When I published the first part of this I expected a few dozen comments. What actually happened was nothing short of remarkable.
Over a thousand, all from people who were looking for the words to describe the frustration and uncertainty they had been feeling for so long.
I’ve spent the last two days reading all of them, and I thought it would be an interesting exercise to look at the patterns that showed up. Across different industries and countries and at every level from graduate scheme to managing director, it was truly remarkable how much of what was said could be distilled into four key problems.
Below this: the four things that turn up in almost every comment, why nobody can tell you what their company is for, what happened to the readers who quit and had to come back, and the shift that showed up more than anything else. Every practical guide on the big career decisions sits here, for the price of a cup of coffee.