Too Bad to Stay, Yet Too Good to Leave: Making Purposeful Career Pivots
- Dr. Laura Hambley Lovett
- Oct 5, 2022
- 6 min read
Updated: Feb 12
with Meghan Reid
Registered Psychologist, Co-Founder and Practice Lead of Canada Career Counselling
Interviewing a psychologist I truly admire, Meghan Reid, was a conversation that I hope helps many of you who feel stuck. Meghan co-founded Canada Career Counselling with me in 2016. She lives in Toronto, where she has grown a talented team of career psychologists and psychotherapists, making impacts on countless people’s lives as they navigate finding career fulfillment at all ages and stages of life.
More people than ever seem to be struggling with dysfunctional bosses and organizations, finding themselves amidst the “Great Resignation”, which I like to refer to as the “Great Re-Evaluation.” Throughout their lives, people grapple with questions like: “Who am I?” and “What do I really want to do next?” Yet many find themselves tied to financial obligations or “golden carrots,” leading them to stay in jobs that are unfulfilling at best, and recipes for burnout at worst.
In this blog, Meghan Reid and I explore why people stay in unfulfilling jobs and what you might consider if you’re thinking of leaving.
Related podcast episodes featuring Meghan Reid:
Season 3 Episode 41 and Episode 42
What is the biggest misconception about changing careers?
Meghan describes two of the most common misconceptions. The first is that people feel they have failed or wasted time if they’re making a career change. We think of this very differently: everything you’ve done in your life, including work experience and education, can be reflected on and used strategically to make a new or different decision for yourself. All of your experiences are useful information for making better decisions and being happier.
The second common misconception is that people automatically assume they have to go back to school and get another degree or diploma to change careers. This isn’t necessarily true: a lot of clients have the transferable skills and network necessary to support the transition they want to make without reschooling.
Another misconception is that "Everyone else has it figured out except me". In fact, many do not have this figured out.
What are the top reasons people get stuck in the wrong career or role and don’t make a change, despite suffering?
One common reason, according to Meghan Reid, is feeling trapped or stuck. Sometimes, because of “golden handcuffs”, such as future compensation or pension. People feel they can’t make the change without losing a lot of money.
Also, many people don’t know what career to change to or how to make an informed decision about this. They feel they might be unhappy again. They often can get stuck in their own heads, and may be receiving messages from family and friends that confuse them and lead to further feelings of being trapped. Indeed, messaging and judgment from others, and worry about what friends and family will think, is another common challenge.
Another misconception is that "Everyone else has it figured out except me". In fact, many do not have this figured out. They aren’t happy either, but haven’t taken the steps to figure out what would make them happy.
How have you noticed the Great Resignation impacting Canada Career Counselling’s clients?
Meghan Reid explains how she has definitely seen the Great Resignation at play. People are making moves and transitions in great numbers, whether changing jobs or starting their own businesses. Further, the impact Covid had on people experiencing working from home for the first time changed the game and expectations people had - both for what they wanted for themselves and for what they expected from employers.
The most common feelings Meghan sees in clients who need a career change are: stuck, unhappy, stressed, and/or unfulfilled.
What are the signs or symptoms people go through that indicate it’s definitely time to make a change?
The most common feelings Meghan sees in clients who need a career change are: stuck, unhappy, stressed, and/or unfulfilled. Meghan explains how ”When we start career counselling, we do a thorough exploration of a person. What they enjoy doing, their skills/strengths (what they’re good at), their values and personality (what motivates them and what they would find satisfying). We use the information as criteria to use in comparing jobs/careers. We often see huge misalignment between who they are and the job they’re in."
It’s time to consider a career transition when there’s misalignment between you and the job or career you're in. Sometimes it’s about changing jobs (i.e. your specific job isn’t a good fit but your career is) and other times it’s about changing careers.
For our listeners who are struggling but haven’t been able to make a change, what’s the first step you recommend?
To reach out for help from a career counsellor, psychologist, or mentor. Talk to someone, don’t keep it to yourself. Meghan recommends writing out a list of the reasons why you haven’t made a change. What are the challenges or roadblocks you are facing (e.g. I don’t know what type of career I would do)? Meghan explains how “When you write these things down, you realize it’s not as big of a roadblock as you thought. Work through each challenge one by one.” (i.e., How could I overcome this hurdle or roadblock? Career counselling? Job shadowing? Talking to my network?)
To learn more about career counselling visit Canada Career Counselling.
Other resources are:
CERIC: the Counselling and Education Research Institute of Canada. They compile articles and their e-newsletter is an easily digestible set of articles with current topics in the realm of career development.
O*Net Online: a good American website for career exploration
About Meghan Reid:
Meghan Reid is a Registered Psychologist and an entrepreneur. In 2016, she led the expansion of Canada Career Counselling into Ontario, and now oversees the Toronto practice. She is recognized for her expertise in career counselling; in addition to helping hundreds of clients work through their career-related challenges, Meghan has trained and supervised several practitioners. She is also a sought-after speaker, panelist, facilitator, and trainer, and often offers her expert opinion on career, workplace, and mental health matters to the media.
In her work with individuals, Meghan aims to support her clients in improving their self-awareness and self-efficacy in order to attain their career-related goals. She is experienced with clients at all stages of their career, from entry level to executive (16 to 65+), and believes everyone has the potential to experience career fulfillment. Her approach to counselling is integrative and draws on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Interpersonal Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, and Existential Therapy. She can be described as warm and empathetic, yet candid, realistic, and strategic.
Meghan is Registered with the College of Psychologists of Ontario. She holds a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology from McGill University and a Bachelor of Arts with an Honours Specialization in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario. She is also a Certified Associate with Emergenetics, a brain-based psychometric assessment tool used to enhance leadership and team effectiveness, communication, and alignment within organizations.
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Dr. Laura Hambley is a thought leader on Career and Workplace Psychology, passionate about career development. She founded Canada Career Counselling in 2009, however has specialized in career development since 1999 through her Master’s research and counselling in different settings, including outplacement and career transition firms in Alberta.
Dr. Laura learned early on that effective career planning enhances wellbeing, confidence, and clarity in one’s work and life. Combining the expertise of Psychology with Career Counselling is what she sought to do as she founded and evolved Canada Career Counselling from Calgary to Toronto, Victoria, and Halifax, providing Career Counselling and Career Coaching to thousands of clients over many years.
Dr. Laura enjoys her work as a Career Counsellor and Career Coach to professionals who are in mid- or senior stages of their career, helping them navigate complex career decisions and pivots. Her extensive experience as an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, enables her to understand and address the challenges faced by individuals, leaders, teams, and organizational cultures. Having consulted to a wide range of organizations since the late 1990s, and becoming a future of work thought leader, has enabled her to help individuals and organizations navigate the latest trends impacting today’s organizations.
Dr. Laura fulfilled her dream of having her own podcast in 2020, called Where Work Meets Life™, where she interviews experts globally on topics around career fulfillment and thriving humans and organizations. She is a sought-after keynote speaker for organizations, associations, conferences, and events.
In addition to her Master’s in Counselling Psychology (1999), Laura holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (2005) from the University of Calgary. She is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists, as well as a member of the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta and the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). She also contributes to teaching, supervision, and research as an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of Calgary.
For more resources, look into Dr. Laura’s organizations:
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