Identify Your
Career Pattern in
10 Minutes
You’ll receive:
Your Career Pattern revealed – Find out which of the 5 patterns you’re in right now
Key risks to watch for – Learn what happens if this pattern continues unchecked
Targeted first steps – Practical, strategic actions designed for your pattern
If you feel like you're growing and changing as a person, but your career hasn't kept pace, you're not alone.
The timing feels particularly confusing - shouldn't career growth naturally follow personal development? Why does doing everything right still leave you feeling stuck?
Here's what's probably happening: You researched the role, applied your strengths, followed best practices.
But jobs and organisations aren't static—they evolve, leadership changes, priorities shift. You've kept up with the changes as best as you could but at the end of the day you're still in the same situation - stuck
When Good Advice Doesn't Fit
It's common to assume you need …
better networking when you're actually misaligned with your role
more skills when you're actually overextended and need boundaries
to work harder when you actually need to change your priorities
to push through when you actually need to reset expectations with your manager
more confidence when you actually need to walk away from a toxic situation
The Cost
How much time, effort and focus have you spent trying to fix something that needed to be left behind? Or giving up on something that just needed a different approach?
What Changes Everything
Once you understand what type of career challenge you're actually facing, everything becomes clearer. You can see whether this is something you can influence or if it's time for a targeted exit.
You're not broken. Your career isn't hopeless.
You just need the right approach for your specific situation.
Here's What's Possible
When you start using approaches designed for your actual career situation:
You finally know which battles are worth fighting and which aren't
You can make targeted moves that align with your specific context
You stop wasting energy on tactics that were never going to work for you
You regain energy because you're working WITH your situation, not against it
The relief of finally understanding what's been happening - and knowing exactly what to do about it - changes everything.
What Are The 5 Career Patterns?
After years of helping professionals navigate career challenges, I noticed something: the same fundamental challenges kept appearing across different roles, industries, and career stages.
The Career Patterns are 5 distinct workplace situations, each with specific sub-patterns that create different combinations of frustration, opportunity, and constraint. Each pattern has its own logic, triggers, and effective solutions.
Understanding which one you're in right now helps you take an active role in shaping your environment—or making informed decisions about when it's time to leave.
Here are the 5 Career Patterns:
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You’re in a good season — work feels aligned, momentum is strong, and things are moving. But you’re aware that not all success is satisfying. You want to grow intentionally — not just in title or pay, but in meaning, autonomy, and energy. This is a high-leverage moment to shape what success looks like for you — before external momentum locks you into paths you didn’t actively choose.
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You're capable and ready for more, but growth feels blocked or unclear. You're not failing or disengaged - you might even be the reliable one others count on. But somewhere between competence and comfort, forward momentum has stalled. Whether it's external barriers, role pigeonholing, or simply not seeing a clear next step, you're aware that 'steady' has quietly become 'stuck.'
SUB-PATTERNS
Stagnant but Stable - You're in a comfortable position where things work well enough, but you feel restless about your potential for more. You've mastered your current level and are ready for growth, but you're also aware that leaping blindly isn't the answer.
Stuck in Role-Identity - You've become so closely associated with your current role or function that it's hard for others (and possibly yourself) to imagine you doing anything else. Your expertise has become a cage, and every opportunity feels like a variation of what you already do.
Ready to Grow, No Clear Path - You have energy for growth and know you're capable of more, but the pathway forward feels unclear or uninspiring. You're not choosing between doors; you're trying to find the wall to build one.
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You're capable and competent, but something fundamental feels off about your current situation. Whether it's being undervalued, culturally mismatched, or practically trapped, you're experiencing a disconnect between who you are and where you're working. This isn't about skill gaps or performance issues - it's about environmental fit. Your challenge is navigating the gap between your current reality and a context where you can truly thrive.
SUB-PATTERNS
Underused & Unseen - You have capabilities that significantly exceed what your role requires, but your talents remain invisible to decision-makers. You're not struggling with confidence - you know what you can do - but your strengths aren't landing in the right rooms or reaching the right people.
Questioning Fit & Belonging - You're fully capable of the work, but something fundamental feels off about the culture, values, or leadership style. You find yourself constantly adapting or muting parts of yourself just to get through the day, and it's draining despite surface-level performance.
Checked Out but Can't Leave - You've emotionally disconnected from your work, but practical constraints like financial obligations, visas, or caregiving responsibilities make it hard to leave. You're conserving energy while waiting for a viable moment to re-engage or exit.
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You consistently deliver excellent work, often under impossible conditions, but your competence has become a trap. You're the go-to person who makes everything work - even when it's not your responsibility. Behind the efficiency is exhaustion, and you're spending too much time firefighting instead of building strategic growth. Your problem-solving talents are being channeled toward keeping systems afloat rather than advancing your career.
SUB-PATTERNS
Overwhelmed & Overfunctioning - You've become the fixer and dependable one who holds broken systems together. You deliver under any conditions, but this competence trap is shaping your trajectory toward reactive survival instead of strategic positioning.
Pulled in Too Many Directions - Your versatility is working against you. You keep getting tapped for everything because you're adaptable and quick to deliver, but you're being stretched across unrelated domains without building depth or coherent momentum.
Succeeding Despite Dysfunction - You're performing well and even thriving on paper, but the system around you is broken. You've mastered navigating poor leadership, toxic politics, or chaotic processes - but you're building expertise in dysfunction management instead of value creation.
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You're in a period of professional transition or uncertainty, working to clarify who you are and where you're headed. This isn't about lacking skills or experience - it's about finding coherence, direction, or rebuilding after a significant shift. You're navigating the space between where you've been and where you want to go, seeking clarity about your next chapter while honoring what you've already accomplished.
SUB-PATTERNS
Recalibrating & Rebuilding - Something recent knocked you off your career rhythm - burnout, layoff, health issue, or personal shift. You're in an uncomfortable but potential-filled in-between space, slowly regathering energy, clarity, and confidence while rebuilding on your own terms.
Identity-Drifting - You've done many things and gathered extensive experience, but now feel untethered without a clear narrative thread. You're not lost because of failure, but because of abundance - seeking coherence and meaning-making rather than starting over from scratch.
Note:
You're not stuck in a Career Pattern forever, and there's no linear progression through them. You can jump between patterns as your circumstances, priorities, or environment change.
Some patterns are temporary and healthy, and not every situation requires extensive change - learn about the pattern your career is in and make informed decisions about what you want and don’t want to do.
FAQs
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The assessment was created by Ruth Song, a career wayfinding strategist based in Singapore with 15 years of experience helping professionals navigate career transitions. The 5 Career Patterns emerged from working with hundreds of individuals who felt stuck despite doing everything 'right' in their careers.
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No. This assessment focuses specifically on your current career situation and the strategic approaches that work for your specific pattern of being stuck.
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The assessment doesn't prescribe specific jobs or careers. Instead, it helps you understand your current situation and provides strategic approaches for moving forward - whether that's thriving where you are, influencing your current environment, or making a strategic exit.
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hat's exactly why this assessment is valuable. Not everyone needs a career change - some need different strategies for their current situation. The assessment helps you understand which approach is right for you.
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Most career advice assumes everyone's situation is the same. Our approach recognises that the same 'stuck' feeling can have very different causes and therefore requires different solutions.
