What NOT to Do During a Career Pivot
Five common mistakes that keep high-achieving professionals stuck—and how to avoid them
When you’re in the middle of a career pivot, it’s tempting to believe that the smartest move is to wait. Wait until you know exactly what you want. Wait until the path is clear. Wait until the risk feels smaller. But in reality, this mindset is the very thing that keeps most people stuck.
After years of coaching professionals across industries—from education to tech, healthcare to social impact—the same patterns show up. People don’t fail to pivot because they’re incapable. They fail because they follow the wrong playbook.
If you’re in a transition and want to build something that feels aligned, here are five mistakes to avoid—and the shifts that make all the difference.
1. Waiting for clarity before taking action
Many people delay making a move until they feel completely certain about their next step. But clarity doesn’t come from thinking. It comes from doing.
You don’t need a five-year plan. You need a starting point. A conversation, a project, a role that feels directionally correct—even if it’s not final. Most career pivots aren’t straight lines. They’re iterative. You try something, learn something, adjust. Waiting until you “know for sure” often leads to more paralysis, not less.
Try this instead: Take one small, risk-free step in the direction of your curiosity. Reach out to someone in a role that interests you. Try a freelance project or volunteer opportunity. Movement creates clarity—not the other way around.
2. Believing you have to start over
One of the biggest misconceptions about career change is that it requires scrapping everything you’ve built. That’s rarely true. Most people already have transferable skills—they just haven’t been trained to reframe them.
The key isn’t reinvention. It’s repositioning. You’re not discarding your experience; you’re redirecting it toward a new outcome.
Try this instead: Audit your current skill set. What do you do well, and where else is that skill valuable? Strong communicators, for example, can pivot from teaching to consulting, from marketing to policy. The path is wider than you think.
3. Trying to figure it out alone
Isolation is one of the fastest ways to derail a pivot. When you keep your process private, you miss out on feedback, ideas, connections, and support. It’s easy to stay in your head, spinning the same questions without forward motion.
Success in transition often comes down to who you’re talking to—and how often you’re willing to ask for help.
Try this instead: Talk to people who’ve made unconventional moves. Ask smart questions. Share your thinking out loud. You don’t need a mentor with all the answers; you need thought partners who can reflect your strengths and challenge your assumptions.
4. Letting fear of failure make your decisions
Career pivots trigger uncertainty—and with that comes self-doubt. What if I make the wrong move? What if I lose stability? What if I fail publicly? These are real questions, but they’re not good reasons to stay stuck.
Fear doesn’t go away. It just stops running the show once you start building evidence that you can handle change.
Try this instead: Focus on developing self-trust. Track your progress. Notice what energizes you and what drains you. Learn to measure success not by external validation, but by whether your work is aligned with your values and strengths.
5. Mistaking comfort for fulfillment
Just because a job looks good on paper doesn’t mean it’s aligned. Many professionals stay in roles that are technically successful but feel deeply disconnected. They assume the discomfort is temporary, or that they should be grateful. But the longer you override that inner knowing, the harder it becomes to act on it.
Fulfillment isn’t a luxury. It’s a signal. If your work no longer reflects who you are or where you’re growing, it’s time to realign.
Try this instead: Pay attention to what you avoid, what feels heavy, what you daydream about. These are data points. Your dissatisfaction isn’t something to push through—it’s information. Use it.
Final Thoughts
A successful pivot doesn’t require a flawless plan or perfect timing. It requires honest reflection, strategic action, and the willingness to move before you feel ready.
Most people aren’t stuck because they’re unqualified. They’re stuck because they’re waiting for permission, certainty, or a sign that may never come.
If you want to move forward, you don’t need all the answers. You need direction, a decision, and the courage to take the next right step.
Interested in working together?
The Pivot Club offers coaching for professionals in transition. Whether you’re shifting careers, stepping into a new role, or building something entirely new, I help you move from uncertainty to alignment - without burning out in the process.
