Should I Progress in My Current Career or Change Career?
Feeling unsure about which career route to take? Learn how to decide whether to progress in your current career or change direction, with practical advice from career advisors.
If you are reading this, there’s a good chance something about your work doesn’t quite sit right anymore. I speak to people every week who feel torn between sticking with what they know and taking a step in a new direction. I know that this can feel like a high-stakes decision.
There isn’t a single “correct” answer here, just a better-informed one. Often, the most helpful next step is building clarity through learning, new experiences, and reflecting on your career and life goals. What comes next could look like continued professional development (CPD) to help you progress on your current path, or retraining to something different.
Written by
Kirsten has worked in career development, recruitment, and people-focused roles for several years. She knows what it’s like to navigate career change and to search for a role that's more aligned with your goals; she's proud of the work she does to help our customers develop the tools, mindset, and confidence to land jobs they’re proud of.
What's on this page?
Jump to:
- Why This Question Feels So Hard Right Now
- The Case for Progressing in Your Current Career
- The Case for Changing Career Entirely
- Why Your Skills Matter More Than You Think
- A Simple Framework to Decide What’s Right for You
- Final Thoughts: To Change or Not To Change Career
- Should I Progress in My Current Career or Change Career? FAQs
Why This Question Can Feel So Difficult - Now More Than Ever
It’s not your imagination. This decision feels harder than it did a few years ago. The job market is shifting quickly, AI is changing how roles look and what employers value, and skills gaps are widening globally.
Add rising living costs and less certainty about long-term job security into the mix, and it’s no wonder so many people feel stuck between staying put and starting over.
From my experience advising people on their careers, I've learnt that it’s rarely a simple career dilemma. It's a decision that affects people's finances, families, and self-esteem. Many also worry if they’ve left things too late to consider a career change. (Although, as I always tell them, there are many benefits to a later-in-life career change.)
I want to be clear about one thing: feeling unsure doesn’t mean you’ve failed or missed your chance.
Fact: 41% of UK Workers Have Changed Career Direction in the Last Three Years
Recent research shows that 41% of UK workers have made a career pivot within the past three years, reflecting how common it’s become to rethink and reshape career paths rather than follow a single linear progression.
For many professionals, career change is now a normal response to evolving skills demand, job satisfaction, and long-term goals.
The Case for Progressing in Your Current Career
Staying where you are doesn’t automatically mean settling. People assume that feeling restless means they need a brand-new career, when what they actually need is a different version of the one they’re already in.
Progression doesn’t always mean a straight promotion with a new title. For some, it’s a lateral move into a team that suits them better. For others, it’s specialising, taking on more responsibility, or stepping into leadership for the first time. If the foundations are solid, building on them can be far less risky than starting again.
It’s usually worth considering progression within your current area of work if:
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You still enjoy the core of the work, even if the role itself is no longer challenging
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You feel underused or overlooked
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Your industry is growing and offering new opportunities that you have yet to explore
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The gaps holding you back are skills-based and fixable
This is where mapping out a realistic career progression plan, or strategically working your way towards a promotion at your current place of work, could be the best option.
When people explore how their role can evolve, rather than assuming it’s a dead end, the next step often becomes clearer and more achievable.
The Case for Changing Career Entirely
Sometimes the issue isn’t where you work or where in the hierarchy you are at your company - it’s what you’re doing.
I've seen cases where people have already changed teams, managers, or even companies, yet the same sense of frustration follows them. That’s usually a sign that the dissatisfaction runs deeper than the role or a rough patch.
There’s also an important difference between boredom and misalignment. Boredom often comes and goes. Misalignment shows up as a nagging feeling that the work no longer fits who you are or what you care about, even on good days.
People usually start thinking seriously about a career change when:
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Their values no longer line up with the work
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Progression feels blocked or the industry itself is shrinking
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Burnout doesn’t go away, even after time off or a change of environment
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Curiosity about other roles keeps resurfacing
One thing I always reassure people about is this: changing careers doesn’t mean starting from scratch. "Soft skills" like problem-solving, communication, and planning carry over with you.
For many, the next step is learning how to change career in a structured way, rather than taking a blind leap.
Why Your Skills Matter More Than You Think
One shift I’ve seen make a real difference to career decisions is the move towards skills-based hiring. In simple terms, many employers care less about where you started and more about what you can actually do.
That’s especially true in tech and project management, where capability, problem-solving, and practical experience carry real weight.
This is where transferable skills come into their own, such as:
- Planning,
- stakeholder communication,
- data handling,
- risk management,
- working to deadlines. These don’t belong to one job title.
These skills show up across industries, even if they’re described differently.
I also encourage people to look at how they present their experience. Seeing examples of strong career change CVs can help you translate what you already do into language employers understand.
Training plays a big role here because it fits around real life. Most people can’t afford to press pause on work, so training lets them build in-demand skills, get a feel for the work, and make a clearer decision before changing course completely.
Fact: UK Professionals Change Jobs Every 2.6 Years on Average
UK workers now change jobs roughly every 2.6 years, creating regular moments where progression or career change naturally comes into focus. These transition points often prompt people to reassess whether they want to move up within their field or take their skills in a new direction altogether.
Frequent job movement has made career paths more flexible, but it’s also increased the importance of making informed, intentional decisions at each stage.
A Simple Framework to Decide What’s Right for You
When everything feels tangled, I find it helps to step back and look at the decision through a different lens. Don’t rush yourself; create some breathing room and perspective.
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Start with satisfaction. What parts of your week give you energy, and what drains it?
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Then think about stability. What level of income do you need right now, and how much risk can you realistically take on without adding stress to your life?
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Next, look at skills. Be honest about what you already bring to the table and what’s missing. Gaps aren’t a failure. They’re often just a signal for targeted learning.
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After that, consider the market. Where is demand growing, and where is it slowing down?
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Finally, zoom out to your time horizon. What do you want life and work to look like in a year? And in five?
Age often comes up at this point, and understandably so. Some people worry they’ve left things too late, while others feel pressure to move quickly while they still can. Whether you’re looking at how to change career at 30, at 40, or at 50, instead of asking “am I too old?”, it’s usually far more useful to ask “what makes sense for me at this stage of my life?”
Final Thoughts: To Change or Not To Change Career
If there’s one thing I hope you take away from this, it’s that you don’t need to have everything figured out before taking your next step. Clarity usually comes from doing, not from sitting with the same questions for months on end.
And if you’re still weighing things up, you can book a free consultation with one of our career experts to further explore your options and get advice on what makes sense for you next.
