Career Clarity
When Work Becomes Who You Are: Professional Identity Purgatory with Geoff Curtis
Podcast Audio Only:
It Doesn't Always Start with the Job
Most career advice treats a transition like a practical problem: update your resume, expand your network, prepare for interviews, and learn new skills. Those steps matter, but they aren't usually what makes a career transition so difficult.
Many of the career decisions we struggle with aren't actually about the job. They're about the identity we've built around it.
That's easy to miss because professional identity doesn't develop all at once. Early in your career, you're focused on learning, contributing, and proving yourself, but as your responsibilities grow and your expertise deepens, people begin to associate you with the role you've built. Eventually, you do the same, and without consciously deciding to, your profession becomes part of how you understand yourself.
Why Career Change Feels So Personal
When someone asks whether they should leave their job, pursue a promotion, or make a career change, they're usually looking for a practical answer. What they're often experiencing, though, is something much more personal.
Who am I if I'm no longer the person I've spent years becoming?
That's why even positive career changes can feel unsettling. You're not simply evaluating a new opportunity. You're stepping away from routines, relationships, confidence, and a version of yourself that has been reinforced for years.
Success Evolves, Even When Our Goals Don't
One part of my conversation with Geoff Curtis that really stood out to me was how quietly our definition of success changes over time.
Early in our careers, success often means promotions, compensation, leadership opportunities, or recognition because those milestones reflect growth and progress. As life changes, though, our priorities often change with it. Flexibility may become more valuable than another promotion, meaningful work may matter more than a larger title, or success may simply mean having enough energy to enjoy the life we've built outside the office.
The challenge is that many professionals continue pursuing an earlier definition of success without realizing it, making career decisions that no longer reflect who they are or what they want.
Movement Doesn't Always Create Clarity
Geoff shared a story that I think many ambitious professionals will recognize. After leaving his executive role, he moved into consulting because it seemed like the logical next step. He had the experience, the credibility, and the network to succeed, but eventually realized the work no longer fit.
What struck me wasn't the consulting itself. It was how naturally high achievers move toward the next goal without stopping to understand what has actually changed. Staying busy can feel productive, but activity isn't always the same thing as clarity, especially when the question you're trying to answer isn't really about work.
Better Questions Lead to Better Decisions
Career transitions require practical decisions, but they also invite us to examine assumptions we've carried for years.
Has your definition of success changed?
How much of your identity is tied to your work?
Are you trying to solve a career problem, or are you trying to understand who you are without the role you've spent years building?
Those questions rarely have immediate answers, but they often lead to better decisions because they help us understand what we're actually trying to solve.
If you'd like to explore these ideas further, I encourage you to listen to my conversation with Geoff Curtis on the Control Your Career podcast. We discuss professional identity, career transitions, and why understanding yourself is just as important as evaluating your next opportunity.
Resources Mentioned
Embracing Your Own Purgatory
Learn more about Geoff’s book and its exploration of professional identity, achievement, relevance, and life’s uncomfortable transitions:
https://geoffreycurtis.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Embracing-Your-Purgatory-Geoff-Curtis/dp/B0GVTY5KS5
Marshall Curtis Communications
Learn more about Geoff’s communications, leadership, and executive advisory work:
https://marshallcurtis.com/
Connect With Geoff Curtis on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/geoffreycurtis/
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