F17: Careers Can Be Worth Changing
Feeling trapped in a career that doesn’t fulfill you? You’re not alone—and you’re not stuck. In this episode, we explore why the pressure to “figure it out” early in life is outdated and how changing careers is easier than ever. From famous success stories like Jonah Peretti (BuzzFeed) and Sara Blakely (Spanx) to everyday people making bold moves, we break down the psychology behind career shifts and why staying in the wrong job is often the bigger risk. Whether you’re dreading Mondays or just curious about new possibilities, this episode will inspire you to rethink your path, embrace change, and take a chance on doing what truly makes you happy.
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F17: CAREERS CAN BE WORTH CHANGING
MY KIDS ARE 9 AND 12, AND IT SEEMS LIKE A WEEK DOESN’T GO BY WITHOUT ONE OF THEM BEING ASKED WHAT THEY WANT TO BE WHEN THEY GROW UP. IT SEEMS LIKE A GO-TO QUESTION WHEN ADULTS DON’T KNOW WHAT TO TALK TO KIDS ABOUT.
CHILDREN DO THEIR BEST TO ANSWER THE QUESTION, OR SOMETIMES THEY JUST SHRUG…WHICH HONESTLY IS PROBABLY THE BEST ANSWER. I THINK WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING THOUGH IS KIDS START TO FEEL PRESSURE TO FIGURE THIS QUESTION OUT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.
THE IRONY IS, MOST OF THE ADULTS ASKING THE QUESTION AREN’T SURE WHAT CAREER THEY REALLY WANT EITHER.
THIS EPISODE IS ABOUT THE PRESSURE TO PUT OUR HEADS DOWN AND GRIND OUT A CAREER. WHILE IT MAY HAVE MADE SENSE IN THE 1960S, WE LIVE IN A WORLD NOW WHERE CHANGE IS A CONSTANT….AND BAD CAREER FITS DON’T NEED TO BE LIFELONG COMMITMENTS. IN FACT, SOME OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE ARE THE ONES WHO HAD THE COURAGE TO PUT THEIR FOOT DOWN AND FIND HAPPINESS SOMEWHERE ELSE.
EPISODE
THERE’S A QUOTE I’VE HUNG ONTO, NOT SURE WHO SAID IT, BUT IT GOES:
“EVERYONE IS A GENIUS. BUT IF YOU JUDGE A FISH BY THE ITS ABILITY TO CLIMB A TREE, IT WILL LIVE ITS WHOLE LIFE BELIEVING IT IS STUPID.”
IT’S A RIDICULOUS, ALMOST SEUSSIAN QUOTE - BUT PART OF ME THINKS IT’S PROFOUND – BECAUSE IT’S DEAD ON - SO MANY ADULTS DON’T REALIZE HOW NATURALLY GIFTED THEY ARE BECAUSE THEY’RE DOING THE WRONG THINGS.
AND…ONCE THEY’VE MADE THE MISTAKE OF COMMITTING TO THE WRONG THING, THE PSYCHOLOGY OF CHANGING CAREERS IS DIFFICULT TO OVERCOME.
IF YOU’VE EVER HEARD OF THE “ESCALATION OF COMMITMENT” OTHERWISE KNOWN AS “COMMITMENT BIAS” - IT’S OUR NATURAL ABILITY TO STICK WITH A PREVIOUS DECISION, EVEN IF IT WAS WRONG, BECAUSE WE JUST DON’T WANT TO BELIEVE OUR ORIGINAL DECISION WAS A BAD ONE.
OVER TIME, THIS ESCALATION OF COMMITMENT” LEADS US TO THE SUNK-COST FALLACY…. ANOTHER PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTOR HELPING DIG US DEEPER INTO A HOLE – IT’S BASICALLY FEELING LIKE WE’RE TOO FAR IN TO CHANGE…. WE’VE ALREADY PUT SO MUCH INTO DOING THE WRONG THING, HOW COULD WE POSSIBLY AFFORD TO ABANDON IT NOW?
WELL, THESE BIASES ARE DEAD WRONG FOR US.
THE GREAT NEWS IS, CHANGE IS EASIER THAN WE THINK. WE HAVE YOUTUBE AT OUR FINGERTIPS, WE CAN TAKE ONLINE COURSES IN A ROBE AND SLIPPERS, AND WE CAN GET GOVERNMENT-BACKED LOANS TO COVER THE COSTS OF MAKING CHANGES, IN A MATTER OF DAYS.
IT’S TRUE.
HERE ARE SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE SUCCEEDED AT IDENTIFYING WHAT WAS BOTHERING THEM, BELIEVING IN THEMSELVES, AND ALIGNING WITH WHAT MADE THEM HAPPY:
KATHRYN BIGELOW, WAS WELL INTO HER 30S WORKING IN REAL ESTATE BEFORE SHE ABRUPTLY STOPPED AND TURNED TO SOMETHING THAT FULFILLED HER. SHE STUDIED THE ART OF FILMMAKING AND HAS SINCE DIRECTED MOVIES LIKE POINT BREAK, THE HURT LOCKER, AND ZERO DARK THIRTY.
