Where are YOU in your career? Scientists say there are four key stages of progression – so which one are you in?

A day at the office can feel like an emotional rollercoaster—and it seems the same can be said for your entire career.

The study found that powerful professionals go through ups and downs at four different emotional stages throughout their careers.

From the new recruit hungry for new opportunities to the jaded old man disillusioned with the system, we can all see ourselves in one of these stages.

So where are you in your career? Read on to find out.

In the study, conducted by the University of Bath, researchers interviewed 50 lawyers at different stages of their careers.

In law firms, researchers have found that advancement to the top partner position has become an organizing principle throughout their work lives.

Lead author Dr Stefanie Gustafsson says the high demands placed on lawyers to progress create a strong emotional attachment to the job.

“Professionals’ careers are filled with emotion: some of the lawyers we interviewed used phrases like ‘love’ when talking about partnerships and felt great pride when they were promoted,” Dr Gustafsson said.

Although the initial study focused on lawyers, Dr Gustafsson believes the insights gained could be equally applicable to all higher professions.

“These employees go through a rollercoaster of complex emotions, both positive and negative,” she added.

1. “With rose-colored glasses”

Early in the career, researchers found that participants’ emotions were predominantly those of excitement and anticipation.

The company’s partners acted as mentors for young employees and provided them with a lot of positive emotions.

One partner told the researchers, “I really want us to take care of our star people, and part of that is to make sure they know they are star people.”

The goal of becoming a partner is reinforced as vital from the start, and new employees are taught the value of hard work, dedication and sacrifice.

Researchers also note that people at this stage begin to “prescribe” their family or social lives, giving priority to work.

They even noted that coworkers and supervisors provided emotional support “usually provided by spouses and family members.”

2. “On pins and needles”

We used to feel valued and excited, but the next stage of our careers is one of anxiety and fear.

At this stage, researchers have found that people’s emotions become predominantly negative.

As the competition for promotions becomes more intense, partners who were once mentors and role models now become gatekeepers to promotions.

Researchers have found that because lawyers are selected for partnerships by a vote of existing partners, the approval process is grueling and stressful.

Rounds upon rounds of selection added to the stress of constantly being on the best behavior toward senior colleagues.

One lawyer told the researchers: “You felt like you were on the hook the whole time because you had different stages that you had to deal with and you felt like you had to be on your best behavior.”

“I felt like for a long period of that year I couldn’t really relax.”

If the selection process was unsuccessful, some of the study respondents even reported feelings of shame and the need to leave the firm entirely.

3. “Win ​​a brilliant prize”

However, sometimes all that stress and hard work pays off and we can reach the third stage of our emotional career.

Having finally won a big promotion, our emotions are dominated by feelings of pride and joy.

The feeling of “finally achieving success” after all the fear of the previous stage causes a very strong emotional reaction.

Researchers have found that lawyers’ emotional connection to the company deepens at this stage.

Lawyers in the study expressed a personal connection to the firm they work for, with one saying, “I love, I really genuinely enjoy this partnership.”

At this stage, we feel more connected to senior team members, finally seeing them as equals rather than gatekeepers.

However, it is at this stage that lawyers allow family and friends back into their lives after excluding them in the years leading up to the partnership role.

4. “Everything remains the same”

However, all the positive emotions of the third stage cannot last forever.

Researchers soon discovered that our feelings of joy were replaced by disappointment and disillusionment.

Many lawyers who spoke to the researchers, after working so hard to reach the top spot, said that little had changed since their promotions.

“It’s like walking through molasses to get to the promised land, only to find that there’s even more molasses in the promised land,” said one partner.

“I was expecting a huge change, but actually when you get there it’s going to be a lot and I’m going to get paid more money, but nothing has changed.”

Finally, lawyers turned back and focused on their own teams of junior lawyers, becoming mentors to the next generation and starting the cycle all over again.

Dr Gustafsson says these findings should be used to support the emotional needs of those working in high-pressure professions.

She concluded: “HR and line managers need to reflect and understand, in particular, developing coping skills and providing support in cultures where success is celebrated but failure is often stigmatized.”