Why do I feel stuck in an unfulfilling career?

Feeling stuck is often not about the job itself, but about the meaning you assign to it. Many professionals feel unfulfilled when they've outgrown their current role or when the work no longer challenges them to grow. The potential required for your role has been fully met, leading to boredom and stagnation rather than genuine professional dissatisfaction.

How can I create meaning in my current job?

Instead of searching for a job to find your passion in, bring your passion to what you do. Redefine your current role with a strategic purpose—whether it's funding your education, providing a stable platform for exploration, or building toward your next chapter. By assigning your job a deliberate purpose, you transform it from a cage into a tool for growth.

What is the trap of outsourcing your purpose to your career?

Outsourcing purpose means placing the responsibility for your inner world onto external circumstances like a job title or industry. When you ask 'What if this new career path doesn't give me what I want?', you're giving away your power. This perspective leaves you powerless, waiting for the perfect role to appear, when reality is that no job has intrinsic meaning—you must create it.

How can I stop waiting for certainty in my career?

Growth happens in uncertainty. The path forward is not revealed from a standstill; it unfolds as you move. You cannot see every turnoff from the starting point. Instead of trying to figure out the perfect path, choose one and take action. Certainty, over time, leads to boredom and stagnation—real progress requires stepping into the unknown.

What does it mean when I feel bored or dissatisfied at work?

Boredom and dissatisfaction indicate that your current role may have fulfilled its potential for you. You might be good at what you do and receive positive feedback, yet feel a deep sense of dissatisfaction. This is a signal that you're ready for growth—that you need new challenges to continue developing professionally and personally.

How do I shift from feeling drained to feeling empowered in my career?

Shift your focus from what your job provides to what you bring to it. This change in mindset restores personal agency. Instead of asking what the job can give you, ask what strategic purpose you can assign to it. By taking responsibility for creating meaning, you reclaim your power and transform energy spent on frustration into fuel for building your next chapter.

Can a career actually provide purpose and fulfillment?

Real fulfillment and purpose are assigned, not discovered from external circumstances. While a career can be an avenue for expressing purpose, the fulfillment comes from your internal framework—the meaning you bring to your work. A career is most fulfilling when you stop outsourcing your sense of purpose to it and instead bring your authentic self to what you do.

What should I do if I'm caught between staying in my job and changing careers?

First, redefine your current role and assign it a strategic purpose. Ask yourself: Is this job the vehicle that funds my education? Is it a stable platform from which I explore other options? By transforming your current position into a tool rather than a trap, you can move forward with intentionality rather than fear of making the wrong choice.

Is feeling stuck in my career a sign that something is wrong with me?

No. Feeling stuck in an unfulfilling career is not a signal that you are broken—it's a sign that you are ready for growth. This feeling indicates that your current environment no longer supports your development and that you're ready to evolve. The energy it costs you affects every area of your life, making it important to take action and reclaim your agency.

How do I move from feeling powerless to taking responsibility for my career fulfillment?

Taking responsibility for your career fulfillment involves two key actions: First, redefine your current role with a strategic purpose. Second, stop waiting for certainty and take action toward growth. By shifting your focus from what your job can do for you to what you can bring to your situation, you move from a position of powerlessness to one of active agency and choice.

How do I know if I need a career change or if I need to change my mindset?

Often, the answer is both. Start by changing your mindset—redefine your current role and bring your passion to your work rather than searching for passion in your job. Test whether this shift creates greater fulfillment. If you've genuinely outgrown the role and reassigning its purpose doesn't satisfy your growth needs, then a career change may be the right next step. But always start with mindset first.

#89 Stuck in an Unfulfilling Career? What you can do about it.

Q: Is it the job itself that's unfulfilling or is it something else?

No job has intrinsic meaning—its meaning is assigned by the individual. There are people who find deep satisfaction in your exact role, just as there are people who would feel stifled by it. The difference lies not in the work itself, but in the individual's internal framework and the meaning they bring to their work.

Francois Esterhuizen
Nov 3
3 min read

Feeling stuck isn’t always about the job itself. Francois Esterhuizen explores how fulfillment begins not with changing titles, but with changing the meaning you bring to your work, unlocking growth and satisfaction from within.

Does your work leave you feeling drained and disconnected? You might be caught in the search for a fulfilling career, believing that the right job title or industry holds the key to your professional satisfaction.

But what if the source of the problem isn't the job you have, but the meaning you assign to it?

Many competent professionals find themselves in an unfulfilling career, not because they lack skill, but because the work no longer challenges them to grow. You might be good at what you do, even receiving positive feedback, yet feel a deep sense of dissatisfaction. This happens when the potential required for your role has been fully met. The job offers certainty, but certainty, over time, can lead to boredom and stagnation.

The Trap of Outsourcing Your Purpose

It is a common belief that a career should provide a sense of purpose. We look for the job to give us passion, meaning, and fulfilment.

This is a form of outsourcing; placing the responsibility for your inner world onto an external circumstance.

When you operate from this mindset, you ask questions like, "What if this new career path doesn't give me what I want?" The focus is on what the job can provide for you. This perspective leaves you powerless, waiting for the perfect role to appear. The fear of making the wrong choice keeps you locked in place, because you are waiting for a guarantee that doesn't exist.

The reality is that no job has intrinsic meaning. Its meaning is assigned.

There are people who find deep satisfaction in your exact role, just as there are people who would feel stifled by it. The difference lies not in the work itself, but in the individual's internal framework.

How to Create Meaning Where You Are

Instead of searching for a job to find your passion in, the challenge is to bring your passion to what you do. This begins with a deliberate shift in mindset.

Taking responsibility for your career fulfilment involves two key actions:

Redefine your current role. If your job is not your final destination, what is its purpose right now? It could be the vehicle that funds your education for a new field. It could be the stable platform from which you explore other options. By assigning it a strategic purpose, you transform it from a cage into a tool. The energy you were spending on frustration can be redirected toward building your next chapter.
Stop waiting for certainty. Growth happens in uncertainty. The path forward is not revealed from a standstill; it unfolds as you move. You cannot see every turnoff from the starting point. Instead of trying to figure out the "perfect" path, choose one.

Where to From Here?

The feeling of being stuck in an unfulfilling career is not a signal that you are broken, but a sign that you are ready for growth.

The energy it costs you affects every other area of your life. By shifting your focus from what your job can do for you to what you can bring to your situation, you reclaim your agency.

The choice is not about finding the more effective path, but about taking responsibility for creating it. Recognised as a trusted and sought-after clarity and leadership coach, Francois Esterhuizen works from Stellenbosch with South Africans worldwide. His work empowers individuals and leaders to transform emotional resistance into clarity, sustained momentum, and meaningful impact.