Thought Experiment #2

There Is No “Wrong” Career Decision. Would You Agree?

It’s VSGD’s ninth birthday week. Nine years of squiggly careers, messy middles, pivots, and bold decisions.

This week, the theme that kept resurfacing in the community was options - and the fear of making the “wrong” career decision.

So, take a listen or a watch and let us know what resonated. 

Tell us more

The inherited assumption

We’re taught that career decisions should be logical, linear, and safe.

That there is a right move and a wrong move.

That once you choose, you’re locked in.

That uncertainty means you’re lost.

What we explored instead

• Decisions are often made from either a push (burnout, misalignment, health) or a pull (curiosity, energy, desire).
• Not making a decision is still making a decision.
• Most career decisions are reversible.
• You often know your answer in a split second —-you just don’t trust it.
• Career moves aren’t pass/fail. They’re experiments.

Voices from the conversation

Push vs Pull

Sandra shared leaving clinical work after burnout - a push.

Her later move into health and fitness was a pull.

Understanding which force is at play changes how we interpret the decision.

Risk Dial & Personal Context

Lacey reflected on how having no dependents shaped her comfort with risk.

What others saw as reckless, she experienced as opportunity.

Different life contexts = different risk tolerance.

The Coin Trick

Flip a coin.

If you’re disappointed with the result, you already knew your answer.

Lost or Exploring?

When you’re in-between roles or uncertain, are you lost -

or are you exploring?

That reframe alone changes the energy.

Audit Yourself Like a Clinic Audit

We audit clinical processes.

Why don’t we audit our careers?

What were your push factors?

What were your pull factors?

What actually made you feel energised?

The shift

Instead of asking:

“Is this the right decision?”

We asked:

“What am I optimising for?”

“How do I want to feel?”

“What does my 80-year-old self think of this?”

Career decisions become less about status and perception and more about self-awareness, experimentation, and regulation.

You cannot fail if you treat it as data.

Reflection prompts

• Are you lost - or are you exploring?
• What are you actually optimising for right now?
• If you flipped a coin, what outcome would secretly disappoint you?
• Is this decision coming from scarcity or regulation?
• Will your 80-year-old self thank you?

Closing thought

Careers aren’t ladders.

They’re experiments.

You don’t outthink your way to clarity.

You move. You test. You learn.

Messy middle and all.

Onwards. Upwards. Sideways. Straight through the middle

Add a comment! These thought experiments are designed to open things up, not wrap them up neatly. We are here to help so drop us a line at hello@vsgd.co and book in for a career coffee. If you’d like more structured space and support to explore what’s next, you can find out more about our membership offerings https://www.vsgd.co/membership 

And if there’s a theme you’d love us to explore - or if you’d like to join us as a guest in a future experiment - we’d love to hear from you.

TIME STAMPS

• 00:00 – Celebrating 9 years of VSGD and introducing this week’s Thought Experiment on career decisions.
• 02:00 – Why options and decision-making feel so heavy in squiggly careers.
• 02:50 – Sandra shares leaving clinical practice after burnout and the “push vs pull” decision dynamic.
• 06:50 – Lacey reflects on risk tolerance, independence, and making “hell yes or no” choices.
• 10:30 – Are you lost… or are you exploring? Reframing uncertainty.
• 12:00 – The coin flip test and how your gut reaction reveals the truth.
• 15:10 – Why treating career moves as experiments removes the fear of failure.
• 17:20 – Auditing your career like a clinical audit: push and pull factors.
• 19:45 – Making your transferable skills visible and updating your CV consistently.
• 22:10 – The power of talking decisions out loud with trusted peers.
• 23:00 – Will your 80-year-old self thank you? Zooming out for perspective.
• 25:30 – Final reflection prompts: what do you actually want and what are you optimising for?
• 27:00 – Closing thoughts on messy middles and continuing the conversation.