Is It Normal to Have a New Career Idea Every 2 Minutes? Asking for a Friend.
Some days I think I’ve figured it out —This! This is what I want to do with my life.
The next day? I’ve lost all interest and I’m googling something completely different.By the end of the week, I’ve mentally switched careers four times and have about six open tabs on “how to become a...” (fill in the blank).
It’s a little exhausting. And honestly, it can feel like something’s wrong with me.
Especially when I’m already in a job. A job I once chose. A job I’m supposed to be grateful for.But the truth is: it doesn’t feel fulfilling anymore.Something’s missing. And I can’t unsee that.
What makes it harder is this quiet pressure that by a certain age (hello, mid-30s), we should know. We should have “a thing.” A direction. A LinkedIn headline that makes sense.
But maybe some of us just don’t work like that. Maybe we’re not meant to do one thing forever. Maybe the version of us who chose our current job isn’t the version who exists today. Maybe our constant stream of ideas isn’t a flaw — it’s a sign we’re still curious, still alive, still reaching for something that feels right.
And yes, it’s messy. It’s annoying to be wildly inspired and then totally over it 48 hours later. It’s confusing to feel done with something, but not quite sure what’s next.
But I’ve decided I’d rather be lost than stuck.
What I’ve also learned is that this restlessness might actually be a sign of something good. It means we’re interesting people — people with many layers and interests. People who don't fit neatly into one box.
Take me, for example: I’m drawn to aesthetics, design, writing, human psychology, marketing, branding, and helping people find clarity in their ideas. But also — law. Yes, law. Totally different vibe. And yet I genuinely love the justice aspect, the structure, the impact, the fairness, the research, the analysis.
It doesn’t add up in a linear way, but it’s all still me. And maybe that’s the whole point — we’re not here to make perfect sense. We’re here to explore the strange little constellation of things that light us up, even if they don’t always seem to belong together.
So if you’re also out here switching passions weekly, secretly scrolling job boards at lunch, or wondering what it all means — I see you.
You’re not flaky. You’re growing. You’re shedding layers that don’t fit anymore. And sooner or later, all these little pivots start pointing toward something real.
Even if it’s not clear yet.
And just to leave you with something grounding:
You’re allowed to outgrow your previous goals.
Confusion can be a sign of expansion, not failure.
It’s okay if your timeline looks different than what you expected.
You don’t need to turn every passion into a career to validate it.
The dots connect — but usually only in hindsight.
You’re not behind. You’re just in the middle of becoming.
And if you want to start feeling a little less lost (even temporarily — which still counts!), here are two things that helped me get a bit clearer:
Start paying attention to the things you're naturally drawn to — even the small stuff. What topics make you light up? What kinds of content are you always saving or bookmarking?
Engage with those interests more deeply. Don’t just think about them — try them. Take the course, read the book, join the group, experiment. It’s in the doing that the fog starts to lift.
No, it’s not a magic fix. But it’s a start. And sometimes, a small start is all you need to shift everything.