I remember when I first started to reconsider what role a career played in my life. My soulpreneur friends who were blissfully committed to their purpose-driven businesses had started to exercise their influence on me. I noticed that the memes I shared with friends were mostly about wanting to frolic full-time and the crumbling end to the “rise and grind” era. I started seriously considering a big change. This was a few years ago. I’ve since been focused on creating a work-life imbalance, where living a fulfilled life has overtaken a focus on my career.

“I’ve since been focused on creating a work-life imbalance, where living a fulfilled life has overtaken a focus on my career.”

A career downgrade runs contrary to everything we traditionally accept about how to manage one’s career. Moving to a job with a lower pay grade or level of responsibility isn’t a transition only in the hands of your employer — it might be something you seek out within a company or as a shift to an entirely different role or industry, as was my case. In my previous role as a marketing manager, my job was hyper-online and social-media-centric. It depleted me and, after a while, I realized it wasn’t serving the kind of life I wanted to live. Personally, I wished to be barely online and craved time, particularly in those early months after the pandemic, to create and engage with forgotten hobbies and my writing.

Coming from a low-income household, the financial opportunity my career afforded me played on my mind. After graduating (and probably before) I had it ingrained in my mind that, foremost, I should choose a job that would lead to financial stability. Coming from London (one of the most unthinkably expensive cities in the world) meant that my work-life had always been intricately tied up with my ideas about survival. I found that I was working solely for the sake of making a living and I didn’t feel comfortable with that framework anymore. I wanted to work in an industry that was in alignment with my values, not just my needs. And so I leaped, knowing that others had jumped off the hamster wheel to create a life that was enlivening and had landed just fine.

“I wanted to work in an industry that was in alignment with my values, not just my needs.”

Before making this decision, my journal entries and conversations with friends who could hold space for me while I worked through this change, revealed that the pros outweighed the cons. Am I using my most vital energy working for something I believe in? Does what I want to do exist? Will the risk be worth the magic? These are some of the questions I sat with and often offer to others who are at the cusp of intentionally taking a step back in their career.

Shame and the implications of a “downgrade”

Most of us encounter a lot of our own resistance when contemplating taking this path. A lot of this can be chalked up to the shameful connotations of a “downgrade.” Dr. Barbara F. Shabazz, Psy.D. & CPEC, explains that “the benefits of career downgrading can actually be found in the antonyms of this very term. Deciding to downgrade with intention can serve as an impetus for us to honor our ethics, improve upon our self-esteem, and increase our time freedom.” 

“Deciding to downgrade with intention can serve as an impetus for us to honor our ethics, improve upon our self-esteem, and increase our time freedom.” 

–Dr. Barbara F. Shabazz, Psy.D. & CPEC

Intentionally releasing old narratives about a career can help reveal useful alternatives. This is what I learned: My career “downgrade” was actually an upgrade and a chance to step into a career path that spoke to my present self. “Too often, the word ‘downgrade’ has negative connotations of reduced importance and value. Let’s flip those attributions on their head and posit a reframe,” Dr. Shabazz suggests.

The challenge is particularly difficult in societies that champion a speedy rise to the top. Wemi Opakunle, a life and career coach and author of “Thank God It’s Monday” agrees that “the very idea of downgrading requires a perspective shift from the beginning. The word ‘down’ connotes something negative, that you’re losing something, which is false.” Opakunle explains further, “Approach it from a perspective of shifting and rearranging something that no longer works the way that it is.” This approach might offer a gentler transition for those who feel intimidated. 

Dr. Shabazz reminds us that no amount of money, power, or “title prestige” can fill the void when you’re simply no longer inspired or comfortable in your position. There are, of course, several things to consider when making the shift but I agree with Dr. Shabazz’s statement that “devoting inordinate amounts of time to endeavors that do not foster personal growth, collective purpose, or genuine joy” is a great motivation to initiate change.

Quiet quitting vs. career downgrading

Quiet quitting, a term that has risen in popularity in the last few years, indicates a stance where you put in the bare minimum while remaining in the same position. This might look like being the first one out the door, not doing any unpaid overtime, or not obsessing over the idea of advancing to a leadership position.

A career downgrade on the other hand may appeal to a different individual. This is less about reducing commitment and enthusiasm and more about embracing a capacity for less: less responsibility, less pay, less presence and decision-making, or a combination of them all. It is a less-effort career that is above board rather than an employee’s under-the-radar attempts to do the least without being caught or fired. Being upfront about your capacity is a key difference between quiet quitting and career downgrading.

“Being upfront about your capacity is a key difference between quiet quitting and career downgrading.”

Both positions are often born out of the same frustrations, though. A study found that quiet quitting is much more than taking the easy option and studies showed that 80% of quiet quitters were burnt out. Burnout in general is a main culprit in the grand scheme of job dissatisfaction. In fact, there is a direct link between quiet quitting and the Great Resignation, which showed record numbers of U.S. employees resigning from their roles in 2021. In comparison, career downgrading is a more direct approach to advocating for oneself and outlining what is no longer working. This downgrade can be crucial for moving forward in the direction of your choosing.

How to know when it is time for a career downgrade

Certain signs suggest that it is time for a career downgrade. Opakunle lists them as: “Burnout, feeling unfulfilled and uninspired, unending stress, not sleeping, worry and constant anxiety around your work.” Most of us ignore these signs because we don’t think we have an alternative. To this, Opakunle encourages a perspective shift where we transform from being a victim of circumstance to knowing that we always have a choice to change something in our current landscape, even if it’s small. 

“Most of us ignore these signs because we don’t think we have an alternative.”

In my experience, another sign is when you start to feel a sense of magnetism or bravery to embrace the direction you want to go in. Truthfully, I don’t dream of labor. I dream of living a full and purposeful life and being present in the lives of those I love. I’d like any career or income stream to contribute to that vision. For me, this meant trusting myself to redesign a work life where I was excited to start the day. As Opakunle often asks her clients, “Who were you before the world told you who you were?”

Advice for a healthy transition to a new chosen position

If you are considering taking on a career downgrade, there are some things that will help make the transition smoother. Dr. Shabazz offers guidance to prompt you toward this decision:

Embrace the grace 

This is a process. You may not have a chosen position in mind, initially. And that is okay. It often takes time and space away from the emotional attachment of what you were doing to have the capacity to imagine yourself in another role, with different responsibilities. It’s okay to ease into this uncharted territory.

Supportive spaces only 

Standing with someone doesn’t always have to be agreeable, but it should never be deliberately discouraging. Sharing your story with humans who are able to offer objective feedback, wisdom, and validation can be just the salve that you need to heal, recalibrate, and begin again. 

Life lessons for the win 

You may second-guess your decision…repeatedly. This is normal. Embrace this possibility along with the excitement that comes with what the unknowns of the future hold. Stay the course. One day at a time. Use all transferable skills, lived experiences, and acquired knowledge to propel you, confidently and expectantly, into the next chapter! ✨

Getting ready to choose something new can be exciting as well as scary. Honoring your worth outside of your position, communicating your capacity to yourself and others, noting the signs, and making a shift that supports your lifestyle, will make a career realignment possible and hopefully, very worthwhile.

Amara Amaryah is a Jamaican essayist, author, and wellness and travel writer born in London. Her life writings are interested in voice — often voicelessness — and reclamations of identity through definitions of home. Her freelance journalism explores health, joy, self-knowing, and more. Amara now travels and lives slowly in her favorite places around the world. She writes the “Life Is In Love With Me” newsletter.