HARLAND SANDERS WAS A RAILROAD WORKER AND THEN BECAME A LAWYER. IT WASN’T UNTIL HE TURNED 62 THAT HE PURSUED WHAT HE REALLY WANTED TO DO AND FINE-TUNED HIS FRIED CHICKEN RECIPE, WHICH LED TO THE RESTAURANT, KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN.
JONAH PERETTI WAS A BORED MIDDLE SCHOOL COMPUTER SCIENCE TEACHER IN HIS 30S, TEACHING KIDS HOW TO USE MICROSOFT OFFICE, BEFORE HE GOT FED UP, CHANGED CAREERS, AND ENDED UP PUBLISHING BUZZFEED AND THE HUFFINGTON POST.
SARA BLAKELY WAS SELLING OFFICE PRODUCTS DOOR-TO-DOOR UNTIL SHE WAS 30, AT WHICH POINT SHE DECIDED TO PUSH HER SLIMMING, FOOTLESS PANTYHOSE IDEA INTO RETAIL STORES – WHICH LATER BECAME SPANX.
AND, DONALD FISHER WAS A CABINETMAKER IN SAN FRANCISCO WHO THEN GOT INTO RENOVATING HOTELS. ONE OF THE RENOVATIONS HAD A LEVI’S STORE ON THE FIRST FLOOR. HE LOOKED AT ALL THE JEANS ON THE WALL AND IT MADE HIM REALIZE THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY IN GIVING PEOPLE EVERY SIZE OF CLOTHING AVAILABLE, AND LETTING THEM PICK IT OUT AND BRING IT TO THE REGISTER. HE AND HIS WIFE WERE IN THEIR FORTIES WHEN THEY STOPPED EVERYTHING AND OPENED A RETAIL STORE CALLED THE GAP.
THESE ARE JUST A FEW SUCCESS STORIES OF PEOPLE WHO DID SOMETHING ENTREPRENEURIAL. THERE ARE MILLIONS OF STORIES EQUALLY INSPIRING OF EVERYDAY PEOPLE SHIFTING TO SOMETHING NEW ALTOGETHER OR MAKING A LATERAL MOVE THAT WORKED.
IF YOU’RE SOMEONE WHO ENJOYS WHAT YOU DO THEN YOU’RE IN GOOD SHAPE. YOU’VE PROBABLY FOUND SOMETHING THAT ALIGNS WITH YOUR APTITUDE AND INTEREST. BUT IF YOU’RE FLAILING – IF YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE TREADING WATER ALL WEEK AT WORK, AND SUNDAY NIGHTS ARE LIKE A QUICKSAND PULLING YOU INTO ANOTHER WORKWEEK – THEN THERE’S GOOD NEWS:
2025 IS THE BEST YEAR IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD TO START A NEW CAREER. A LITTLE PLANNING AND SOME HARD WORK IS ALL IT TAKES TO TAKE A SLIGHT STEP BACK BEFORE A LARGE LEAP FORWARD IN A CAREER THAT ALIGNS BETTER WITH WHAT MAKES YOU TICK.
IN 2014, THE ACTOR JIM CARREY WAS ASKED TO DO A COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS AT MAHARISHI UNIVERSITY OF MANAGEMENT IN IOWA.
YOU MAY HAVE SEEN CLIPS OF THIS ONLINE. IN HIS SPEECH HE FOCUSES ON GUIDING STUDENTS TO DO WHAT THEY TRULY CONNECT WITH – THAT THING THEY LOVE BUT FEEL UNCERTAIN ABOUT TAKING THE RISK TO GO AFTER.
HE TELLS A STORY ABOUT HIS FATHER, PERCY, WHO ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A COMEDIAN, BUT HE TOOK THE SAFER, MORE RESPONSIBLE ROUTE AND INSTEAD BECAME AN ACCOUNTANT. HE DIDN’T LIKE HIS JOB, AND IT WAS CLEAR HE WASN’T HAPPY, BUT HE DID HIS BEST TO GRIND IT OUT FOR AS LONG AS HE COULD FOR THE FAMILY.
THEN ONE DAY, WHEN JIM WAS STILL PRETTY YOUNG, HIS FATHER WAS FIRED FROM HIS JOB. IT LEFT THE FAMILY STUNNED AND LISTLESS, JUST SCRAPING BY, SCRAMBLING TO DO WHATEVER THEY COULD DO TO MAKE THINGS WORK.
HE SAID WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS FATHER TAUGHT HIM THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON IN HIS LIFE, THAT….
“YOU CAN FAIL AT WHAT YOU DON’T WANT, SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL TAKE A CHANCE AT DOING WHAT YOU LOVE…”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharishi_International_University
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyjdMK9BudM