10 Things You Might Miss About Your Corporate Career (And Can Appreciate More)

Maybe once or twice a year, I’ll get the urge to go back to a corporate career.

As a business owner now, one thing I’ll commonly hear in the entrepreneur community is that we “broke free from the chains of the 9-5 world” . . . not always that dramatic, but you get the point.

I’ve never felt that way.

Absolutely, there are benefits now that I could not have had in my corporate career, and I love the path I am on now, yet there are things I miss about it and, if I went back, I’d appreciate a whole lot more.

We can sometimes get caught up in the “grass is greener” on the other side. Yet we don’t always take the time to really appreciate what we enjoy about things right now. From experience, the grass isn’t necessarily greener . . . it’s just different 😉.

Here are 10 things I miss about my corporate career. By sharing them, my hope is that those of you in the corporate world might appreciate them even more.

1. People are always around. I miss popping in to have a quick face-to-face discussion with someone or running into someone you haven’t seen in awhile in the hallway and grabbing an impromptu coffee. You can always count on someone to be around when you’re looking for some social interaction or need a person to talk to.

2. An IT department!!! You wear so many hats in a small business, especially when starting out and figuring it all out . . . IT, HR, Finance, Customer Service, Marketing and so on. In my corporate career, when I had a tech issue, I just pick up the phone and called the IT group. I didn’t quite realize how much I took that for granted. Thankfully I have a former colleague who helps me out when I’m losing my mind when my computer is not working properly!

3. Your team or work peeps who really get you and ‘get it’. You know who I am talking about. Those certain people who are with you in the good times and the bad times. They get when you’re having a bad day and know just what to say. They know when you have a great day and high five you as well. The people who can give a glance or elbow in a meeting and you each know exactly what the other person is thinking. There’s no need to explain things . . . they just get it and have your back no matter what. 

4. A regular paycheck. Yes, I said it, this is nice. While I don’t think this should hold you back from your dreams, there is a comfort in having this stability. Getting used to the cash flow rollercoaster in a business has taken a while. Nothing for long stretches and then a big lump sum at once. It all works out in the end, but I gotta say I miss the regular payment that just magically appears in your account every two weeks.

5. One person lifting the energy in a meeting or room of people. I miss the opportunities to go into a tense situation or meeting, and being goofy or light and smiling to raise the mood up a few notches, or having someone lift me up when I need it in those moments. We don’t need to be so serious and you have these endless opportunities throughout your day to make someone else’s day a bit brighter.

6. Witnessing people shine and the impact. Nothing gave me greater joy than seeing an employee or team member feel confident nailing a presentation with senior leaders or having the courage to ask a question on their mind or reach a goal. You literally see them in action. With coaching clients, I have great joy hearing their insights and results, yet I rarely get the chance to see it in action in the workplace.

7. Instant feedback. You often know if you’re hitting the mark or not because you have all these opportunities in your day to experiment and try new things, see it and experience. To say what’s on your mind in a meeting. To give a presentation. To have a conversation with someone. You see the reactions. You hear about feedback pretty quick. Good or bad, you get a sense of how you're doing.

8. Some days, going to an office. I am envious at times when my husband can leave in the morning to go to work, while I’m making breakfast for kids or dealing with a meltdown with one of them (my workday typically doesn’t start till they leave for school). Now we would have this regardless if we both went into the office, but just the odd time I am envious of his – “see ya later, easy-breezy mornings, I’m heading into the office and the house is left behind!” As much as I enjoy working from home, I do miss the official separation from home life that comes with being in the office.

9. The opportunity to move up the corporate ladder. This doesn’t need to be a bad or weird thing. I loved the idea of stretching and growing and having a voice at the leadership table. I saw moving up as a great way to have more positive influence, rather than hitting a title or ranking.

10. The people. Oh ya, I already said that! I’m an introvert so I find a lot of value in a home office. I get quiet time when I need it most! But I also miss the buzz of the office, hearing stories, connecting with people, social interaction while grabbing a coffee or riding the elevator and even Christmas parties. The people make all the difference.

There are also things I don’t miss, like unnecessary bureaucracy and processes, too many meetings, or having someone approve my vacation time.

This all said, even though once in awhile I get the urge to go back into the corporate world, I’m incredibly grateful for the path I am on.

I could never have envisioned what I would be doing now a few years ago and it’s giving our family a lifestyle we enjoy and works for us. And, I absolutely love the work I do with clients and how I'm able to contribute to others.

When I left I didn’t have a plan or bigger purpose . . . the plan was to figure out a plan!

Whereas my husband, he looks at what I am doing and has zero interest and loves where he is at in his corporate career.

People often fall into the trap believing the grass is greener on the other side, which leaves them feeling even more dissatisfied with their current situation.

So much of life is influenced by our perspective, and so my encouragement to you is to appreciate more of what you do have now, while at the same time take meaningful action towards what you do want in the future. They go hand in hand.

All the best, 

“You don't always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens.” - Mandy Hale

What Next?

You can sign up for Stacey's masterclass, The Confident "No" here.

Stacey L. Olson is a Leadership and Certified Positive Psychology Coach, has 15 years of corporate experience and has gone through her own transformational change from burning out to balanced in life while performing at a high level (both in her corporate career and own business). She works with professionals who want to work less, live more and be their best even with all the demands, high expectations and messiness of everyday life. Stacey is the founder of The Balanced Leader™ program and offers executive and leadership coaching, workshops, and speaking.