What People Regret Most in Their Career
I surveyed my LinkedIn followers on their career choices after graduation in hindsight, and the results were quite surprising.
We all have regrets. According to an infographic on website Happify, nine out of 10 people reported having a major regret in their lives. A study conducted in the UK in 2019 revealed that 40% of the 2,000 British adults that took part regretted how they had lived their lives so far.
And out of those regrets, career choices accounted for a significant proportion. Researchers from Northwestern University in the U.S. found that 12% of regrets revolved around our careers. An older survey, published in the U.S. in 2005, showed 22% of regrets pertained to Career— second only to Education (32%) and ahead of Romance in third (15%).
“Many people reported feeling that they chose the wrong path. Interestingly, the more education participants had, the more likely they were to wish they had made a different career choice.”
— “Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda: What Do You Regret?”, Everyday Health
Happify claimed that “When it comes to our careers, the biggest regret is taking a dissatisfying job just for the money”.
Also, fun fact: 29% of adults 34 or younger have posted something on social media that they think could harm their careers. So think twice before you hit that publish button.
So what did I find out?
