How to avoid a career comedown before you've even started

Feeling tired before your career's really got going? Stefanie Sword-Williams has spent over a decade working in the creative industry, and as the founder of Fck Being Humble – the platform challenging outdated ideas around confidence and self-promotion at work – she’s seen what happens when people push through at all costs. Here, Stefanie looks at the early habits that shape a career and how to avoid a comedown before it sets in.

If you’ve already Googled “how to set boundaries at work”, “why does my boss scare me”, or “is feeling bored normal at the start of your career?” then welcome - you’re in good company.

I’ve spent 12 years working in the creative industry, and the one thing I can say very confidently is that the actions you take at the start of your career quietly set the tone for everything that comes after.

In 2018, I started a movement called “F*ck Being Humble”, helping people to knock down doors and promote themselves unapologetically. Since then, I’ve become the go-to career agony aunt - helping people land jobs, secure clients, get promotions, and finally back themselves. But now my focus has shifted: I’m teaching people how to avoid a career comedown.

A career comedown is what happens when you pour years of time, energy, and identity into your work, only to wake up one day and realise it no longer makes you happy.

In my new book, Career Comedown: What to Do When Work Isn’t Working for You, I’ve identified the early moments when we start to feel lost, stuck, overwhelmed, or frustrated - and I’ve pulled together practical ways to avoid sliding into a career rut in the first place.

So whether you’re hunting for your first job or figuring things out in those messy, early career years, here’s everything you should be doing to build a career that actually works for you – and one you can stick with for the long run:

Have boundaries, but make them flexible

If you want to get ahead early in your career, being too rigid can actually hold you back. You don’t need to be available 24/7, but being open to new projects, people and ways of working is what helps you grow.

Sometimes that means staying late or working through lunch to get the job done, and other times it means asking to work remotely or leave early for something personal. If you want flexibility from your company or clients, you’ve got to be willing to show it yourself. Saying no to everything might protect your time, but it can also mean missing out on the exposure and opportunities you actually want.

Change your beliefs and it will change your experience

You can do all the “right” career moves, but you can’t control your boss, your team, or office chaos. What you can control is the story you tell yourself. As career coach Liz Ward says, “your beliefs shape your experience - some lift you up, others drain you”. Convinced your boss hates you? You’ll act like it. But flip the script and maybe they’re stressed about their own workload and not really trying to sabotage you. Practising empathy and seeing things from their perspective protects your energy and stops you from taking things personally.

Don’t let ‘boreout’ slow you down

Being bored at work isn’t just a passing feeling - it has a name “boreout”. While burnout comes from doing too much, boreout happens when your job feels unchallenging, pointless, or mentally dull.

One way to avoid it? Keep a career bucket list. Write down all the things you’d love to conquer throughout your career, it doesn’t need to be linear or even make sense right now, just allow yourself to dream big. And make sure you’re regularly reflecting on what lights you up and what drains you. Without this, it’s easy to follow a set trajectory instead of shaping your career around what genuinely excites you. The happiest people are the ones who mould their work to match their evolving interests.

Find your own joy at work

If you want more joy at work, don’t wait for your company or clients to deliver it - you’ve got the power to make your days more exciting. Instead of wishing time away, find ways to make the tasks you dread more enjoyable, turn problem-solving into a mini-game, or think of ways to spark excitement in the people around you.

Not only will it make time fly, but when you look back on your career you’ll actually be able to say you enjoyed the process. Remember, you can’t add more days to your life, but you can add more life to your days.

Adopt the contributor over expert mindset

You don’t need to be an expert to start contributing. Early in your career, it can feel intimidating to put yourself forward, especially when it seems like you’re competing with people who have more experience.

But being young, fresh, and eager is part of your unique offering so don’t let yourself be overlooked in the first half of your career because you were waiting for permission. You were hired for a reason, so speak up, get involved and show your value instead of letting others question your presence for staying quiet.

Move away from ‘earning your stripes’

Once you’ve done the groundwork - contributing confidently, showing up, building your reputation - it’s time to move beyond the “earning your stripes” mindset and step into your “respect me” era. This means confidently articulating your contributions, advocating for bigger projects and cultivating relationships with people who will champion you when you’re not in the room.

For example, volunteer to lead a small project that stretches your skills, or ask to present an idea directly to a senior stakeholder instead of letting someone else take the credit. Don’t just shadow or take notes. Make your impact visible, claim your space and show that you’re no longer proving yourself.