Big Moves, Bigger Rewards: 4 Career Risks Worth Taking

Author: Mike Scaletti

Why Risk Might Be the Key to Your Career Breakthrough

When it comes to your career, playing it safe might feel like the most responsible choice. Most professionals are naturally risk-averse, especially when their livelihood, reputation, and long-term goals are on the line. Fear of the unknown often takes the wheel, convincing us that staying put is safer than making a change. Familiar routines and reliable paychecks are hard to walk away from, even if they come at the expense of long-term happiness.

But here’s the truth: playing it safe can keep you stuck. Smart, intentional risks are often the fastest route to meaningful growth and lasting satisfaction. Some of the boldest decisions you can make are the ones that open doors to unexpected opportunities and help define the trajectory of your professional life. These decisions may not be easy, and they rarely feel comfortable, but they can lead to breakthroughs you wouldn’t otherwise reach by standing still.

Whether you're early in your career, considering a midlife pivot, or stuck in a role that no longer fits, evaluating the risks you’re willing to take could be the most valuable investment in your future. Below, we explore four career moves that may feel risky in the moment but often pay off in powerful ways.

1. Choosing Company Culture Over a Bigger Paycheck

The traditional mindset of prioritizing salary above all else is beginning to shift. While financial compensation will always matter, you need to meet your obligations and plan for your future, more people are discovering that a high paycheck isn’t worth much if the work environment is draining, toxic, or misaligned with their personal values.

Studies show that job seekers increasingly prioritize workplace culture, often ranking it as more important than compensation when choosing between offers. Factors like team dynamics, leadership styles, flexibility, and purpose-driven work have become central to what employees look for. A strong culture not only impacts how you feel day to day, but also how you grow, collaborate, and succeed in your role.

When your workplace aligns with your core values and fosters respect, trust, and collaboration, it creates the psychological safety needed for innovation and engagement. That alignment can improve performance, reduce burnout, and lead to longer tenures and better long-term success. In time, the right environment often leads to better financial outcomes too.

2. Taking the Leap to Work Internationally

The idea of relocating abroad for work is both exciting and intimidating. Uprooting your life and stepping into a new country involves a host of challenges: navigating unfamiliar cultures, learning new languages, handling immigration paperwork, and figuring out the logistics of housing, healthcare, and sometimes even basic communication.

But the rewards are immense. International roles offer unparalleled opportunities for personal and professional development. You gain a global perspective, broaden your communication and leadership skills, and learn how to adapt to a variety of business norms. Working abroad pushes you out of your comfort zone in the best possible way, building resilience, empathy, and creative problem-solving skills.

Professionally, international experience is a major asset. It signals that you’re adaptable, courageous, and able to operate in complex environments. It also opens up access to diverse professional networks that may benefit you for years to come. Whether you return to your home country or continue working globally, this kind of move makes your resume stand out in competitive job markets.

3. Asking for More at Work, Before You’re Offered It

If you’re feeling bored, underutilized, or stuck in a role that doesn’t challenge you, waiting for recognition might leave you waiting forever. One of the most strategic, yet often overlooked, career risks is asking for more before you're formally invited to take it on. This could mean seeking more responsibilities, a promotion, a raise, or simply a new learning opportunity.

Yes, it can feel intimidating. No one wants to come across as entitled or overreaching. But when done thoughtfully, making your case for advancement signals initiative, ambition, and commitment to the company’s success. Begin by documenting your achievements and how your work has delivered measurable value. Then request a focused, professional conversation with your manager.

Prepare to listen as well as advocate. Your manager may offer feedback that helps you grow or identify additional skills to develop. Even if your request isn’t granted immediately, you’ll be on their radar as someone who takes ownership of their path. And if you consistently show up with that mindset, opportunities often follow.

4. Leaving a Job That Isn’t Right for You

Sometimes the biggest risk you can take is walking away from something that’s no longer working. Whether it's due to a toxic environment, a misalignment of values, lack of challenge, or just a persistent sense of unhappiness, staying too long in a role that drains you can have long-term consequences on your confidence, mental health, and career momentum.

Leaving a job is never easy. It brings financial uncertainty and emotional complexity, especially if you’ve built strong relationships or fear letting others down. But sometimes, quitting is not giving up; it’s choosing yourself.

Make your exit a strategic one. Start by quietly exploring other opportunities. Reach out to your network, update your resume, and consider whether freelancing, consulting, or entrepreneurship might be viable alternatives. Use the time to clarify what you truly want out of your next role so you don’t repeat old patterns.

And leave with professionalism and grace. Give proper notice, wrap up your work responsibly, and thank those who supported you. Protecting your reputation ensures that your departure builds, rather than burns, bridges, and helps keep doors open down the line.

How to Assess If a Career Risk Is Worth It

Every bold move carries some level of uncertainty. That’s why developing a framework for evaluating risk is a key part of navigating modern careers. Whether you're debating a new job offer, relocation, or industry switch, it helps to ask yourself the right questions before making a decision:

• What level of risk can I currently tolerate, emotionally and financially?

• What are the short- and long-term benefits and potential costs of this decision?

• What actions can I take to minimize or manage the downsides?

• If things don’t work out, will I be able to live with the outcome and recover from it?

These questions don’t eliminate risk, but they do help you approach it with clarity and confidence. Keep in mind that very few career decisions are truly permanent. Most moves, even the big ones, are reversible or redirectable. Often, the worst-case scenario is less catastrophic than we imagine, and the potential upside is far more meaningful than staying still.

Ultimately, aligning your risks with your broader vision, for your life, your legacy, your values, makes those risks feel more intentional. And when risk is aligned with purpose, it becomes a tool for growth, not just a gamble.

No Growth Without Movement

Every major career milestone, from promotions to passion projects, often begins with a moment of courage. Whether you are choosing culture over cash, chasing a global opportunity, speaking up for your advancement, or walking away from the wrong role, these decisions shape the trajectory of your career and your life.

Growth rarely comes without discomfort. But discomfort is not danger, it’s often a sign that you're stretching into something greater. When you plan ahead, act with integrity, and stay rooted in your values, risk becomes the catalyst for transformation.

So if you're standing at the edge of a big decision, ask yourself not just what you might lose, but what you stand to gain. The next great chapter of your career might be waiting on the other side of a single, courageous step.