1) Role & Market Selection
Choosing roles with clear progression
Some jobs are dead ends. You do the same thing for five years and never learn anything new. Others have a ladder. During interviews, ask: 'What does the path from Junior to Senior look like here?' or 'How does the company support professional development?' You want a role where you will be 20% 'uncomfortable' because you are constantly learning new skills. In the US, 'Stagnation is Risk.' If you aren't moving forward, you are falling behind.
A Dead End is a job that uses a very specific, old tool that no other company uses.
- If you spend two years learning a software that only one company uses, and then that company lays you off, you have to start from zero.
- Stick to Industry Standard tools (like SQL, AWS, Salesforce, or Python). Ensure your daily tasks build a skill set that is portable meaning you could quit today and get hired by a competitor tomorrow.
Free Resource: 5 Mistakes that can ruin your 20s career growth
2) Job Search System
In the U.S., finding a job is not just about being good at your work. It is about having a system. Most people just click Apply on a website and wait. That is the slowest way to get hired.Think of your job search like a business. You need a great product (your resume), a great storefront (your LinkedIn), and a direct way to talk to customers (networking). Let’s build your system.
Resources
Record your progress
Mark this subsection complete to track your progress.