Muslim women are breaking barriers. Not only are we setting the fashion world ablaze with our push for more modest fashion, but we are also entering into new spaces in the fields of technology, journalism, sports, and the corporate world. Many of us are taking up paths that our mothers never set foot on. Others of us were influenced by our mothers to follow the money. If you were raised in a working class family (like me) where your dad had to work multiple jobs to keep the lights on, then you were probably pushed into lucrative fields before you even had time to consider what you liked. I’m talking about the fields that require multiple degrees, internships, and exams. High risk, but high benefits. Maybe all your hard work landed you where your parents wanted you to be–in the tax bracket they always imagined for themselves. 

But is it enough? At a certain point in your career– the safe, stable career– you start to question all your life choices: Am I in the right field? Must I love my job to be happy? If I leave now will I still be able to find success elsewhere? 

These are all daunting questions that one starts to face when they get past their first or second job. Some people are lucky enough to have mentors either professionally or personally that they can go to for advice. But if you have no one to turn to for support, consider the following points to help you find the light. 

1. Renew Your Intentions

If you’re currently in a kerfuffle trying to figure out if you’re in the right job, field, or career, ask yourself how? How did you get to this point? What were your original intentions in choosing this job or this career path? Did you become a doctor because you’re from a long line of doctors? Or did you become a doctor because you want to save lives? If you started as a journalist to write about issues that are largely ignored like genocide or femicide, but then you got caught up in writing for fashion magazines (i.e. Devil Wears Prada plotline), are you really living your dreams? 

Sometimes we can have multiple intentions for our actions and that’s okay. I think you can both enjoy making the big bucks AND give to charity several times a year with said money. When you renew your intentions for your work and re-orient to align with increasing goodness, then you can start to feel the barakah of your work on a day-to-day basis.

2. Follow Your Passion

Often our day jobs do not align with our hobbies and our interests. It’s nice to say “follow your dreams” and quit your 9-to-5 to open a cat cafe, but that’s not always practical advice. It’s possible that you were encouraged to enter into a “safe” field and the truth is that may be where you need to stay for a while. But it doesn’t mean you can’t move a little closer towards the thing you’re passionate about. 

Maybe you’re a corporate lawyer who wishes they could go full time in nonprofit work. What if instead you just sign up to take on pro bono cases with your firm’s approval? Or maybe you’re in the tech industry and in your spare time you build an app that helps immigrants apply for asylum? You can be creative and use the vehicle you’re currently in to drive to a new destination. 

3. Try Connecting with a Career Coach

There are people with more business acumen and career experience who are not our parents (sorry dad!) and who can give good advice. Maybe what you need is to hire a professional. There are dozens of career coaches that can help you figure out what to do next. If you’re not ready to shell out a consultation fee, maybe you can use instagram to get free advice! There are many accounts out there. Try following accounts like Girl Boss to figure out which coaches are worth investing in.

And don’t forget the best way to seek advice is through istikhara! Always return to Allah to decide which path to take next. May Allah make it easy!