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Should you change careers?

Should you change careers?

3 signals you shouldn't overlook, the cycle of decision-making and a breakdown of the only options you have

Giammarco Pacifico
November 08, 2023

It’s no secret that we’d rather be in a constant level of predictable pain than change our situation and explore the unknown.

Why? Because inertia is a bitch and we’re hard-wired to avoid discomfort.

Just think about it for a second, why is it so hard to get rid of the motorbike we never use and that is costing us money and stress?

Because we don’t want to deal with making the decision, it’s easier to hold on to our chips (that we have earned over time) and postpone the decision indefinitely.

The same thing happens with careers: why is it so hard to leave a job that makes you unhappy?

Because you have earned it with hard work, by paying your debt with money and time. It’s now part of your identity and you’d rather hoard the chips you already have.

To illustrate this point, I’ll borrow a story from Seth Godin about a monkey and a banana.
The monkey sees a beautifully ripe banana inside a cage and reaches out for it. But the banana is bigger than the cage opening so the monkey cannot get the banana out. But because he cannot let go of the banana either, he’s now trapped.

The signals that you need to change career

Cocktail party jobs

“What do you do?” is an infamous question that holds more power than you might think.

If what you tell people you do is more important than what you do, you might have a cocktail party job. Bragging with your peers and distant relatives is what gives you the most satisfaction.

Cheery on top if you are miserable while doing the actual work.

Of course, there are no jobs where you are constantly miserable or always fulfilled - it’s a spectrum but if you are in this situation, you know it’s you.

The ultimate test: go to fewer parties, stop telling people what you do and check if you crave social validation.

Beauty contest

You find yourself in one (or both) of the following situations:

Your company is participating in an ephemeral contest to look the part. Most employees are glorified intellectual butlers and the work is not about creating but about countless decks, spreadsheets and persuasive conversations

Herd behaviour galore: you want the same thing everybody else around you wants - how can that be true?!

Borrowed respect

People respect you because of the company you represent.

If you are not careful, you might end up thinking it’s because of you.

Spoiler alert: it’s not.

Where are you on the journey?

Changing careers is one of the biggest decisions we will ever make and it never happens all at once. Instead, it’s a series of steps that everybody goes through and understanding where we are helps us know what to do.

The Stages of Change model is a powerful tool for intentional decision-making developed by the Boston University School of Public Health.

Source: The Transtheoretical Model by Prochaska and DiClemente

1. Precontemplation

There is no desire to take action in the next 6 months. The cons of keeping things the way they are are underestimated or unknown.

The signals above are mostly ignored or justified with prestige, money or both.

2. Contemplation

The desire for change is there but there is still hesitation to take the first step as pros and cons are equally weighted for a decision.

Common fears such as losing social status, potentially getting a lower salary or simply not having a clear career progression are still strong.

3. Determination

Readiness to take action in the near future. Small steps are being taken towards the new situation.

It usually starts with exploring new opportunities through informal conversations with peers/mentors, applying for jobs and reconnecting with former colleagues.

This is usually the longest stage as it can take weeks or even years, depending on how big the change is. It does not matter how long it lasts, as long as we don’t exit the cycle or go back to the previous stage of questioning the change.

4. Action

Behaviours have changed and there is a desire to keep going in this new direction by reinforcing it with new habits too.

When it comes to careers, you have now accepted a new role, perhaps changed industries, maybe relocated to join an exciting startup or become a freelancer. You feel energized by the new situation and empowered by the new opportunities.

5. Maintenance

After being in a new situation for about 6 months, the lure or desire to go back to previous conditions (aka a relapse) is still there.

Whether this means going back to your previous job or applying to similar positions that offer you more prestige and money, the temptation to go back to the default path will sneak in during the hardest days.

6. Termination

There is no desire to go back to the previous situation and there is certainty of no relapse.

Early signals that you are on the right path start to show up.

Not the right path for society or your peers. The right path for you.

These signals could be appreciation from a person you always looked up to, feedback from your clients/customers, excitement to work with your new team of talented people and so on.

Once these signals settle in your routine, the risk of a relapse into old habits disappears.

What to do

In most situations, there is no clear answer. No mentor, peer, spouse or parent can tell us what to do and even their advice might be well-intended but wrong.

The solution is to look for frameworks, instead of answers.

In short, if you are contemplating changing careers, you have 3 options:

Option 1

Stick with your current job, over-perform and work hard to get promoted.

If you want to know whether staying on your current path is the right choice, ask yourself: “Do I want my boss’s and their boss's job? Do I see myself thriving in their shoes?”

Option 2

Plan an escape towards something more meaningful to you.

This usually means giving up on tasks that you get assigned, underperforming and starting to lay down the pieces for your next act.

It’s a clear path to resign (or get fired).

Option 3

Doing the bare minimum forever.

This does not mean keeping the status quo by postponing the decision indefinitely. On the contrary, it means accepting the deal of doing “decent” work while getting paid and finding joy somewhere else.

For most people, this is family and social relationships, but it can also be a hobby, a passion project or giving back to your community.

At the end of the day, there is no right answer and I personally know people who are very happy, fulfilled and wealthy in any of these scenarios.

What NOT to do

Whatever path you choose, make sure to avoid the limbo of not deciding because this is when we feel frustrated and helpless.

If you are contemplating changing careers or you are already making it happen, we’d love to hear from you and be sparring partners in your journey - get in touch

This week's top scientific reads

The gene for good parenting (PLOS Genetics)
The Shallow Brain Hypothesis (Nature)
The most beautiful image mapping of the human heart (BHF UK)
8'000 steps a day reduce the risk of premature death (Journal of the American College of Cardiology)
Rats have dreams and a vivid imagination (Science)

Read my comments on these articles here.

Latest funding rounds in health & bio

Ready to turn this news into your next career opportunity? Here is how

Cambrium raised €8M for their biotech molecular platform that manufactures a new generation of products, starting with skincare 🇩🇪
Mybacs raised a €5.6M Series A to expand their product line of probiotics product and increase commercial efforts across Europe 🇩🇪
Octarine Bio closed $4.6M to further their synthetic biology platform that focuses on products from cell-factory engineering 🇩🇰
Tupu raised $3.2M for their urban mushroom farming offering, harvesting and packaging in a carbon-neutral way 🇩🇪
Memo Therapeutics closed a €26M Series C for their pipeline of assets targeting infections in kidney transplant recipients 🇨🇭
Heartbeat.bio raised €4.5M to develop their platform for cardiac drug discovery using automated stem cell production and analytics 🇦🇹
Onena Medicines raised 3.7M CHF to advance their modulating antibody portfolio with a first-in-class antibody against cancer 🇨🇭
SkyCell closed a $57M round to increase production of temperature-controlled containers for the delivery of pharmaceuticals 🇨🇭

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