Every year at this time, our feeds are filled with lists of career trends: automation is coming for our jobs, our skills gaps are growing, and we all need to be ready for big, scary change. These trends might predict what’s happening to us, but wouldn’t it be better to focus on what’s possible for us?

The truth is, the most powerful shifts in your career don’t come from following trends. They come from rethinking your approach to work and redefining success on your terms. That’s why, instead of compiling another trends list for 2025, we’re sharing our wish list for you—the mindsets and approaches we’d love for you to adopt to create a more fulfilling career.

We know these ideas are big, and not everyone is ready to embrace them. Fear, societal pressures, and years of conditioning can hold us back from experimenting and taking risks on our career journeys. But these “wishes” show what’s possible when you give yourself permission to think differently.

Here are our five wishes for 2025—ones we hope you’ll consider as you shape your future!

Wish #1: Identify and Amplify Your Unique Gifts

Connect the dots between your innate strengths, passions, and your career journey.

Let 2025 be the year you stop trying to fit into a predefined role and start seeking work aligned with your strengths and passions. Your gifts are your edge, and when you uncover and amplify them, you demonstrate the unique value only you can bring.

We often talk about the importance of storytelling. Your ability to share why your work matters, how your challenges have shaped you, and how your experiences connect to the value you create can be game-changing.

Showcase both what you do and who you are

Storytelling isn’t just about a stellar resume. It’s also about shaping the narrative of your career journey to showcase your values, beliefs, and approach to work.

Seek opportunities to share

Whether in interviews, networking, or your daily work, talk about why you do what you do and how your gifts set you apart (especially in an increasingly automated world).

Wish #2: Engage in Values-Driven Career Mapping

Build a healthier, more sustainable career path.

We’ve talked before about how more and more people are questioning societal definitions of success. Instead of chasing titles or salaries, they’re letting values alignment stand as their new measure of success. This approach encourages you to bring your personal priorities to the forefront.

Creating a values-driven career map can fuel greater fulfillment and long-term success.

Reset expectations

Both the expectations you’ve placed on yourself and expectations from others can lead you down a less-than-fulfilling path. Reconsider what’s truly important—and necessary—to align your work with your purpose.

Ask better questions

When you’re approached with a new opportunity, ask yourself, “Does this organization’s culture align with what I stand for?” or “How closely do the company values match mine?”

Wish #3: Blend Personal Growth with Professional Agility

Recognize that growth is about becoming as much as achieving.

In an era where career paths are anything but linear, it might be time to focus on who you’re becoming as much as what you’re achieving. Don’t be afraid to blur the line between professional and personal growth—because skills like emotional intelligence, resilience, and adaptability serve you both in work and life.

Improving your mindset and leaning into new opportunities will equip you to face change with confidence and optimism.

Adopt a growth mindset

Foster the belief that your skills, abilities, and intelligence can grow with effort and learning. Instead of seeing challenges as setbacks, look at them as opportunities to improve and adapt.

Stretch yourself

Growth happens when you step outside your comfort zone. Where can you find opportunities to push yourself personally and professionally?

Connect with others who inspire growth

Growth thrives in community. Surround yourself with people who inspire, challenge, and support you, like close friends, mentors, or accountability partners.

Wish #4: Use Career Wayfinding to Navigate Your Path with Curiosity

Adopt a practical framework for experimenting and moving forward.

It might sound like an idyllic approach: throw out your rigidly constructed career plans, embrace curiosity, and take a risk to finally find real fulfillment. For those who are afraid to follow such an uncertain path, there’s a framework that might make it a little less scary: career wayfinding.

Career wayfinding is an iterative, agile process of experimenting, pivoting, and adapting. Instead of waiting for clarity to act (or the perfect opportunity to present itself), you take steps to experiment, learn, and adjust as you go. This flexible approach creates space for exploration without pressure.

Embrace curiosity

Ask questions like “What energizes me? What am I curious to learn next?” These prompts can help you look at your career as a process of discovery.

Embark on experiments

Wayfinding encourages small steps—like shadowing a colleague, volunteering for a project, or taking a class—to test your interests. Each experiment offers valuable feedback to inform your next steps.

Make iterative adjustments

Instead of committing to a fixed path, career wayfinding is iterative. Try something, reflect, and then course-correct based on the insights you gain.

Wish #5: Boost Your Adaptability Quotient (AQ)

Repeat after me: Those who adapt, grow. Those who resist, stagnate.

We’ve all heard of IQ and EQ, but AQ (Adaptability Quotient) is emerging as one of the most critical career skills. AQ measures how well you adapt to change and learn to thrive in evolving (sometimes chaotic) environments. Simply put, it equips you with the mindset and skills to embrace change with confidence.

So, how do you boost your AQ? It starts by focusing on agility and embracing discomfort.

Learn agility

We should all be cultivating the ability to learn, unlearn, and relearn. Those with high AQ actively seek out new knowledge, stay curious, and adapt based on changing circumstances.

Embrace discomfort

Change isn’t comfortable, but high AQ enables you to lean into that discomfort. It’s about staying open to new ideas and letting go of old tendencies and assumptions.

If we could wish for one thing in 2025, it’s this: that you give yourself permission to experiment, grow, and rethink what success means to you. These five wishes are invitations to think differently about your career and take small, intentional steps forward.

At Transitions Careers, we help people navigate uncertainty and find greater fulfillment in life and work. If you’re ready to make a fresh start, reach out to learn more about Transitions Careers and how we can support you.