Career crisis · 1:1 on video, worldwide
Going through a career crisis?
Stuck, burned out, or not sure what to do next? Talk it through with someone who has hired, managed and promoted people, and led teams across borders.
By Shash Tandon · Updated
A career crisis is common, and it is rarely about one bad day. It is when the work you do, the path you are on or the people you do it with stop adding up. Many people handle it alone for longer than they need to.
I'm a B2B SaaS commercial leader with 15+ years in sales, customer success and go-to-market. I offer 1:1 career guidance by video to people anywhere in the world.
Definition
What is a career crisis?
A career crisis is a stretch of weeks or months when your work stops making sense to you. You feel stuck, bored, burned out or unsure whether you are in the right job, company or field. It often arrives around a promotion, a layoff, a new manager, a move abroad, or a birthday that makes you take stock. It is not a medical condition. It is a sign that what you do and what you want have drifted apart.
Signs
How it usually shows up
- You dread Monday and it has been that way for months, not days.
- You can't say what you'd want instead, only that this isn't it.
- You keep opening job boards, then closing them.
- You compare yourself with peers who seem to be moving faster.
- Work follows you home: you replay meetings, check messages at night, can't switch off.
- You're tired of managing people, or of not being managed well.
- Working with colleagues across time zones has become a second job.
If three or more sound familiar, it is worth talking to someone before you make a big decision on a bad day.
What I help with
Four situations I see most
Stuck, and unsure where next
You've outgrown the role or never liked the path. We separate what's wrong with the job, the company and the field, then pick a few cheap ways to test the next step.
Changing careers
Moving into sales, customer success or go-to-market from another field, or out of one. We look at which of your skills transfer and how to tell the story.
Stress you take home
Workload, boundaries and the conversations you've been avoiding. Practical changes to how you work, not breathing exercises.
Colleagues and teams across the world
Different time zones, cultures and expectations. How to set norms, repair a strained relationship and manage up or sideways when you rarely meet.
Not sure which one fits?
Describe it in a few lines and I'll tell you honestly whether I can help.How it works
A conversation, not a programme
You write to me through the form or at shash@pm.me. We hold a short intro call by video, where you tell me what is going on and I tell you whether I think I can help. If it is a fit, we agree how to work together: one focused session before a specific decision, or a regular rhythm through a longer transition.
I'm direct. You will get my opinion, with the reasoning, and you decide what to do with it. Sessions are in English, and I'll find a time that works across time zones.
I'm also available on ADPList.
Who you'd be talking to
Why listen to me on this
I have 15+ years in B2B SaaS sales, customer success and go-to-market, across EMEA and APAC. At Proton I started as the first account executive for business, then became Head of Sales, growing the team from 1 to 10+ across eight consecutive quarters over target. I now advise technical founders on go-to-market. I have an engineering degree and live in Prague.
That means I have hired, managed and promoted people, run teams spread across countries, and sat through the same hard conversations you may be facing. I'm not a therapist and I won't pretend to be one.
I managed Shash at Proton, where he joined as the first account executive for our Business offering. There was no playbook, so he had to work out who the buyers were and how deals got done while selling every day. He then built and led the team from scratch. He’s direct, he learns fast from customer conversations, and he makes sure he shares what works so others can follow.
Scope
What this is not
This is career guidance, not therapy or medical advice. If you feel hopeless, you're thinking about harming yourself, or stress has taken over your life, please speak to a doctor, a licensed therapist or your local crisis service first.
FAQ
Common questions about career crisis
What is a career crisis?
A career crisis is a period when your work stops making sense to you. You may feel stuck, bored, burned out or unsure whether you are in the right job, field or company. It often shows up around a promotion, a layoff, a manager change, a move to a new country or a birthday that makes you take stock. It is not a diagnosis. It is a signal that something about your work and what you want from it no longer matches.
How do I know if I'm having a career crisis or just a bad week?
A bad week passes when the project ends or the difficult person goes on holiday. A career crisis lasts for months. Common signs are dreading Mondays for a long time, doubting whether the work matters, comparing yourself constantly with peers, fantasising about quitting without a plan, or being unable to say what you would want instead. If it has lasted more than a couple of months, it is worth talking to someone.
I feel stuck in my career and don't know what to do next. Where do I start?
Start by separating three questions that tend to blur together: what is wrong with this job, what is wrong with this career path, and what is wrong with how I'm feeling right now. The answers lead to different moves. A different team, a different company, a different field and a rest are not the same fix. Talking it through with someone who has seen these situations helps you tell them apart quickly.
Should I quit my job or stay?
I can't answer that for you without knowing your situation, and a coach who says otherwise is guessing. What I can do is help you set out what you would be leaving, what you would be moving towards, what it costs to wait and what you could test cheaply before deciding. Many people find the decision is clearer once they stop framing it as stay or quit and look at the options in between.
I'm taking work stress home and can't switch off. Can a career coach help?
A coach can help with the work side: the workload, the boundaries, the conversations you are avoiding and the habits that keep you checking messages at night. If the stress is affecting your sleep, your health or your mood in a serious way, please also speak to a doctor or a licensed therapist. Coaching is not therapy and I am not a clinician.
I work with colleagues and managers in different countries and time zones, and it is exhausting. What can I do?
Cross-border teams add friction that is easy to blame on yourself: unclear expectations, meetings at awkward hours, different norms about directness and hierarchy, and no informal contact to build trust. Most of it can be improved with specific changes, such as agreed response times, written decisions, rotating inconvenient meeting times and asking a few direct questions early. I have worked with teams across EMEA and APAC and can help you work out what to try first.
Do I need a career coach or a mentor?
A coach typically asks questions and helps you reach your own answers. A mentor has done similar work and shares what they saw. My sessions are mostly the second kind, with some of the first. I have hired, managed and promoted people in B2B sales, customer success and go-to-market, so I can be direct about what I think. If you want a structured programme with homework and a certification path, a traditional coach may suit you better.
Who is this for?
Mid-career professionals, team leads and managers who are stuck, burned out or at a fork, and people considering a move into sales, customer success or go-to-market from another field. It is most useful if your world is B2B tech, SaaS, startups or similar, since that is where my experience is. If you are a senior executive who needs board-level coaching, or you are in a field I have never worked in, I'll tell you on the first call.
Do you work with people outside Europe?
Yes. I am based in Prague and sessions are held over video, so location is not a barrier. I have worked with people across Europe, the Gulf, North America and Asia-Pacific. The practical limit is time zones, which is why the form asks for yours. Sessions are in English.
How does it work, and what happens on the first call?
You send me a short note through the form below or by email at shash@pm.me. We book a short intro call, where you tell me what is going on and I tell you honestly whether I can help. If it is a fit, we agree how to work together, which may be one focused session or a regular rhythm over a few months. I am also available through ADPList if you prefer to book there.
Is this therapy? What if I'm really struggling?
No. This is career guidance from someone with an operator's background, not mental health treatment. If you feel hopeless, you are having thoughts of harming yourself, or the stress has taken over your life, please contact a doctor, a licensed therapist or your local emergency or crisis service first. Career conversations can be useful alongside that support, but they are not a substitute for it.
Related reading
Get in touch
Tell me what's going on
A few honest lines is enough. What's happening at work, how long it has felt like this, and what you'd like to be different. I read every message and reply personally. You can also write to shash@pm.me.