What do Morgan Freeman, Tina Fey, Ralph Lauren, and Ranveer Singh have in common? Freeman was a mechanic in his 20s. Fey was a childcare registrar. Lauren sold ties. Singh was a copywriter. They all struggled to find their niche as 20-somethings.

Things haven’t changed much for those who’ve just started out. There’s still a lot to choose from and a lot to be overwhelmed by. “It’s OK to have multiple career transitions in a lifetime,” says psychotherapist Ruchita Chandrashekar, 32, who worked as a copywriter until she was 23. She and two other career-switchers offer help on taking a pause and branching out early.

Know when it’s time to switch. “I had a great job with a good salary and good perks. But it was boring,” says Odell Dias, 34, about his time as a team lead at a healthcare tech firm in Mumbai. “A friend asked me to create content for his blog, which was when I realised what I really wanted to do.” Dias quit his job at 25 – a day after he was promoted, and started studying SEO, social media marketing, and content creation. “It’s a no-brainer. If you’re going to work every day, but dreading the work and questioning whether you’re even learning anything, it’s time for a career switch.”

Take stock of skills. Muskan Jain, 26, worked as a tax consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers when she was 21. “Despite my finance background, I initially found working with numbers daunting,” she says. “But it it took some time to acknowledge this challenge. Eventually, I called my manager and said, ‘I don’t think I want to do this anymore’.” Jain took a break for 18 months to figure things out, mostly because she could afford to. “I knew I had to move away from taxes eventually, as it simply didn’t interest me. Though I wasn’t certain about my next step, I knew I needed a change,” she says. She eventually found a job in public relations.

Find the fire. Chandrashekar, the copywriter-turned-psychotherapist, has a checklist for those adrift early in their careers. “Ask yourself: What’s the role of a job for you? Is it only a source of income or something you care about?” she says. Even cool fields, such as advertising, won’t seem fulfilling if they’re not right for you. Chandrashekar worked with young girls at the anti-trafficking NGO Prerana for six months after she quit as a copywriter. It made her realise how much she loved working with communities. “I am an extrovert, and people always said I put them at ease. So, I knew there was potential for something there.”

Upskill on the job. Young people are more likely to be hired and trained than those who’ve put in the years at a different profession. “Make those jumps in the first two to three years,” advises Dias. Jain, too, used her love for socialising and making connections to her advantage. “It didn’t matter that I was a fresher again.”

Trust your gut. “Talk to people with shared interests, people who have made career transitions, who work at places you look up to,” says Chandrashekar. And listen to yourself, says Jain. “It’s never too late to take chances, whether you’re 20, 30, or 50. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t force yourself to stick with it. If it’s not your calling, let it go and pursue what you’re truly good at.”

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