How to avoid getting Stuck in Career Change Limbo in 2025

Stuck in Limbo...

Imagine going to bed on Sunday night and feeling excited to wake up and go to work.

Imagine having a job that encompassed everything that you love and nothing that you hate.

If only it were that simple eh…

We’ve all found ourselves fantasising about something better in the few seconds we have to think between patients.

For many healthcare professionals, the thought of leaving medicine feels both liberating and terrifying.

The exhaustion of your current role pulls you one way, while the sheer effort of changing careers pulls you another.

The result? A painful limbo where daydreams are your only solace.

If you’re in this space you might convince yourself that the solution is to spend as much time as possible thinking about the “perfect “alternative job – So you can transition effortlessly and know all your problems will be solved.

So you wait for two certainties to arise:

1. The “perfect” job that feels right.

2. A crystal-clear pathway to get there.

But here’s the truth, that perfect job doesn’t exist, and the pathway to career fulfilment is rarely smooth or linear.

All the research and job searching you’re doing becomes meaningless when it leads to months or even years of inaction.

And staying stuck comes with its own cost: burnout, dissatisfaction, and the gnawing regret of not trying.

How I Learned to Embrace Imperfection

I’ve been in that limbo. As a GP, I once found myself wrestling with the same questions. Medicine had provided me with stability, purpose, and professional identity - but it had also taken a toll. I felt drained, disillusioned, and ready for something new. But every time I considered a career change, I was paralysed by the “what-ifs.”

• What if I left medicine only to regret it?
• What if I couldn’t get a better job?
• What if I failed?

These fears kept me tied to a path that I knew was continuing to harm me.

And like so many others, I believed that clarity would come if I just waited long enough.

But I still didn’t know what to do. So I found myself diving into self-reflection and experimenting with some trial-and-error failures.

My breakthrough came when I realised that fulfilment wasn’t about finding one perfect solution. It was about being willing to explore multiple possibilities and take imperfect action.

Much like diagnosing and treating a complex medical condition, discovering your ideal career requires experimentation. Like I’d often advise my patients,

‘there isn’t a magic pill for this’, ‘its not one size fits all’.

I took my own advice and so can you. You have to try different approaches, analyse the results, and adjust your plan accordingly.

It’s not always neat, but it’s effective. And that’s exactly what I help others do now as a coach for healthcare professionals looking to pivot their careers.

Embracing the Imperfect Journey

If you’re waiting for the perfect moment or opportunity to leap into an alternative medical career, here’s the advice I wish I’d had: stop waiting.

Instead, take small, intentional steps forward. Here’s how:

1. Identify Your Many Possibilities

• Get the idea that there’s only ONE perfect career for you out of your head.
• Its likely that non-clinical healthcare roles will be at the top of your mind, however give yourself permission to explore completely unrelated fields as well.
• Remember before you started medicine you had the potential to choose anything else. No one held a gun to your head and said you have to do only medicine for the rest of your life nothing else. And if it feels that way then consider talking to a professional coach about it.
• Avoid judging things based purely on the experience of your medical career.
• Understand that growth happens a lot quicker when you’re passionate about something and have full control over your actions and the way you work.

2."Try On" Career Paths

Once you’ve identified some possibilities, it’s time to test them out. Think of this phase as trying on clothes: you’re not committing to anything, just seeing how it feels. This could involve:

• Shadowing someone in a role that interests you.

• Taking a short online course in a new field.

• Volunteering or freelancing in your spare time.

• Starting a small side project to explore your interests.

By dipping your toes in multiple paths, you can gain invaluable insights without the pressure of making a permanent decision. And you can do it whilst continuing your current job.

3. Reflect and Refine

After each experience, take time to reflect.

• What did you enjoy?
• What felt draining?
• What surprised you?

Use these reflections to refine your list of possibilities and guide your next steps. Remember, this isn’t about finding perfection; it’s about uncovering what feels meaningful and energising for you.

4. Take Small, Intentional Steps

You don’t need to quit your job tomorrow or make a massive leap overnight.

Instead, focus on small, manageable actions that move you closer to clarity. This could mean dedicating one hour a week to researching careers, updating your CV, or networking with people in fields you’re curious about. Over time, these small steps add up to big changes.

Here's a helpful visual inspired by the video game series Assassins Creed:

• Imagine everything that you know about alternative careers forms a small area map around you.
• On this limited map you can only see a few points of interest related to things you’ve previously interacted with.
• Each small manageable action you take climbs you higher up a tall view point tower.
• As you get higher you’re able to see progressively more of the area around you.
• Eventually you reach a point where you can clearly see all of the points of interest within the area clearly.

Now you can decide:

- Do you like what you see enough to continue and commit fully?

or

- Do you head over to climb the next view point that you can see in the distance to unlock a different area of the world?

Conclusion: Your Path to Fulfilment Starts with Action

Waiting for the perfect job or the perfect moment might feel safe, but it’s actually what’s keeping you stuck.

The truth is, fulfilment doesn’t come from discovering a flawless path that you just jump straight onto. It comes from embracing the messy, imperfect journey of exploration.

Every step you take, even the missteps, brings you closer to clarity and confidence.

If you’re a healthcare professional yearning for a career change, remember this: the answers you’re seeking won’t come from sitting still. They’ll come from action, reflection, and the courage to try something new.

Stay Healthy

Lewis

P.S

Ready to break free from the limbo of indecision? Join me in The Empowerment Clinic, my virtual coaching room designed to help healthcare professionals navigate the uncertainty of career change. Together, we’ll:

• Uncover your unique career possibilities.

• Experiment with alternative paths through low-risk projects.

• Build the clarity and confidence you need to make decisions you’ll love.

The right time to start? That’s today whilst my ‘New Year Supercharge You’ offer is running. Register your interest before the 7th Jan here to get an extra 2 FREE coaching sessions as part your Empowerment Clinic programme.