What happens when your career has quit on YOU?

The 'Great Correction' is changing how we navigate the next act of our careers.

The following is a guest newsletter from writer, podcaster, and career coach Zack Arnold, whom I've had the pleasure of being a two-time guest for on The Zack Arnold Podcast to help his audience of Hollywood creatives make better decisions about the next act of their careers. He can also be found on Substack at his newsletter Pivot With Purpose.

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"Should I keep trying to make it work, or do I have to start over?"

This is the big question on the minds of so many white-collar workers—specifically the creatives, artists, and storytellers like me—as we watch the media landscape (d)evolve and artificial intelligence rapidly destroy once-stable career paths. I would argue there are few more qualified to help us weigh both sides of this equation than bestselling author, former world champion poker player, and PhD in cognitive psychology Annie Duke. That's why I invited her to speak at my upcoming virtual summit about Navigating the Future of Entertainment.

"Should I quit?" is a complicated question that has taken on multiple meanings over the last five years. Pre-Covid, quitting was largely considered a last resort in a world where the mirage of career ladders still existed, and being trained in a highly specialized craft meant job "stability" and "security."

According to Annie in her bestselling book Quit:

"Quitting means failing, capitulating, losing. Quitting shows a lack of character. Quitters are losers."

The optics of quitting shifted during 'The Great Resignation' of 2020 and 2021 in favor of those seeking more meaning and purpose in their work. When forced to pause and reflect on their life choices, more than 47 million people voluntarily quit their jobs to pursue new career paths in search of opportunities more aligned with their values and devoid of burnout. If only life were as simple as things seemed back in 2021 when we had the luxury of choice!

What happens when quitting is no longer an option and your career path has quit on you?

While many have written about the "contractions" happening across industries as corporations cut their workforces to the bone and begin embracing AI, I would argue we are not experiencing a contraction because contraction denotes an inevitable expansion at some point in the future. One cannot exist without the other.

No different than the transition from horses to automobiles, there will be no inevitable expansion reverting back to whatever world we deemed "normal" just a few years ago.

Welcome to 'The Great Correction.'

Humans are a resilient species, and uncertainty is nothing new to us. As Annie mentioned in our interview:

"The world was always uncertain. We just can't ignore it anymore."

Given the overwhelming feeling of permanence walking away from your life's work takes on in such an uncertain world, I've offered up three alternative questions largely inspired by my conversation with Annie to help us all navigate the next act of our careers without selling our creative souls in the process.

Instead of asking, "What's going to happen next?" we can ask, "What do I know? And what don't I know?"

As Annie often says, every decision we make is a forecast of the future. As the future becomes more uncertain, the more weight each of our decisions carry. To lighten the load, we can focus on what we do know and act accordingly.

We know that artificial intelligence isn't going away and will be a fundamental skill necessary for our creative survival. There's no getting around the necessity of prioritizing time, energy, and attention towards learning these new technologies.

We also know that storytelling will always be a vital skill. Since the beginning of human civilization dating back to the flicker of flame across cave paintings, we as humans have required stories to help us make sense of our realities. There is never a bad time to strengthen the necessary skills to tell better stories that allow people to feel something.

And we know that as artificial intelligence becomes more abundant, true human connectivity will become even more scarce. Therefore, there has never been a better time to prioritize building genuine human relationships.

What don't we know? We don't know what the hell is going to happen next, that's for sure! But what we can count on is more uncertainty, thus we need to plan accordingly.

Instead of asking, "Should I keep trying to make it work?" we can ask, "What needs to be true for me to continue?"

In our upcoming conversation, Annie and I discuss the value of mental time travel whereby you pick a time in the near future and write yourself a letter from that place in time. For example, choose the minimum benchmarks you must achieve by the end of this year in order to keep on the same path, and then write yourself a letter from that place in time as if you’ve met (or exceeded) your expectations.

Here’s an example:

“It's the end of 2025, and I'm excited to share that I've accomplished (insert accomplishments here). Had I not reached these benchmarks, I would have decided to move in a different direction. But now that I'm here, I can continue moving forwards confident I'm on the right path. Keep going my friend, you're almost there.”

Yup, this is corny as hell. But it works!

At the end of 2024 I wrote myself a letter from the end of 2025. And I warned myself the first half of this year was going to suck (boy have I nailed that prediction so far). But my future self also assured me I'd get through to the other side. Every time my anxiety about the future ratchets up to '11,' I re-read this letter to myself, and my anxiety instantly feels more manageable.

Instead of asking, "Do I have to start over?" we can ask, "Where can I be helpful to others right now?"

Having had countless conversations with creatives and artists navigating mid-career pivots, the most common fear amongst them is "I have to start over." But this could not be further from the truth.

While this Great Correction is unnerving, I believe the opportunity borne out of this crisis is that we can finally re-embrace our natural tendency as humans to live as generalists. We are not naturally wired to be highly specialized in a single craft and follow one path our entire adult lives. It was the Industrial Revolution that conditioned us to become complacent widgets on the assembly line of other people's dreams. But we now have the opportunity to diversify our skills and interests which can ultimately lead to a more fulfilling and well-balanced life.

With your lifetime of skills, work experience, life experiences, and unique knowledge I guarantee you can be helpful to someone else right now, not someday. You are not starting over. The key is better understanding the many Venn Diagrams that comprise the mosaic that is you so you can find that unique overlap where you have an 'asymmetric advantage' over everyone else. (I go much deeper into this concept with another of my summit guests, bestselling author of 'The Portfolio Life' Christina Wallace.)

If there's one final piece of advice I'd presume Annie might leave you with, it would be:

"The worst time to make a decision is when you're in it."

And boy are we all in it right now. To give you a fresh perspective on your situation and get clarity on whether you should keep going or choose a different path, now is the best time surround yourself with friends, like-minded peers, mentors, or (shameless self-promotion) a "quitting coach" to help you navigate the next act of your career.

If you're not sure where to connect with any (or all) of the above, come join me at my upcoming virtual summit about Navigating the Future of Entertainment going live on Monday, June 23rd.