Straight Truth: What to do when your career is not where you want it to be

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Jul 13, 2023

If your career is not where you want it to be, how can you reset it to be on a new upward path?

A reader asked:

"How can a 15+ years of experience person who might have had a very ordinary career so far can bring his career back on track?"

I think this question is very common.

There are no simple answers to such a complex question, but here are starting points.

First, if your career is not where you want it to be, you need to make a change to get different results.

This sounds straightforward, but what change?

In any career change, it is often necessary to accept a step back in pay or title to get into a better company or a new type of role. This may feel unfair, but accepting this necessity early may help you undertake a realistic change process.
Next, hiring is about lowering risk. Hiring managers want to avoid painful mistakes. One way they do this is to hire people who are known or recommended to them as they believe that personal knowledge gives more certainty of the new hire's personality fit and skills. Thus, networking is key to a career change.
Finally, patience is important. If you have invested 15 years to end up someplace you do not like, you may need to invest several years to change it. You may need new education, to take a step back in title or pay, or to build a network to find someone to take a chance on you.

The important thing is to get started.

Many people feel that if it will take years then why bother?

Well, those years will pass either way.

You can invest in them being filled with hope for a better future or with dread of your current situation.

Your choice.

Audience Insights

I have consolidated additional ideas worth considering from my LinkedIn audience, including:

If you are not happy with your career after 15 years, get clarity on what you want to do, and then fully commit.
Note: if you are someone who admits to not being happy after 15+ years, you are likely already on the right track because it takes maturity to admit it.
Sometimes what people see as “ordinary” is actually impressive. Reflect on your career accomplishments and pinpoint the examples that delivered outsized value, were complex and challenging, and/or had multiple (including difficult) stakeholders to influence.
Identify your superpowers and double down on them. If you do not know what your superpowers are, ask. Ask your manager, manager’s peers, skip-level, peers, and do not shy from those who are critical of you. You want candid honest feedback.
Lean on your mentors to understand your blind spots and to help prioritize aspects to focus on.
In your current role, consider the following to gain on-job experience:
What stretch projects can you lead that will force you to learn new skills?
What cross-functional projects can you lead to gain exposure to other departments/functions?