Why Your Next Career Shouldn't Look Like Your Last One

While I was a journalist, I considered other work in other places. And it was natural to look at journalism-adjacent professions.

Corporate communications. Content strategy. Media consulting.

Same skills, different business card.

And maybe you're doing it in your field, too.

Searching for roles that feel familiar. That use your existing expertise. That make sense to everyone who asks, "So what do you do now?"

Here's what I want you to know:

The career you're building now doesn't have to resemble the one you left.

In fact, maybe it shouldn't.

What this means for you is freedom—freedom to design work around your life, not the other way around. The freedom to break the patterns that no longer serve you.

For me, when I stopped trying to be "Richard the journalist in a different setting," so much started to shift.

My coaching practice looks nothing like a newsroom.

No daily deadlines. No breaking news. No bylines.

It's been replaced with deep conversations. Long-term client relationships. The space to watch transformation unfold over months, not minutes.

Think about this:

You've been trying to fit yourself into familiar shapes. Looking for the perfect hybrid that honors your past while promising a different future.

But what if that's exactly what's keeping you stuck?

The Permission You've Been Waiting For

Your first career trained you for a specific game with specific rules.

• Maybe it demanded constant availability

• Rewarded competition over collaboration

• Valued speed over depth

• Measured success by external metrics

You mastered those rules. They served you well.

Until they didn't.

Here's what I've noticed: we often try to escape what burned us out while unconsciously recreating those same structures. It's like leaving a toxic relationship only to date someone eerily similar.

The skills you built are yours forever. Critical thinking. Problem-solving. Communication.

The container, however, can be completely different.

Your days don't need deadlines if deadlines drained you. Your work doesn't need prestige if prestige came with pressure. Your title doesn't need to impress if impressing meant exhaustion.

Questions That Change Everything

What if you asked yourself some different questions?

Instead of, "How can I use what I did before?" try "What do I want my Tuesday mornings to feel like?"

Instead of, "What's the logical next step?" try "What kind of problems light me up now?"

These questions do something powerful: they help you shift from obligation to possibility. They move you from asking permission to granting it to yourself.

Consider the difference between "What jobs match my experience?" and "What would I create if my résumé didn't exist?"

One keeps you stuck. The other sets you free.

Think about the radical career transformations happening everywhere. Investigative reporters becoming landscape designers. Financial journalists opening yoga studios. These aren't just pivots—they're complete reinventions.

What makes them possible? They stopped asking "What's the logical next step?" and started asking "What would make me excited about Tuesday mornings?"

You can build something unrecognizable from your first act and be more fulfilled than ever—because you're finally aligned with who you've become, not who you used to be.

Yes, It's Scary. And, You Can Do It

Maybe you're thinking this sounds risky and impractical. And of course, What will people say?

I get it. And I had those same fears, too.

Here's the thing about fear—it can show up the strongest right before transformation. It's like your internal security system going haywire because you're about to leave familiar territory.

When I left journalism, the fear felt physical. My chest would tighten when people asked about my plans. I'd rehearse explanations that would make sense to others, trying to justify why someone would leave a "perfectly good career."

But you know what scared me more? The thought of spending another decade feeling like I was living someone else's life. The risk of staying put started to feel heavier than the risk of leaping.

That fear you're feeling? It's not a stop sign. It's confirmation that you're considering something that matters. Something real.

But staying stuck in "adjacent" roles that don't feed your soul? That's the greater risk.

Stop asking your future to get your past's permission.

You can start designing work that works for you—work that fits who you've become, not who you used to be.

I know it's scary. But here's what I've learned: Trust the process. More importantly, trust yourself.

Your transformation starts the moment you stop trying to be the old you in new clothes.

The career you're meant to build might surprise you.

And that surprise? That's where the magic happens.

What surprised you most about your own career transformation—or the one you're contemplating? What "logical next step" are you ready to let go of for something that actually lights you up? Share in the comments below. Your insight might be exactly what another reader needs to hear today.

I’m Richard Taliaferro. I’m a certified career coach specializing in helping mid-stage professionals gain clarity on their career journey. I’ve written a guide on how to escape the work hamster wheel. Click here to download yours.