Stuck in your career? Five questions a counsellor would ask first.

Career counselling, done well, is not about CV polishing or interview prep — those come later. It's about getting clear on what you actually want, before you start optimising for it. Question 1: What does a good day at work look like, in concrete detail? Not "fulfilling" or "meaningful." What are you doing at 11am? Who are you with? What kind of problem are you solving? Question 2: When in the last year have you felt most alive at work? What were you doing, and what made it different? Most career pivots get unblocked by paying attention to these moments — they point at energy, which is the leading indicator of fit. Question 3: What are the constraints you can't change? Family obligations, financial floor, geography. Naming these early stops you from designing a fantasy you can't actually execute on. Question 4: What's the worst-case version of staying where you are? Five years from now, if nothing changes, what does your work life look like? This question is uncomfortable on purpose. It surfaces whether the cost of staying is actually higher than the cost of changing — which is usually the real blocker. Question 5: Who are three people doing something you'd want to be doing in three years? Not heroes, not celebrities — actual humans you could plausibly become. Their paths are usually a better roadmap than any career-advice article. A career counsellor won't answer these for you. They'll sit with you while you do, and help you notice the patterns you can't see yourself.