Stay, Move or Pivot? Reflections on career direction
After sharing the first edition of A Pause to Reflect, I realised there are many topics I would like to explore through this newsletter. For this second edition, I thought I would focus on some of the recurring themes that came up around career direction.
Over the past months, I have had many interesting discussions and one thing I keep noticing is that a lot of people are asking themselves questions about their next step. They are not necessarily in crisis or looking to change everything immediately, but they are pondering different options, sometimes without complete clarity about what they really want or what they could do next.
Staying, but differently
Some feel they want to stay (if employed), but something needs to change. They are not necessarily looking to leave, but need to adjust how they work, what they prioritise, or how they experience their job, often around boundaries at work.
Moving within a familiar path
Others are considering a move. This often means changing roles or companies while staying within a relatively similar configuration, for example remaining in the same industry or continuing with a similar type of work in a different environment. This is usually because their company environment is not a good fit for them, or their learning has reached a plateau.
Pivoting toward a different direction
Finally there are those who feel drawn toward a pivot, where there is a deeper misalignment usually for some years. This means a potential move into a different industry, changing roles significantly within the industry, or exploring a completely different professional path (where I was!).
A simple diagnosis tool with fantastic insights
To capture these three potential directions, I created a simple diagnostic questionnaire. The initial intention was to help people better understand where they are today and what might be driving their thinking. I found the results to be particularly interesting.
One of the first things that stood out is that most respondents feel their current role plays to their strengths. In other words, they are probably competent and effective at what they do. On paper, this sounds like a positive place to be.
Scale: 1= strongly disagree, 10 = strongly agree (applies to all graphs below)
But at the same time, many of the same people also say they often imagine a different professional path, and that imagining it feels energising. The majority also shared that even if their current job improved, something deeper might still feel slightly misaligned.
I find this combination fascinating because it challenges a common assumption: being good at something does not necessarily mean it is aligned with what you want to do.
Another result that caught my attention is how many people said they would feel relief if the decision was made for them. This is not necessarily about avoiding responsibility although that can play a role, but also about the weight of having to choose.
When too many options can paralyse you
Today, even though the market conditions are not ideal, many professionals have access to more opportunities than ever before. New industries, new roles, remote work, side projects, part time job, retraining options, and alternative paths are increasingly possible.
Yet this abundance of choices can sometimes make choices harder rather than easier. When many directions feel possible, it becomes more difficult to know which one truly fits, which leads to paralysis decision and the potential passive decision of staying.
The first step should not be to try to change everything at once, but understanding where you are and whether you are trying to stay differently, move within a familiar path, or pivot toward something new. The rest can follow later.
If you are curious to explore it for yourself the diagnostic, you can try it here (it takes around 5 minutes to fill): 👉 [Link]
As always, I would be curious to hear what resonates with you, hope you enjoyed the reading if you made it that far.
Gauthier