What a mid-career transition really costs

When people talk about the cost of a career change they usually mean money. Runway, salary, healthcare, the shape of the next year.

But the real cost is almost always about identity. Who you were seen as. Who you were reliable to. The story you had gotten fluent at telling about yourself.

This is not a reason to stay. It is a reason to prepare. If you can name what you're grieving as you leave, you can walk toward the next thing without pretending the last thing didn't matter.