Should I quit my job? Which offer should I take? Should I do a Master’s degree because I have no clue what to do with my life? These are some of the most difficult decisions every pizza-faced grad will inevitably have to make.

Keen on quitting your job? Well, where do you go next? Which path do you choose? Soon you’re spiraling, with no idea what to do, stuck in the same place you were six months ago.

These decisions will affect how you spend years of your time, so the stakes are high.

So what do you do?

Here are a few ideas.

List your most important priorities

Write out your 4-7 most important priorities in making the decision.

Naturally, you’ll have to ask what you want to prioritise. Most people think too narrowly, a quick commute, free lunch, and pet-friendly office. Yes, having the office dog dribble at your feet as you eat your free toast trumps sitting in a cubicle, but is it what really matters?

Probably not.

Here are some more impactful factors to think about:

• Career capital - does the option you’re considering significantly accelerate you toward your longer-term career goals or otherwise open up lots of good options?

• Personal fit - compared to the typical long-term worker in this career, how productive do you expect to be?

•  Personal satisfaction - how would this path satisfy other important personal priorities that aren’t already covered?

• Exploration value - could this path be an outstanding long-term option that you’re uncertain about and can test out?

If you’re earlier in your career and comparing longer-term options, you’ll probably want to focus on personal satisfaction, fit, and career capital, but if you’re later on, then fit and your potential for immediate impact will be of greater importance.

Once you’ve done this, rank your options according to how well they satisfy these factors.

List your key uncertainties

Try to identify the information that is most likely to change your ranking.

It’s easy to get carried away and ask big-picture questions that aren’t decision-relevant. They’re too hard to settle, so thinking about them is unlikely to result in anything. Instead, focus on useful, specific questions relevant to the decision you’re trying to make.

Some simple, common questions to ask include:

• Would I enjoy this job?

• Realistically, could I get this job?

• What skills are required to get this job? if I don’t have them, could I learn them?

• How much influence would I have in this position?

Other questions to ask include:

• How could I most easily rule out my top option?

• What would I do today if I had to decide my career tomorrow for the rest of my life?

• What was I most uncertain about in making my ranking? Do any of those uncertainties seem easy to resolve?

Go and investigate

There comes a point where the analysis is done and you just have to test your options.

This is usually the most daunting step.

But why?

Most people, for whatever reason, tend to leap toward the more drastic action - like quitting their job - before taking lower-cost ways to learn about what’s best first.

This isn’t supposed to be scary. You aren’t supposed to start this process with a life-altering resignation.

Think of a ladder of tests that go in ascending order of cost and aim to settle the key uncertainties you’ve identified.

What would that look like?

1. You read a few career reviews and do some Googling about the option you’ve chosen. (30 mins - 2 hours).

2. You speak to someone in the role or industry to gain some personalised insights. (30 mins to 1 hour)

3. You speak to a few more people or read a book on the most effective way to enter the industry or role given your background. (3 - 10 hours).

4. You look for a project that might take 1-4 weeks of work, like applying to jobs, volunteering in a related role, or starting a blog on the area you want to focus on. If you’ve done the previous step, you’ll know what’s best.

5. Only now do you consider taking on a 2-24 month commitment, like a work placement, internship, job, or graduate study.

Make your final assessment

The time has come to make an accurate, non-biased decision.

By now, things should be reasonably clear, and if they aren’t, then at least you know you’ve done everything to make a well-considered decision, as hard as it may be.

All that’s left is to have a go.

That’s it, cya.