The New Career Reality: Beyond the 9 to 5 and Either-Or Thinking

When it comes to considering your career options, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking in extremes.

Either you’re stuck in a corporate job, reporting to a toxic boss and clocking in hours for someone else’s dream… or you become an entrepreneur but work harder than ever to build your own business.

Either you’re confined to a desk in an office or you get to work from your laptop on the beach.

Either you have stability or you have freedom.

Meaning or money.

You can chase your ambitions and accept that your health will suffer, or you can take it easy and accept that your work will suffer.

And, that old chestnut, you can focus on your career or you can focus on your family.

Our options are presented as being mutually exclusive and, if we’re honest, a pretty disappointing compromise either way.

But this simply isn’t a constructive, or even accurate, way of thinking about things.

Between those options of black and white are the many different shades of grey. Or, to put it more vibrantly, many different colours of the spectrum.

The 9 to 5: A Relic of the Past?

The rigid 9-to-5 working week is a relatively recent construct, born from the Industrial Revolution and factory work where strict hours made sense.

And yet it’s already out of date.

My grandparents stayed in the same company for their entire careers, working diligently for that regular paycheck and generous pension.

Even my dad, working in telecoms, had limited options to work remotely in his era, and has told me many times that work-life balance simply wouldn’t have been possible in a role like his.

(My mum, in the meantime, gave up her own promising career to raise a young family.)

Times have changed.

The traditional 9 to 5, along with its a daily commute into the big cities, is no longer the only option.

Technology allows us to work from anywhere, and the pandemic showed us that we can do this and still be productive.

Organisations realised that they could operate without all their employees on the premises, and individuals realised that there was more to life than PowerPoint decks and endless meetings.

And yet the default persists.

Beyond the 9 to 5

As much as we demonise the corporate manager, however – stuck on the hamster wheel, working long hours to be able to afford private school for his children but with no time or energy to spend with them – there are similar caricatures beyond the walls of these big corporations.

The digital nomad who earns a passive income working those infamous four hours a week.

The thought leader who posts a bit of content and travels the world doing inspirational keynotes.

The founder who sells his start-up (and, yes, the pronoun is intentional) for 7 figures.

The reality is… a bit more nuanced, shall we say.

Because the truth is that, no matter what those social media influencers and business coaches tell you in their oh-so-compelling copy, life on the other side ain’t all sunshine and rainbows either.

Corporate Isn’t Inherently Evil

For all my talk of “Leaving the Corporate 9 to 5” and “Outside of the 9 to 5” (these are my two books on the topic), quitting your job has never been the point.

While the corporate world has its problems – we’ve all heard (and, often, lived) stories of toxic bosses, return-to-office mandates, and the inevitable burnout – they, and even the concept of a job itself, are not the enemy.

There are more and more organisations that are great places to work.

There are B Corps that focus on the triple bottom line, and companies that have values and purpose baked into their DNA.

Empathetic managers that foster psychological safety and trust.

Flexible working policies that support different working styles, family situations, and personal preferences and needs.

What if you could work for a company that gets it?

Where you could do great work without selling your soul?

Where you’re respected for your skills and trusted to work in a way that suits your life?

What a crazy idea…

What If You Could Have It All?

So, here’s the thing: you don’t have to choose between freedom and financial security.

It’s not a binary choice between having a family or a career.

You don’t have to compromise on your health just because you have big ambitions.

What if you could…

• Earn good money and do meaningful work that actually matters to you?
• Benefit from the stability of a larger organisation and maintain flexibility, with your boundaries respected?
• Take care of your physical and mental health, be present with your family, and have a bold, thriving career?

Sounds like a pipedream??

I don’t think so. I’ve been interviewing people on my podcast for years now where they have been sharing their squiggly career paths, portfolio careers, and unique working schedules.

And, in my own little way, I’ve been creating this for myself.

The important question becomes: what does that unique constellation look like for you?

Live in the Grey (And Explore All the Colours of the Spectrum!)

So here’s my challenge to you: embrace the grey.

Step away from the binary thinking that tells you it’s either this or that.

You don’t have to choose between work and family, between freedom and security, between purpose and profit.

Find a way to build a career, and a life, that allows you to “have it all” – in your own way, on your own terms.

If you can dream it… you can find a way to make it happen.

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If you’re someone who has built a unique career around your personal definition of success, I’d love to hear from you and perhaps share your story on the Reimagining Success podcast .

If you’re a leader running an organisation that is not evil (!) then I would love to talk to you about how I can help you support your employees in their career development. Message me here.

In a world that’s evolving fast, why cling to an outdated model?

You don’t have to choose! There’s a whole world of possibilities waiting for you in the grey.