if we find ourselves in one, how do we quickly get ourselves out?

This is where self-connection through embodiment, mindfulness, and somatics becomes key. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, but decisions we make from a purely rational, cognitive space rarely work. 

Most of the founders, leaders, high-achievers I work with are quite comfortable making career decisions from this highly rational place. I was too. Sometimes, I still do.

Yet it’s these decisions that often end up disastrous. The two above that I cited, are decisions I made purely because they seemed like the sensible and rational thing to do.

One was a career move that seemed prestigious, respectable and a solid move towards more career capital. The other was a decision that I felt a bit sick about, but everyone told me that I was lucky as hell to have the opportunity. That if I wanted my career to develop I shouldn’t even blink and I absolutely, 100% had to make it my number 1 priority to go for it.

Actually, now I recall one other decision I made – one that was so stupid I ended up taking it off my CV. I lasted 3 months there and cried when I got the job offer. It was an utterly ridiculous decision made purely because it was ‘the McKinsey of international development’ and I wanted to be in that space, craved the prestige, and it seemed like the most sensible career decision I could make. 

Often the totally rational decisions we make are so logical and calculated that they are removed from who we truly are. They make us out like chess pieces, bizarre little pawns in the world of corporate, making moves that will win us points and get us up the ladder. The problem is, when they’re so rational and cognitively motivated, they miss the other parts of us that are equally important: our hearts, our desires, and our very real physical needs. Being bent over a desk crunching out excel sheets of math calculations was never going to make me happy, even if it ticked the boxes. And whilst our heart’s desires might not give us the greatest prestige or career capital, they will be the fuel behind the fire that makes us great at what we do. We’re more likely to show up with enthusiasm and spirit, do a good job, and earn the social capital that will translate into career capital down the line. 

So, what does this mean for thinking about our career steps? Our next moves?

It means that this doesn’t have to be a purely cognitive act. Questions I hear a lot from my coachees are:

“Am I the right person to do this?”

“Is this the right impact I want to be having?”

“Will this earn the right salary I need and expect?”

“How will this look in my career trajectory?”

“What will my family and friends say?”

“What will I learn with this?”

“What would come after this step?”

These are all good questions and valid. And I would also invite you to ask questions like:

“How do I feel about my career path right now? What is working for me, and what is not?”

“If I wasn’t afraid of taking risks, what would I choose to do next?”

“What do I need more of?”

“What do I need less of?”

“What emotions do I want to feel at work, and where do I get these outside of work?”

“How do I want to physically feel at work?”

“What lights me up from the inside?”

“What would I want to look back on, 10 years from now, as a fulfilling next step?”

Then, I would invite you to explore how these questions and your answers feel in your body. Do you feel anxious? Nervous? Scared? A bit sick? Or inspired? In flow? Excited?

If you feel both anxious and excited, what is keeping you anxious, and what is giving you excitement? Can you separate the two to get a bit more clear on where you need to go next?

And if you’re grappling with the very real short term realities of income, stability, family fulfilments, and responsibilities, versus the longer term vision of where you dream of going next, can you begin to break down the different components into a coherent roadmap that you can begin to flesh out?

I know this might feel like a lot. Getting granular and looking at your inner and outer world with a microscope is a lot to ask for from anyone. But this is your life. And just letting your head dictate the path forward generally doesn’t work in the long run. 

So what can you do to begin to move forward in a more aligned and integrated way?

For some context – most of my coachees have gone on to find a more authentic happiness in their careers through and after our work together. They’ve been able to figure out what sort of balance they need, and do it. They’ve been able to discern what their boundaries are, their fundamental needs, their non-negotiables, and make sure that they get these fulfilled. They’ve been able to tap into their own innate sense of motivation and drive, so that when they hit the inevitable road bumps that life gives us, they’re still excited, looking after themselves, cheering themselves on. They’re now feeling much more happy and driven in their work, confident in their capabilities, and purposeful. Suddenly what they’re doing feels energising, important, and most importantly – authentic to them. It’s not a check box anymore or a begrudging ‘I should do this’, but a unique and rewarding custom career path for them. 

If you need help with any of these action steps or areas of thought, I can help. Check out my Programs page for more information, or send me a message on LinkedIn or email me to set up a time to connect. I can’t wait to hear from you.