career change – Feeling unfulfilled at work doesn’t always require a total career overhaul. Experts suggest looking for physical symptoms, energy drains, and micro-joys to determine if you need a change of scenery or just a change of approach.
The milestones you once chased have been met, yet the view from the top feels wrong. What was meant to be a dream role has curdled into a source of persistent, gnawing unhappiness. For many. the instinct is to quit—to rip the bandage off and start over—but in an economy where stable work is a scarce commodity. the impulse to leave can be as risky as staying.
Alexander Poulsen. a 32-year-old Denmark-based photographer and ambassador for the software firm Luminar. learned the hard way that the body keeps score long before the mind admits defeat. After a rapid climb through the ranks of a security systems company, Poulsen developed inexplicable stomach pains. Medical tests came back clean, but during a three-week vacation, he was gripped by anxiety attacks and thoughts of self-harm. It was only after being let go that he found relief in photography. Even then. he tried to return to sales three times. each attempt resulting in an immediate physical rejection of the work. He quit one new role just two hours after starting. Working with a psychologist, he realized those symptoms were the physical manifestation of his internal stress.
Discerning whether you have outgrown a career or simply need to adjust your environment requires a ruthless inventory of your daily energy. Vanessa Cornell. a former Goldman Sachs executive who later worked in hotel development. spent years “meeting everyone’s expectations” before burning out. It wasn’t until she transitioned away from that corporate track—following the births of five children in six years—that she realized the difference between draining labor and sustainable passion. Today, she runs two projects: the career and midlife community *Voicenotes From a Friend* and *Vanessa’s Stitch Club*. Though she puts in long hours, the work doesn’t deplete her because it is rooted in genuine curiosity.
This distinction is the difference between surviving a job and thriving in a life. “That energy is something that’s going to drive your productivity, your success and ultimately, your happiness,” Cornell says. She argues that joy should not be a reward for suffering, but a guidepost. She encourages professionals to actively search for “micro-joys”—a particular colleague. a specific task. a small victory—to see if the current situation can be salvaged. If you find yourself constantly feeling like you are “abandoning” yourself. that is the signal that the role is truly toxic.
Practical realities often dictate the pace of these realizations. When Cornell reflects on her transition, she emphasizes the need for a safety net. “You need to be able to take a leap from a place where you can provide for yourself,” she says. For Poulsen. that support came through Denmark’s sickness benefits. which allowed him the breathing room to recover his health before building a new life. Without such a buffer, the rush to abandon a career can lead to a precarious, frightening limbo. The solution. according to Cornell. is to do the internal work of identifying your true preferences and needs before you burn your current bridges. Clarity provides the stamina to either fix where you are or prepare for the departure that finally makes sense.
career change burnout job satisfaction Vanessa Cornell Alexander Poulsen career advice professional development