Marianne Ayala/Insider
- Professional regret is inevitable over the course of your career, even if it's not long-term.
- Experts say it's important to grieve career regret, but in reality, there are chances for do-overs.
- They recommend reflecting on your values, goals, and what you want out of your professional life.
Scott Wain knows something about professional regret.
After graduating from college in 2000, he got an entry-level job in car sales, and by his mid-20s, he was earning six figures as a sales manager at a Honda dealership in London, Ontario. Life was good.
But by 2008, Wain was restless. He quit the dealership to start a software company. The company eventually went bust, and Wain spent the next decade moving from job to job, industry to industry.