Experts say too many people suffer from a 'delusional belief' about their careers that doesn't do them any favors
Is the idea that careers follow a linear path — is holding us back?
Choosing a career can be a daunting proposition.
But part of the reason may be that we're looking at career paths the wrong way.
That's what a growing number of experts are saying. In an article in the Harvard Business Review last week, the psychology researcher Tania Luna and the Weight Watchers International executive Jordan Cohen said modern employees are suffering from their belief in the "career myth," what they describe as "a delusional belief in the outdated idea of linear career progression."
As Luna and Cohen explained, people today can no longer rely on an outdated system of career advancement — one that presumes employees will be given incremental chances for career advancement along with raises and title changes.
But modern career trajectories are rarely so cut-and-dry. They often involve quickly adapting to new roles as they develop, and for many people, it's normal to switch companies or even industries several times in a career.
"When we envision a career, we imagine a direct path with a final destination," the authors wrote. "And not long ago, this concept was useful."
They added: "This vision of career growth no longer matches reality. We no longer need to be good at predicting the future; we now have to succeed when the future is unpredictable."
Their observations have been echoed by other executives. Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said it was better to think of careers as a jungle gym than as a ladder — there are various ways to get to the top, and some of them involve descending or hitting a dead end.
Mitch Joel, a digital marketer, shares that sentiment, advocating in his 2013 book that workers should be willing to change careers and evolve.
"Take on a challenge within your organization, work with a new department, change something within your business that is antiquated or draconian," he wrote.
Luna and Cohen acknowledge in their article that giving up on the career myth can be scary, as it suggests an uncertain future. But they said that even if your career isn't following a logical, continuous route, it doesn't mean you're wasting time.
"Every job you've held and every relationship you've forged is a kind of key that can unlock a future opportunity," they wrote. "The keys don't have to make sense together. There doesn't need to be a clear, linear narrative to explain how you got from A to B."
