Leigh Waring worked hard for her dream job. Big Four accounting firm, right out of college. The one everyone told her to want.

She got it. And something never clicked.

No dramatic blowup. No single bad day. Just a slow, quiet feeling that the work didn't have a "why" underneath it. She tried switching lanes — corporate accounting instead of public. Same feeling followed her in.

So she called her recruiter and asked a blunt question: what do people do when they don't want to do this anymore? He told her to come work at Robert Half. She researched it thoroughly (of course she did — she's an accountant) and took the leap into recruiting.

That's zigzag number one. There's a second.

Later, Leigh stepped away to run her own consulting business from home — flexible hours, more time with her kids. It looked right on paper. It wasn't. She missed her coworkers. She missed being around other adults solving problems together. So she zigzagged again, back into a corporate recruiting role, and that's where she's stayed.

In this episode, Leigh talks about the stretch of time she spent ignoring the signs, the moment she realized freedom without community wasn't the win she thought it'd be, and the one piece of advice she wishes someone had given her sooner: pay attention to what actually lights you up at work, even the small stuff. Those are the building blocks for your next move.

If you've ever felt that quiet "this isn't it" and talked yourself out of listening to it — this one's for you.

Connect with Leigh Waring on LinkedIn, or find her through Robert Half's accounting and finance recruiting team in the southeastern PA market.

Your GPS isn't broken. Come find your recalculated route at MoveToJoyCoaching.com. And be sure to like this podcast and subscribe/follow to hear more stories of people who found their career needed a new map.