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Last updated: December 9, 2025
Key Takeaways
- Reflective Insight: Looking back on moments that genuinely sparked joy helps reveal career patterns and environments that naturally align with your personality and motivations.
- Happiness Mapping: Identifying activities that consistently make you happy can uncover unexpected career paths tied to your lifestyle preferences and innate
strengths . - Outside Perspective: Seeking input from trusted friends can highlight talents and passions you may overlook, offering new clarity about what energizes you most.
- Bold Exploration: Imagining your ideal life without limits encourages creativity and reveals career possibilities that might be achievable in practical, alternative forms.
- Purposeful Action: Testing interests through low-risk exploration and committing to a structured
plan increases your chances of breaking free from stagnation and moving toward meaningful work.
Discovering what you want to do for the rest of your career is something that many of us have thought about for at least some point or period in our lives. We tend to take whatever job we can get right out of
We stick around long enough to make sure our resume looks good, and a 6-month stint isn’t such a great reflection. And then we stay because the benefits are looming around the year mark. And then we stay because we envision a 2-year raise. But then we find ourselves in a job that we never really wanted and still don’t want, but we don’t even know what we want to do. And that in itself frustrates us! Been there? Are there? You’re not alone. But, guess what, there’s hope.
This book will take you through understanding the way you feel now as well as how to improve your current situation immediately so you can create enough space to work on breaking out and doing what you truly love.
1. Think Backwards
I know this might not sound like solid advice, but here’s what I mean. Start thinking back over all the things you’ve done in life. Is there anything that makes you stand out that you feel like or wish you could do over and over and over again? What really got you excited? When was the very happiest time in your life? What were you doing? What made that period different? Have you ever wished you could be someone in particular? Why? What do they/did they do?
If it was that it was filled with time spent with friends and social activities, you may need to start thinking less about the office job and more about the social world. Did you volunteer for some non-profit that got you all up and arms and ready to conquer the world? Maybe it’s not so much what you’re doing, but who you’re doing it for, that would make the difference in your attitude towards employment.
2. Compile a List of What Makes You Happy
So, kinda similar here, but more generic. I like being active, going hiking, baking muffins, writing notes, and playing hide and seek with my nieces and nephews. If you’re stumped, just remember the last time you really laughed or really felt awesome about life. It could be an answer like “the last time I had an amazing meal out.” Who cares, write it down. Maybe your future lies in restaurant reviews for all you know. Compile these
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3. Seek the Wise (or at least your “Semi-Wise” friends)
When you get stumped on #2 above, could you ask your friends? What do they notice that makes you really happy? They might be the ones to remind you that it’s when you’re playing soccer and softball that you’re seriously the happiest you ever are. Coaching anyone? Maybe they see the light in your eyes when you’re doodling on a napkin during brunch. Who knows!
4. Dream Big
Not sure what you can pull off, can’t pull off in the immediate future? It doesn’t matter. The sky is the limit when it comes to dreaming. If you had unlimited time, unlimited
Like parachuting from planes or surfing the Caribbean, maybe you can’t move to Bermuda and become a full-time surfer. But perhaps you can write about surfing or work as a marketer for an online surfboard company?
Whether you're applying to your very first job, are an established professional changing careers, or are a mature job candidate applying for the first time in years, this book will teach you how to communicate your achievements so you can get hired.
5. Dip Your Toes In
Finally, get involved in a bunch of things you think might interest you. I don’t suggest you quit your full-time job with benefits to see if you might like cooking in a bistro restaurant because you’ve always thought it sounded sexy and exciting. Volunteer some time and try it out. Take a class related to a passion of yours and see if you can picture yourself doing that for the next 25 years.
Taking a class is one of the best ways you can dip your toes into your dream career. As long as you choose a class from a trusted, respected institution like IMBC, you should be able to make the most of the experience. You will likely come out the other side with more knowledge and the necessary
6. Commit to a Plan
This is the most crucial step. It’s easy to talk and dream, and it’s even easier to tell yourself that you’re resigned to doing precisely what you are doing, have been doing, and that it’s what you’ll always be doing, even if you hate it. That, my friends, is lethal.
This is why you need a concrete, realistic plan. In 1 month, you’ll have a list of 5 things that you are going to dip your toes into. In 3 months, you’ll have tried out all 5, in 5 months, you’ll have researched potential jobs and figured out the best means to apply, etc. Whatever your plan, set time limits. That might not sound exciting, but the fact that your mind will have some hope will make a huge difference in you actually making a change.
The Dream Job Catcher™ method is based on hundreds of high-caliber clients in tech who have made successful strategic career moves. These moves have changed their career trajectory, reinvigorated their passion, and empowered them to realize their full potential.
Further Guidance & Tools
- Interest Profiler: Use the O*NET Interest Profiler to uncover work activities you enjoy and match them with potential career paths.
- Career Direction: Read MindTools’ career direction guide for structured exercises that help clarify what you really want from your work life.
- Career Change: Explore Indeed’s career change roadmap for practical advice on moving from an unfulfilling job into a better fit.
- Skill Building: Browse Coursera’s career development courses to test new interests and build
skills before committing to a complete transition. - Coaching Insight: Review Psychology Today’s overview of career coaching to understand how a
coach can support your next professional move.
Next Steps
- Write down specific moments when you felt most energized at work or in life and look for recurring themes that hint at meaningful directions.
- Create a short list of roles or industries that connect to those themes and research daily responsibilities, culture, and long-term growth potential.
- Experiment with low-risk experiences such as volunteering, side projects, or short courses to test whether a new career idea genuinely fits you.
- Ask a few trusted friends which activities they see you come alive in and compare their answers with your own reflections for added clarity.
- Transform your top ideas into a simple written
plan that outlines exploration steps, potential obstacles, and realistic ways to keep moving forward.
Working long hours, with no satisfaction? Want to start your own business, but not sure you can? Changing careers or setting up your own business isn't easy. Let experienced career coach Sarah O'Flaherty show you how others have made the transition.
Final Words
Feeling stuck in the wrong job does not mean your story is fixed. By reflecting honestly, experimenting with new experiences, and committing to small but intentional changes, you can move steadily toward work that fits you better. Stay curious, trust your evolving insights, and allow yourself to pursue a career that feels exciting rather than merely acceptable.
Mark Fiebert is a former finance executive who hired and managed dozens of professionals during his 30-plus-year career. He now shares expert job search, resume, and career advice on CareerAlley.com.
