Your 'Prestigious' Career Is Killing Your Future (try this strategy)
Article #121 of Life Unlocked - A newsletter by Dr Yath Prem, MD
Dear Friends,
For the longest time, I believed that careers had to fit into neat, predefined boxes. You pick a path like finance, consulting, or medicine. You climb the ladder, and adjust your life to ‘work’ around it, often sacrificing things in your personal life.
But about two years ago, I realised that I was asking the wrong question and thinking about careers in such a primitive way. Instead of forcing myself to fit into a career like most other people, I asked myself: How can my career fit into the life I actually want? You know, the kinda life most people plan for in retirement?
Many of us follow a career trajectory that society, family, or even our past selves laid out for us. We chase titles, stability, and prestige, thinking that once we “arrive,” we’ll finally feel content. But real fulfilment doesn’t come from a job title or a prestigious company name, it comes from alignment.
Alignment with your values.
Alignment with your time freedom.
Alignment with your personal goals.
Your career should be a tool that serves you, not the other way around. Think of it as your vehicle to build the life you dream of – not some predefined ladder you're forced to climb until retirement. I refuse to accept that we should spend our prime years grinding away at jobs that drain our souls, waiting for some distant "freedom" at 65. Life is too precious and far too short for that.
Whether it's a corporate hamster wheel or a rigid vocational track, I'm here to tell you: it's okay to challenge these expectations. It's okay to want more from your work right now (in your 20s). Your career should fuel your life's adventures, not postpone them. Ask yourself:
What does an ideal day look like for me? Do you want flexibility? A structured 9-5? Remote work? More in-person collaboration?
What are my non-negotiables? Whether it’s time with family, creative freedom, financial growth, or impact, your career should respect these.
What kind of work energises me? If you dread Mondays and live for the weekends, it’s time to rethink what truly excites you.
For me, the shift happened when I realised what I wanted in life. I wanted a career that gave me time, financial, health, and social freedom. Moving into health-tech (mostly remote), content creation (tbc lol), and freelance coaching wasn’t just about career satisfaction, it was about designing a life that aligns with what I value most.
And here’s the truth: it’s possible for you too.
A career that aligns with your values doesn’t just need to be an elusive dream.
It’s something you can create, step by step, with the right mindset and strategy. You can, and should, start today.
If your current path isn’t giving you what you need, you don’t have to settle. Explore, experiment, pivot. The best careers aren’t chosen once; they evolve with you.
In fact, I'd love to personally support you on this journey. While I'm working on some exciting resources (coming soon!), I'm offering free 1:1 career strategy calls to the first 10 people who reach out. No pitch, just a genuine conversation about where you are and where you want to be.
Ready to take that first step? Just hit reply with "CAREER" and the ONE thing you’d like to discuss, we'll make it happen.
Have a great week,
Dr Yath Prem, MD
Quote of the week:
“You'll achieve much more by being consistently reliable than by being occasionally extraordinary.” — Sahil Bloom (The 5 Types of Wealth)
Recommendation of the week:
Claude AI - Unsure if I’ve been living under a rock but for writing, the Claude models feel far superior to ChatGPT and the UI/UX is so much nicer. It’ll be interesting to see Claude AI holds up with the changes announced to ChatGPT 4o just yesterday. Right now, it feels like I am using too many tools: Perplexity Pro, ChatGPT Plus, and Claude Pro. I will have to consolidate my use cases (which I’ll share in a future newsletter). But for now, if you write a lot, check out Claude AI.
If you’d like to support my work, you can buy me a coffee. For daily content, follow me on Instagram and for video content, subscribe to my YouTube channel.