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Updated March 6, 2026.
In a single month, 3 of my friends and family were laid off. Before you ask, none of them worked at the same company! They were all different industries, different tenures, and different severance packages—ranging from several months of salary and benefits down to no severance at all. And it didn’t seem to matter how career-oriented these people were.
Layoffs can affect anyone. I probably would’ve been laid off from my decade-long agency job by now if I hadn’t left on my own.
In the wake of widespread layoffs and aggressive return-to-office policies, most of the advice I see lately is to give the bare minimum: companies don’t care about you, so just show up and care less about work.
And while that’s great if it helps you, I have a bit of a different take.
So stick around to learn why you shouldn’t put up with a job you hate, even if you’re not career-oriented (or not totally sure if you are) — and how to figure out what path is right for you.
Is it okay not to be career-focused?
Let’s keep this short and sweet: OF COURSE! And that’s coming from a career coach. Like anything else, work’s role in your life should be what you want it to be.
For example, maybe that’s a day job that simply pays the bills! One that you can disconnect from after-hours, and that gives you time to focus on living outside of work (like relationships, hobbies, having fun, trying new things, and experiencing the world). It’s not about climbing the ladder or making more money — it’s about living life! And if that sounds like you, kudos for knowing exactly what you want.
It’s also okay if you don’t want a career in the traditional sense, or at all.
It’s literally no one else’s decision what you focus on in life. No matter what you do, different people will have different ideas and opinions about it — but it’s your life, not theirs! So try not to stress about it; remember that you’re the one who has to live with your decisions.
A successful life doesn’t have to revolve around what you do for work
We learn from an early age that what we do for work is important. We’re often asked what we want to “be” or “do” when we grow up, which sadly always refers to our potential career paths instead of just the type of person we want to be and the type of life we want to lead.
As kids, many things adults say to us directly relate to their hopes for what we’ll achieve, what we’ll go to college for, and the jobs we’ll have in the future:
“You’re so tall — are you going to be a basketball player?”
“Aw, you’re so pretty; you could be a model!”
“What a beautiful drawing — are you going to be an artist when you grow up?”
So when we start to realize we don’t enjoy what we’re doing — or worse, that we loathe it — it can cause an identity crisis. It feels like we should love what we do. That our jobs should be a perfect match for our skills, interests, and passions — that we’re defined by what we do for work.
But what does success really look like to you?
Your first answers might be: Having a super-high-paying job. Earning enough money to buy whatever you want, or take lots of vacations, or retire really early. Climbing the career ladder and becoming a manager, department head, or executive.
Are these your most honest answers?
For you, it may be that success is more about your relationships with family and friends, your health, or control of your time, as opposed to having traditional success career-wise.
And it’s not that money doesn’t help — of course it does! But after a certain point, earning even more might not be the key to your ideal life. Angling for, and landing, a promotion might mean spending less time on what’s most important to you.
So remember: promotions and raises aren’t the only ways to grow in this world. Work isn’t the only place you can exercise ambition, and it doesn’t have to be your reason for being. (But that’s up to you — it’s also ok if you do want work to give you purpose and passion!)
Figure out what’s important to you outside of work, and you’ll begin to see what success really looks like to you.
Having a tolerable job isn’t just for career-driven people
If what you do for work is the most important thing in your life, it probably gives you a strong sense of purpose. But if you’re not as career-driven, you might just be going through the motions — barely making it through the week. Maybe no careers interest you at all.
I’m here to tell you that, even if work isn’t your whole reason for being, you don’t have to accept another 10, 20, 30 years spent hating every moment of life 5 days a week. But simply “caring less” probably isn’t the answer. And I’ll explain why:
If you can successfully care less about what you do for work and actually feel an improvement, congrats — your job is compatible with your life! You probably enjoy some parts of it. You can set boundaries without backlash or guilt. And on evenings and weekends, you can easily leave work behind and relax,
But if you’ve tried and failed to care less, it might be because your job isn’t tolerable for you — like, at all. And even if you aren’t a career-driven person, loathing your job sucks. So, if you’re constantly worried about work, maybe it’s not you. It could be your job.
If you’re tired of suffering and feeling lost due to a bad-fit role, you deserve a better one. But that doesn’t mean you have to find a role you love more than anything else in your life, or follow some picture of career passion that doesn’t feel authentic to you!
Repeat after me: You don’t have to be career-oriented to want (and get!) a better job.
You might doubt it, but you can change your career if you want to
If your career doesn’t define your life, making a career change might seem like a counterintuitive idea. You want that elusive work-life balance, not more time spent focused on work — right?
But getting the life you want means something has to change. And if you’re at a point where you’ve realized your current path won’t take you there, it’s time to consider the idea of dedicating some time to your career — to live the life you want.
If not being miserable is important to you, then it’s okay to focus on improving your career just for a little while. Yes — even if you aren’t career-driven!
Dedicating yourself to a change in industries doesn’t mean changing who you are or what you value. It’s actually the opposite: you can finally discover opportunities that are the best match for who you are and where you’re going.
Your work can fulfill you without defining you. So you don’t have to go after a “dream job” — just one that fits the life you want to live.
And some of the realizations you have along the way might seem counterintuitive at first. But if they’re in line with the way you want to live, they may be more sensible than you think.
Talking back to your excuses
If you’re not a career-driven person, you probably shouldn’t start a business and work for yourself, right? Maybe — unless the main reason you’re not career-driven is because working for someone else doesn’t interest or motivate you.
And if you’ve already gone to college, pouring thousands of hours and tons of money into one industry, you probably should give it one more chance, shouldn’t you? Well, not if you’re only doing it because you feel bad, worry about others’ perceptions, or think that leaving the industry will cancel out all the hard work you put in over the years.
Seriously — even if you attended med school or law school, don’t get stuck in sunk-cost thinking! You’re essentially saying that even though your past choices have made you miserable, you owe it to yourself to stay committed — to stay miserable. Doesn’t make a lot of sense, does it?
So if you’re tired of fear holding you back, start talking back to your fears. For every reason not to make a change, ask, “Is that true?” “Is that important to me? If so, why?” “What makes me think that?”
Dedicated time and space for this exploration is key. If you don’t dig deep, you’ll only get surface-level answers — and those never helped anyone build the future they truly want.
Where to go from here: how to change your path when you’re not career-driven
No one can change your path for you — including a career coach! So you’ll have to do more than hope for a different relationship with your work. You have to decide and commit to action.
But I can tell you this: the first step to making a change isn’t polishing your resume or practicing your interview skills. It’s figuring out your ideal role.
So if you want help to figure it out but are feeling lost, you’re in the right place:
Jump on a free intro call with me to learn more and discover if 1:1 coaching is the best choice for you!
Career coaching can help you:
- Identify your ideal role (and learn exactly why it’s ideal for you!)
- Develop a plan with a concrete timeline and next steps
- Craft an accountability system to keep you going when the going gets tough
- Celebrate every milestone along the way, big and small
- Be kind to yourself, learning mindset tricks and techniques to move through challenges without giving up
Ready to get excited about a different future — one that actually fits the life you want to live?
Let’s talk!
