Career Coach Reveals The Age You're Most Likely To Have A Career Crisis — And How To Get Through It
A reminder that taking risks can sometimes lead to greater success than we imagined.
Vadym Pastukh / Shutterstock Finding fulfillment, joy, and security in a career is the greatest goal (and challenge) of many job seekers and employees today. Whether you’re a few years into your post-graduate role or contemplating a change after a decade or two in an industry, you’ve probably found yourself questioning your career decisions at one point or another.
From behind a corporate desk, we wonder why marine biology didn’t pique our interest in college. While listening to calming classical playlists on the way to work, we curse our parents for not purchasing us piano lessons. When social media shows us the perfect “lazy girl job,” we desperately loathe our time-consuming positions.
Stephanie Brown, a career coach on TikTok, revealed the one age group that is particularly guilty of over-contemplating their career choices.
According to Brown, 27-year-olds are most likely to have a career crisis surrounding their roles, work versus life priorities, and future plans.
By speaking to over 1200 people about their careers, Brow learned that “27 is the most common age that people start rethinking their careers and asking themselves ‘Am I in the right place? Am I doing what I love? Is this what I want to be doing for the rest of my life?’”
While it’s a topic of conversation for many creators, Brown doesn’t dwell on the tribulations of the career crisis. Instead, she inspires viewers to navigate through it with grace.
While giving tips to make the most of the defining moment, she reminded us to take calculated risks to reduce regret in our forties and fifties. Allowing the crisis to spark a change could potentially ensure future success, prosperity, and happiness.
While a career crisis is typical for this age group — few people actually act on their doubts with change.
While it might seem lonely to recognize unhappiness in your career, the truth is that almost everyone has had that realization — oftentimes more than once. The average person will change their career between 5 and 15 times during their lifetime, often into new industries, professions, or roles.
Brown found that while many people decide to change roles at some point in their lives, few make the big transition following a career crisis — especially those in their late twenties. Whether it be holding onto hope things will change or being debilitated by the fear of leaving — many people don’t act on their career realizations.
"This is me speaking from your future. If you are thinking about changing careers, if you are not happy where you are right now in your career, make that change," she urged viewers. "If you don’t, you’re going to wake up in 13 years time and wonder ‘Why didn’t I make that change when I was 27?’"
Brown’s point is solidified with research on career changes. The average age for an industry career change is 39 years old. As mentioned in her TikTok, these same people recall a crisis in their late twenties — one that they wished they would’ve taken seriously instead of pushing off.
"I can tell you right now, the thing that happens when you turn 40," Brown shared. "You have a whole bunch of people in your life that wake up and think ‘What the [expletive] have I done with my life?’”
While the decision doesn’t need to be impulsive or as drastic as a resignation, recognizing areas of your life that you are unhappy with can help fuel a mindset shift that benefits your future self.
Regrets are worse than risks — Brown warned people in this transition that lack of action could come back to haunt them.
Acknowledging your career unhappiness, whether it be financial, social, or emotional, is more rewarding the earlier you catch onto it. As your responsibilities grow, it inevitably becomes harder to leave your position or make a change.
So, while many post-graduate professionals in their twenties get a bad rap for “career-hopping”, it’s often those people who don’t that end up stuck in a profession they resent down the road.
With social media capturing lots of Gen Z’s “career dread,” it’s difficult not to think about resignation at least a few times during the week — especially if you’re unhappy in your role. However, while it might be easy to fantasize about writing that resignation letter, the reality is that quitting is not feasible for many employees.
Whether it be the financial risk, a family at home, or the unstable job market — many people don’t set up an exit strategy until they’ve hit their breaking point.
HR Manifesto on TikTok, who labels herself a “Toxic Workplace Survivor,” gave great advice for anyone who’s given resignation a second thought. So for all 27-year-olds reading and contemplating your job happiness, think about this TikToker’s advice for making the big decision to leave.
“When the role is no longer serving you, you should think about leaving,” she said in a TikTok about career changes. "You can tell when the role is no longer serving you when you’re not learning or earning.”
If you’re in a toxic environment that’s hindering you from learning or growing in your role, it might be time to leave. If you’re dealing with coworkers, bosses, or clients who are stripping away your personal life, mental wellness, or financial stability, you might want to consider quitting. If you’ve been in your role for several years without a promotion, bonus, or raise, it's likely time to go.
While career coaches and lifestyle mentors paint this realization as the hardest part about switching careers — many comments and creators suggest a shift in perspective. For many people, the risks of finding a new job, taking a pay cut, or losing temporary job stability are near impossible.
Comments suggest this coach’s mentality could be problematic — they point to creators who provide coping skills for employees unable to risk making a career change.
Corporate professionals, like @notkaityfuqua on TikTok, share the toxic reality of the discourse surrounding resignation and career changes on social media.
“If you want to quit your job, by all means, do it,” she said in a recent video, “but the reality is there’s a ton of impressionable people on this app and we do not live in an equitable world.”
While many people can leave their jobs when they are unhappy — many cannot. “What they do have to do is stay in a job where they’re unhappy,” she admitted, “ and what they could use [from social media creators] are tools and coping skills to make their day-to-day lives more feasible or tools to find another job that they like better.”
“Being able to up and quit or leave your job is a privilege that most people do not have.”
Delving into resources for dealing with burnout, strategizing financially for the future, and learning to deal with difficult conversations can be more practical for employees who aren’t stable enough to make a drastic change right now.
Despite tons of positive discourse about the power of resignation — studies show that many people who make the big decision don’t find happiness on the other side. Around 23 percent of people who decide to leave their role or make a career change regret their decision — often due to unpredictable financial strains or tough working environments.
So, whether you’re considering leaving your job or trying to figure out what you want to do next — remember that taking risks can pay off, but they can also lead to more damage down the road. Sometimes, shifting your mindset or making small daily decisions about your career can more feasibly manifest prosperity in the future.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on pop culture analysis and human interest stories.