This counterintuitive career move could make you happier (and wealthier)

July 3, 2026 — 5:11am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

We’re led to believe that our careers will always be linear. We’ll start as the most junior person in the room, and slowly get promoted, every few years, up through the ranks until we’re as close to the top as we are going to get.

But reality is a lot more complicated, and our careers rarely follow straight paths. In fact, there comes in time in almost everyone’s work history when you have a decision to make. Instead of just taking the next job above you, you might consider a sideways – or even slightly downwards – career move for various reasons.

Sideways career moves are rarely driven by money or status, and instead are fuelled by more intrinsic values such as learning something new, greater enjoyment or trying to find a job with better alignment to your values.

They can also be, in the right circumstances, a game changer for your career. Making a lateral move can expand your........

© The Age