Navigating Career Crossroads as a Young Professional

"I thought I'd have it all figured out by now."

This confession came from Amy, a 27-year-old finance professional sitting across from me during a coaching session. Despite rapid career advancement, a comfortable salary and outward success, Amy felt lost—uncertain whether this carefully constructed career path was actually leading anywhere meaningful.

If this resonates with you, you're not alone. As someone who took a winding path from London sports fields to founding Kinetic People Development, I understand the confusion, self-doubt and pressure that come with early career decisions.

Growing up, I had a simple vision: become a professional footballer like my hero John Barnes. When that dream didn't materialise, I initially felt lost—as if I'd failed before my career even began.

We're sold this narrative that successful people follow a straight line to their destiny. The reality? Most meaningful careers look more like a winding river than a motorway.

When I work with young professionals, the first myth I help them dismantle is the belief that successful people always knew exactly where they were headed. Even the most accomplished leaders I coach have stories of false starts, unexpected detours and complete reinventions.

During university in Brighton, I approached each new course with curiosity rather than certainty. This experimental mindset - trying things to see what resonated rather than expecting immediate clarity - served me far better than rigid planning.

Young professionals thrive when they approach their careers as a series of experiments:

• Each role is a chance to gather data about yourself

• "Failures" are simply valuable information

• Success comes from iteration, not perfection

• Career clarity emerges from experience, not contemplation

Try this approach: Rather than asking "What should I do with my life?" (an impossibly big question), ask "What's the next experiment I want to run in my career?"

In my previous corporate roles, I observed that professionals tend to optimise for different forms of value. Understanding which currencies matter most to you can transform your decision-making:

1. Mastery Currency

Some derive satisfaction primarily from becoming exceptionally good at their craft. These professionals:

• Measure success by skill development

• Seek roles that offer continuous learning

• Value expert mentorship

• Are motivated by overcoming technical challenges

2. Impact Currency

Others prioritise creating meaningful change in the world. These professionals:

• Measure success by influence and outcomes

• Seek roles with clear purpose

• Value seeing the tangible results of their work

• Are motivated by solving significant problems

3. Autonomy Currency

A third group prizes freedom and self-determination above all. These professionals:

• Measure success by control over their time and decisions

• Seek roles with flexibility and independence

• Value environments that trust their judgment

• Are motivated by creating their own structures

Understanding your primary and secondary currencies doesn't just clarify career choices—it explains why seemingly "perfect" opportunities sometimes feel wrong and why unconventional paths sometimes feel right.

When I founded Kinetic, I drew on skills and relationships built over years—what I now call "career capital." Young professionals often underestimate how today's experiences, even in imperfect roles, build assets for future opportunities.

Career capital comes in many forms:

• Technical skills that transfer across industries

• Relationship networks that open unexpected doors

• Reputation for reliability that creates trust

• Problem-solving approaches that apply in multiple contexts

The question isn't whether your current role is perfect—it's whether it's building valuable capital for your future self.

Major career changes are dramatic but rare. More common are micro-pivots—small adjustments that gradually redirect your trajectory:

• Volunteering for new responsibilities in your current role

• Creating side projects that explore different skills

• Building relationships in adjacent fields

• Taking courses in areas of emerging interest

I made numerous micro-pivots during my journey, each one revealing new possibilities without requiring drastic leaps into the unknown.

The hardest question young professionals face is knowing when to persist through challenges versus when to make a change. Through coaching hundreds of career transitions, I've developed these reflection questions:

Signs to consider staying:

• Are you still building valuable career capital?

• Is your frustration tied to temporary circumstances?

• Would mastering your current challenges create valuable growth?

• Is your dissatisfaction more about execution than direction?

Signs to consider moving on:

• Do you feel your values misaligning with your environment?

• Have you stopped learning relevant skills?

• Are you avoiding talking about your work with friends and family?

• Does even the best-case future in this path feel uninspiring?

Looking back, I can trace my professional development through influential mentors at each stage—from sports coaches who taught me discipline to leaders who showed me what professional excellence looks like.

Young professionals accelerate their growth when they:

• Seek mentors at different career stages, not just senior leaders

• Build relationships before they need specific help

• Approach mentorship with curiosity rather than demands

• Offer value rather than just seeking it

  
  

If there's one message I wish every young professional would embrace, it's this: Your career is not a problem to be solved but a journey to be experienced.

The pressure to have everything figured out in your 20s or early 30s is both unrealistic and unnecessary. The professionals I coach in their 40s, 50s, and 60s are still evolving, still discovering new aspects of their potential, still reimagining what their contribution might be.

Give yourself permission to explore, to experiment, to follow curiosity rather than certainty. Trust that meaningful patterns will emerge over time, revealing a path that might not have been visible from the starting line.

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Kingsley Johnson is the founder of Kinetic People Development, helping professionals achieve their highest potential while occasionally reminding them it's okay to not have all the answers!