Not all career pivots have the same impact on your life.
I’ve made several career pivots in my life — some by choice, some not. I made a clear decision to leave a 15-year career in fintech to try something new. After eight months at a marketing agency, I left and joined another agency (not really a pivot, just a job change). I was laid off a year later and started my own business. Each of those transitions felt completely different.
When people talk about pivoting, they often lump everything together. But understanding what kind of pivot you’re making (or considering!) can help you approach it with the right mindset. A pivot born from boredom requires different energy than a pivot forced by a layoff. A pivot driven by curiosity looks nothing like one driven by fear.
Not every pivot will fit neatly into one of these categories, but identifying your primary driver can help you figure out what you actually need.
1. The forced pivot
This is the pivot nobody wants, but many of us experience. You get laid off. Your company folds. You face industry upheaval. Suddenly, the path you were on doesn’t exist anymore.
Forced pivots are really disorienting because they can strip people of part of their identity. One day, you have a job and an identity attached to it. The next day you’re updating your resume and wondering what just happened.
The silver lining (if there is one) is that forced pivots often push people toward things they wouldn’t have chosen on their own. I had been considering a new path as a freelance writer, but the timing never seemed right. At what point would I have made the leap on my own? Who knows. But losing my job forced the situation.
Let me be clear: I do not think “everything happens for a reason” or any of that nonsense. You are not meant to lose your job so that you’re forced into a stressful situation. I only mean that stressful situations might force you to consider options you otherwise might not have considered.
If you’re in a forced pivot, give yourself permission to grieve the old path before rushing into the next one. But if your financial stability is at stake, speed also matters. You’ll need to adapt quickly, even if you don’t feel ready.
2. The anticipatory pivot
This is the pivot you make before you’re forced to. You see the writing on the wall that your current work won’t be viable for much longer. Maybe it’s AI reshaping your industry. Maybe it’s a shift in market demand. Maybe it’s your company slowly sinking. You decide to move before the decision is made for you.
Reactive pivots require foresight and a willingness to act on information that isn’t yet urgent. Most people wait until the disruption hits them directly. If you can anticipate the change and reposition yourself early, you’ll have more options than those scrambling after the fact.
The risk here is acting on a prediction that doesn’t materialize. Let’s say your company announces a merger with another company, and you think, “I don’t want to stick around for that, I’m out.” So you spend a lot of time and energy finding a new job. Then after you leave, the merger falls apart.
But the bigger risk — for most people — is waiting too long and having the forced pivot happen anyway.
3. The growth pivot
This type of pivot comes from a different place: you’ve outgrown your current role and want something new. Maybe you’ve mastered the skills required, or maybe you’ve hit a ceiling at your current organization.
Growth pivots are driven by a desire for challenge. You’re not running away from something; you’re running toward something. You want to learn new skills, take on bigger problems, or finally make the jump to a different type of role (like managing a team or a decision-making role).
The tricky part? Depending on how much you’re itching to try something new, you might jump into something too quickly and end up in a role or at a company that isn’t the right fit. You don’t want to spend a lot of time and energy looking for a new job only to find yourself at a job you hate.
It also can be difficult to find a new job that requires the skills you want, but don’t have yet. You know you can do the role, but the hiring manager has to be convinced of the same. And, from an employer’s perspective, hiring someone who has “done the job before” is a safer bet than taking a chance on someone.
Growth pivots require you to be honest about what “growth” actually means to you. Is it a title? More money? More autonomy? More impact? The answer will shape what kind of move makes sense.
4. The boredom pivot
This is similar to the growth pivot, but with a crucial difference: you’re not just looking to go up in your career. You’re looking for different.
Boredom pivots happen when the work itself no longer holds your interest. You could keep doing it, and you’re probably really good at it. But you’ve mentally checked out and you’re not sure you can fake enthusiasm in a similar role at another company. This type of pivot often leads people to change industries or start their own business.
This is a harder pivot to justify to others (and sometimes to yourself). “I was bored” doesn’t sound as legitimate as “I wanted to grow” or “I got laid off.” When I told people that I’d quit my executive job at a tech company, I said, “I’m pursuing work I love” (writing).
Boredom is real, and staying in work that doesn’t excite you has costs: your energy, your creativity, and (eventually) your performance. You can’t do your best work if you’re just churning out the same output over and over.
Start paying attention to what does interest you, even if it seems unrelated to your current career. That’s often where your next chapter is waiting.
5. The exploration pivot
This is the pivot fueled by curiosity. You’re not unhappy where you are. You’re not bored. You dind’t lose your job. You just... want to try something else.
Exploration pivots are common among self-employed people and solopreneurs. Your first exploration might be making the leap from corporate to solopreneur. As you build something of your own, you might decide to add a new income stream or test a new product or service.
Think of this type of pivot as experimentation. You’re willing to try something totally different, even if you’re not sure what the final destination will be.
With an exploration pivot, you have to embrace discomfort. You have to be comfortable being a beginner again, and you need enough natural curiosity to put in the time to learn something new. You’re constantly making changes based on what you’ve learned.
What kind of pivot are you considering?
If you’re feeling like you need to make a change, it’s worth asking yourself which of these types of career pivots is driving you.
Most pivots aren’t purely one type. My pivots were a combination of several factors. But understanding the primary driver can help you set the right expectations, identify the right timeline, and find the right support.
Want to build a life-first business? These reflections will help you determine your priorities.
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