3 Fallacies to Reject When Discerning Job Transitions
by Ben Nussbaum
In less than a decade, I have already left four different jobs.
I’m not an expert, nor am I especially proficient at leaving jobs; I’ve simply had to consider if or how I should leave a role more than the average person! As I went through my first few job transitions, I noticed that other Christians in the midst of career angst or at a career crossroads also found themselves ill-equipped when it came to wisely discerning a job transition.
I started having calls with others asking the same questions: should I leave my job? I talked with classmates from college, family members, former colleagues, and fellow churchgoers. At this point, I’ve talked with hundreds of job transitioners and know there are many different and legitimate reasons for wanting to leave a job. But for job transitioners who are aiming to follow Jesus with a big career decision, the common theme I’ve found is that there is a lot of confusion about God’s promises and character.
Many who are considering leaving find themselves confused, tired, and discontent. This can be disorienting. Aren’t Christians supposed to believe that “God works all things together for our good?” and that “he knows the plans he has for me?” When things are unclear, does that mean he doesn’t want to tell me, or worse that he really doesn’t have a plan for me? Aren’t Christians supposed to be confident in God’s plan? Why do we feel stressed out, anxious, and frustrated?
The answer is straightforward: in the stress of considering job transitions, it is easy to become confused about God’s promises and character. We believe things that aren’t true, or we don’t consider the things that are true. Millennials are projected to leave their jobs over 8 times in their career, in light of this how can we do it wisely?
In order to make wise decisions that follow “the way of Jesus,” we must first address the lies we believe about God. I want to suggest three: “the neon sign” fallacy, “the master of my fate” fallacy, and “the solve my problem” fallacy.
The “Neon Sign” Fallacy
The first lie we’re tempted to believe goes something like this:
“I need God to give me a big red neon arrow that says ‘Go Here’ for my next job, and tell me exactly what I should do.”
Honestly, that sounds pretty nice! I wish God operated that way in my life. The neon sign fallacy begins earnestly: “God tell me exactly what you want me to do. Show me! I’m waiting for you.” But what if God doesn’t give you a clear-cut answer (spoiler alert: this is most of the time)? Or what if he doesn’t seem to give an answer at all? The neon sign fallacy quickly turns against the character of God. We train ourselves to only have faith when he gives us exact clarity as to where we should go next. We make very narrow demands. This can cause us to be slothful on one end while holding God hostage to a very narrow demand on the other end.
Often there are actually a multitude of decisions we could make in faith and reliance on God that would end up being wise. Consider that maybe it is not about making the “right” decision, or walking under the neon sign that says “Go Here.” Perhaps it is about increasing your faith and trust in God with a series of “right” decisions. You might be looking at several career paths, and trying to discern which is the right one. The reality is, that they all might be the “right” ones; God is asking you to trust in His character and promises, regardless of which one you pick. The neon sign fallacy believes that making career decisions is more about getting the result right, rather than walking through the process by faith.
Instead, consider the words of the prophet Isaiah, when he talks about God’s promises to us. Isaiah says: “And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left” (Is 30:20-21). There could be many wise decisions in a given career choice – but maybe in waiting for a neon sign, we fail to realize that God is sanctifying us through career decisions. He wants to increase our trust in the promise that he is with us – whether we turn to the right, or to the left.
The “Master of My Fate” Fallacy
This idea comes from a William Ernest Henley poem, which ends with this final stanza:
“Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be, For my unconquerable soul. It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”
This poem has inspired people like John Lewis and Nelson Mandela to go on and do great things for society, but it’s also the de facto battle cry of young professionals in America who perceive they have absolute control over their career outcomes. Some of you reading may even be motivated by that poem – you are ready to go out and make that tough career decision with full confidence that you are in charge, and you know what’s best! But if the neon sign fallacy restricts God, then the master of my fate and captain of my soul fallacy forgets God. The first fallacy leaves us feeling a bit helpless at times, but this fallacy leaves us feeling like we need no help at all.
For much of human history, humans have almost always relied on God, or some sort of deity, when approaching critical decisions. It was a fundamental truth of ancient society – gods care about our decisions. Yet modern society functionally rejects this notion upon arriving at a career crossroads. We either presume that he doesn’t exist, or he’s absent-minded, or he doesn’t care. Though I am ashamed to admit it, perhaps you’re like me – at times, buying into this lie because, in your heart, you believe whichever decision you make will provide a better outcome if God is not involved in the process.
What’s especially lethal about this fallacy is that oftentimes, you and I do make quality, data-driven, informed decisions that get us what we want. And we’re celebrated for it! “YOU did that. You set that goal, you created a plan, you made the decision, you got the job you wanted.” You were the master of your fate, the captain of your soul. As Christians, we know this language should make us feel a little uncomfortable, and so we wonder: are we merely projecting our desires as God’s desires?
You may be an intelligent and ambitious person who knows, professionally speaking, how to make wise decisions. But is God a part of your decision-making process? Or has this lie, celebrated by our professional culture, crept into your decision-making process? This fallacy is an ancient fallacy that finds its thick historical roots all throughout Scripture, beginning in the garden of Eden – believing that God did not need to be part of the decision to acquire knowledge through eating the fruit. We are greatly tempted to believe that we are the captains of our souls. Thus we avoid consulting God altogether in our decision-making.
The “Solve My Problem” Fallacy
The final fallacy promotes the idea that God does not satisfy us. It says God is not where we find true rest – but instead, it’s a job change, it’s working at my ideal company or in my dream role that will satisfy me. Conscious or unconscious, we believe that we need a job change to, as the title states, solve our problems. We know this isn’t true, and yet we still find ourselves enticed by this lie when it presents itself.
The “solve my problem” fallacy props up companies, roles, fancy offer letters, and new bosses as things that can “save us” from our current reality. We create a “grass is greener” utopia out of the next cool job out there, and we try to escape our problems by choosing it. Our decisions aren’t based on listening to God or wise counsel, but because it’s anything but the thing that we’re doing right now. When we don’t like our coworkers, or our job is boring, or we’re not performing well, we conclude that a different job will finally set things right for us.
In this fallacy, we actually reject God. Anyone who has searched for a job knows the cycle: “Better perks! Better benefits! Better work-life balance!” Plenty of job-seekers stick around for about 18 months, only to realize that all a new situation offered was a shiny object and an empty promise. New jobs can’t solve all our problems or meet all of our desires after all – so we leave and go searching for the answer to our problems in yet another company.
For Christians who buy into this belief when making career decisions, there is a sense in which we may be confused about who God is, versus what a job is for. If we are looking for salvation through an alluring job prospect or higher pay, we functionally reject who God is - the location of true rest and wholeness. John Mark Comer puts it this way, “don’t make decisions out of exhaustion or fear. Make them when you’re at rest and at peace before God, surrendering before him.” Exhaustion and fear of our current professional reality often lead us to believe that another job can fix the issue. But the Christian who is at rest in God would likely tell you that no job can truly solve for your striving.
As disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, let us instead aim to “practice the promises” of God, rejecting these fallacies. Let us remember that he is with us always, even until the end of the age.
These blogs came out of our Winter 2023 6 Urgent Questions series of talks. You can listen to them on our podcast below.