How To Change Career When You Don't Know What To Do Next

You’re ready for a change. But into what, exactly?

You know this isn’t it. You feel it in your body, your energy, your lack of enthusiasm on Sunday evenings.

But what do you want instead? That part feels harder to access.

Perhaps you’ve tried making a list. Or spoken to friends. Or searched job boards hoping that something will just “click.”

Instead, you’ve found yourself going in circles. Overthinking, waiting for certainty before taking the first step.

You are not alone. This is your practical guide to take your career change out of analysis paralysis if you haven’t figured out what you want to do next. 

1. Forget the myth of the ‘one true path’ on how to change career

One of the most common reasons people stay stuck is the belief that there’s a single ideal next move, and that they have to get it right on the first try. 

It is understandable. Many people tell me, “I’m not 20 anymore. If I’m going to start over, I need to get it right”. 

That’s a lot of pressure to place on a decision. 

While it’s true that something powerful can happen at the intersection of what you love, what you’re good at, and what the world needs (your ikigai), the reality is that there are usually several viable paths for each person. 

Psychologist Hazel Markus developed the theory of possible selves - the idea that each of us carries within us a set of imagined identities: the selves we hope to become, believe we should become, or fear we might become in the future. 

When we think about career change, we often focus on trying to “find the right one.” But that can be limiting because these possible selves aren’t things to be discovered through pure introspection. They’re invitations to explore.

Instead of trying to get it right, try getting it moving.

You likely have several working identities inside you: paths that are worth exploring, not just dreaming about. Careers aren’t fixed roles. They’re evolving expressions of who you are, what you care about, and how you want to contribute over time.

You won’t find clarity by thinking alone. You’ll find it by allowing yourself to test the different versions of who you could become.

2. Don’t pick — prototype on how to change career

We often wait until we feel “sure” before taking action. But clarity doesn’t precede action - it emerges from it.

Reflection is valuable, but at some point it becomes a defence mechanism. It protects you from the vulnerability of trying something before you’re fully ready.

Prototyping means designing low-stakes, real-world experiments to test whether a path might fit. It’s about gathering insight through lived experience, not just thought.

“To know and not to do is not yet to know.” — Zen proverb

This requires an Explorer mindset: one rooted in curiosity, openness, and learning through doing. Explorers don’t need perfect information. They ask, What do I need to know in order to take the next small step?

Ask yourself: What hypothesis am I testing about this possible self? Then design a small experiment to help you answer that question. 

3. Give yourself a compass on how to change career

Before you leap into action, it’s helpful to build a compass, a way to evaluate your prototypes and experiments as you go. This isn’t about finding your “perfect self.” It’s about understanding what you want to optimise for, and how you’ll recognise progress.

It’s about clarity, not certainty. 

Your compasses could be: 

• The problems you enjoy solving

• The values you no longer want to compromise on

• The lifestyle you want to build around your work

This is your reference point. Not a rigid destination, but a direction to return to and readjust as you continue exploring different options. 

4. Don’t do it alone on how to change career

Many people wait to talk about their career change until they have it all figured out, until the plan is clear, the story is polished, and the new direction feels certain.

But waiting for certainty can mean missing the very conversations that help create it.

Your next step might emerge through a comment, an idea, or a connection you didn’t expect. The more you talk about your exploration (even in an early, messy phase) the more feedback, encouragement, and insight you can receive.

There are different kinds of support to look for:

• Inspiration: People who have gone through a career change and can show you what’s possible

• Possibility: People in roles or fields that spark your curiosity

• Guidance: Coaches or mentors who can help you process, plan, and take action

• Emotional support: Friends or loved ones who can hold space for your highs and lows.

Career change can absolutely be done alone. So can climbing Kilimangiaro, but most people choose to do it with others. 

5. Look for people, not just jobs on how to change career

When people start thinking about career change, the instinct is often to open a job board and refresh.

But job boards can’t tell you what a role feels like. Only people can. 

If you want to understand whether a career path might work for you, start by asking: “Who’s doing something I’m curious about?”

Reach out to people in roles that inspire you. Ask for a short call. Ask about their path, their day-to-day, what they love and what’s hard. These conversations will teach you more than a job spec ever could. 

Job boards are useful, eventually. But don’t start there. Start with people.

6. Let it be messy on how to change career

Most career change journeys don’t unfold in straight lines. They involve uncertainty, trial and error, and often a period in-between — when your old identity no longer fits, but the new one hasn’t fully formed yet.

This “messy middle” can be disorienting. But it’s also where real transformation happens.

There might be moments of doubt. Insecurities. Feelings of being behind. That’s not a sign that something’s wrong:  it’s a sign that you’re moving through change.

Give yourself permission: 

• To not have all the answers.

• To try something and not like it.

• To feel both excited and afraid at the same time.

And don’t forget: you don’t have to do this alone. Let your support network hold you when things feel uncertain. Ask for help. Let people walk with you. Your future self will thank you.

You can’t get it wrong on how to change career

If you don’t have a perfect plan right now, you’re in the same position many career changers are before they start. You don’t need a map, you need a compass and a desire to explore. 

And here’s the most important thing: you can’t get it wrong.

Even if an experiment doesn’t work, it will teach you something. 

Even if a conversation doesn’t land a job, it might open a door you hadn’t seen. 

Even if a path turns out to be a detour, it still moves you forward. 

Every action, even the imperfect ones, brings you closer to clarity.

So start small. Start honest. Start now.

And if you’d like support turning that restlessness into grounded, thoughtful change — I’d love to help.