Am I confident that I am in the 'right' job? How do I know?
According to YouGov, only 17% of us really love our careers. The majority continue in a job out of a necessity to earn income. But how do you get the best of both worlds and earn money whilst doing something you absolutely love?

6 questions to ask yourself
Q1. On a scale of 1 to 10 how confident are you that you are in the “right” job?
- If you are scoring 5 or less, then it is likely some action is needed.
- If you are scoring 6 to 9, then some tweaking might improve your situation.
- If you have scored 10 then be thankful that you are in that minority of 17% who love their work.
Q2. What is “right” for me right now?
We go through different phases of our lives and our needs change with each different phase so a perfect job for us in our 20s does not necessarily feel as perfect when we hit later decades. So what is important to you now? Travelling abroad was great in your 20s but now you have kids, it’s a logistical nightmare when you go away. Make a list of what you need your job to provide – be really honest about what you need from your job - here are some considerations, to get you started:
- Money – how much do you need? Note: this is not the same as how much you want.
- Location – is your office a commute away or do you work from home? Do you value the segregation of home and work or enjoy the freedom to attend to domestic chores whilst at work?
- Travel – do you love the experience of travelling with your work or prefer the consistency of having one location?
- Team – do you like to be working alongside others or prefer working on your own?
- Noise levels – do you work best in a quiet or noisy environment?
- Flexibility – do you want or need flexibility in your hours or location?
Over Christmas I spoke to someone who was just into her 30s, her friends were all getting married and having children and she was feeling the pressure to be doing similar. She divulged that she absolutely loved her job but as it involved lots of travel she had no partner so no plans to settle down. She asked me what she “should” be doing.
Whenever I hear the word “should” it suggests an external benchmark is at play. Societal benchmarks about what we are supposed to be doing at certain times exist whether we like them or not - we do not however need to follow the crowd. We just need to be comfortable with our own choices and the impact these may have on our lives now and in the future.
Q3. What do I dislike about my current role?
List out all of the issues or problems with your job role – for each issue ask yourself if you solved this issue how much would that change your scores from Q1. Is there one element that creates a big positive shift in your scores, if it was resolved? If so, concentrate here. How can you improve this situation? There will probably be several different ways you could improve things – think creatively if appropriate, ask friends, family or colleagues for their input.
Q4. What would be a better choice for me?
Instinctively, we think about doing something we enjoy but this is worthy of some deeper consideration. I spoke to someone recently who was an accomplished artist – she loved art and would do it in her spare time as a hobby. She decided to take on a role which was art-based so she could work doing what she loved. Her job however required her to produce artwork at speed for her clients. This had many negative impacts for her – she was no longer enjoying the creative process as it was too pressured, to meet the deadlines she was working late and at weekends to produce art she was happy with and she no longer did art in her spare time. The reality of translating your hobbies into work does not work for everyone.
Q5. How do I know if there is something better out there for me?
I often come across clients experiencing FOMO (fear of missing out) – there is a sense that maybe they are not fulfilling their potential. Rather than looking externally for options, looking internally and understanding what will fulfil you is key.
There are two ways to test how much your job role fulfils you (whether your current or desired role).
- Does your role align with your value set? Any misalignment here means you are unlikely to ever feel fulfilled in this role unless there is a change in the company culture.
- In what ways does your role motivate you? Recognising the specific element of a role that motivates or demotivates you can be critical.
Most roles have aspects we don’t enjoy so it is important to be realistic about what we are aiming for. What aspects of your desired role do you think you will dislike? I met someone who was desperate to become a vet but after some work experience to trial this desire, the reality was a prevalence of pet euthanasia which completely put her off.
Q6. How do I test if something else will work?
Many believe that staying put is the sensible choice – a better-the-devil-you-know approach. However, there are ways to trial other options to test if the grass really is greener without exiting your current job.
So ask yourself, how can you test aspects of your desired job within your current role?
I know of clients who have used projects, secondments, charity fundraisers, ERGs, or training courses to expand their skillsets whilst at work and trial being a coach, chair, or fundraiser in preparation for a change in career. Who could you talk to about this and what could you instigate at work?
Other clients trial their desired role by volunteering or working at their new career in the evenings or at weekends, some have even taken a sabbatical or a working holiday and other clients have set up their own businesses alongside their work. These all work to test the reality of a new career. We may crave the peace of working alone but when we get it, we miss the team camaraderie.
So if you aren’t confident in your choice of career – getting yourself a coach could be a great next step.
