#115: Getting "Unstuck" In Your Career

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Hey all, it’s MMV.

I’m coming up on my first month at my new job as a Special Agent / Criminal Investigator. I couldn’t believe the amount of support I got in my DMs!

I also can’t believe how many messages I received in the past month about how so many people feel “stuck” in their careers.

You can read some of the DMs I got in my last post of why people feel stuck:

My career pivot seemed to have inspired many of you who feel stuck in their current careers and looking for something else.

If you ever seriously considered leaving a job or an entire career, what stopped you?

I bet most people would answer “I couldn’t afford to” because this was exactly how I thought too.

I’m going to share exactly how I was able to afford to pivot from MBA + consulting career to government where I now make >50% LESS than before.

If you want to read the full MMV Pro posts and to support me and my work, you can upgrade below.

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“Climbing the ladder” simplifies careers as linear and when you’re on the ladder, you can’t go anywhere but up or down.

But with widespread layoffs, AI reshaping industries, limited growth opportunities, and just the lack of fulfillment from the job, moving up the ladder has become increasingly more difficult.

Careers that we thought were safe are now targeted for layoffs and the job market isn’t making it easy to just get back on the ladder.

When I was applying to jobs outside of consulting, I was focused on “moving up” and that was to get into tech as a Program Manager or in a BizOps role. Going from consulting to an industry role seemed like going backwards in prestige and pay.

Did I actually want to do those things?

Not really.

My strategy at the time was to make as much money as possible so I can retire earlier so moving up was really the only option.

Then I was laid off from my consulting role and I decided to take a year-long sabbatical to figure out the next move.

It was during this time that I realized that I had worked so many hours and felt so much stress for the job just for the money when I could just do something easier and treat my career as a marathon. I had enough money in investments and savings to just coast through my career and enjoy life while working a less-stressful job.

I rather have 20 more hours a week to myself than $X amount more.

The reality is that you don’t have to stay on the ladder.

I have a lot of intelligent, capable people in my network who spent years in careers that stopped fitting their dreams.

On the outside, they seem successful and accomplished, but when they’re being honest during happy hour, they tell you what’s bothering them. Their life revolved around work and their financials are structured in a way that staying or moving up is the only rational choice. They did all this work to get to where they are so they can’t give that up.

But I’m telling you that you can. I did and so did many others.

I left my consulting career and basically the effectiveness of my MBA degree for government. It’s not a traditional move nor the highest-paying one as my income dropped significantly. This looks and feels like a step backwards for now, but I’m able to be in a career that I always thought about, but couldn’t justify doing at the time.

The primary enabler of allowing me to pivot was having a margin of safety in my finances and I’ll share how my finances supported this move.