Career Growth: Carve your own path

Everyone has their own career journey and it's good to take inspiration from others. But, you need to take control of your career, create opportunities and carve your own path. I am in no way an expert and still learning to navigate my career efficiently, here are some key points which have helped me in my journey so far.

Have a niche

As we progress in our careers and explore different paths, it is highly recommended to have a niche and develop on top of it. Give equal priority to learning new skills as to your job. Having specialized knowledge in a specific path/domain can help you make an impact beyond your team.

Find Gaps

You may work in a perfectly oiled business or team but there is always a scope for improvement. Identify a gap, and propose a solution to make the team more efficient and productive. It can be as simple as improving onboarding documentation for your team or solving a super technically complex problem.

Career Conversation

Prioritize your career conversation with your manager. Do not wait for the annual review cycle. Understand the expectation and set quarterly goals to move your career forward. Validate goals with the manager and see how it aligns with team priorities. Work with the manager to create opportunities for you to achieve those goals.

Feedback Loop

It may sting but feedback is a blessing and should be taken in the right stride. Frequently ask for feedback (official or casual) from your manager or teammates (or anyone you collaborate with) on how you can improve in a specific path.

Mentorship

It is always faster to learn from other people's experiences. Mentors can help you navigate career paths better based on their experience. Seek mentors from inside or outside the team. Mentors can help you with career growth, share domain-specific insights, time management, etc. You can have multiple mentors who specialize in different areas.

Tracking Progress

As you progress through your career and goals, keep track of your wins and failures. For instance, every two weeks I document everything I did toward my personal and professional goals. At the end of the quarter, it helps me retrospect and decide my future goals better.