What’s Your Career Path — Individual Contributor vs. Manager?
Someone I met recently made an interesting comment.
Not only had she been surprised that I had been in the workforce for 20 years, but that I didn’t currently have a title indicating an obvious level of authority or power.
I chuckled.
Had it been earlier in my career — say, 10 years ago — I would have been offended. I would have allowed ‘imposter syndrome’ to seep in, feeling like I hadn’t accomplished much in my career nor added value to organizations in a meaningful way.
Though my professional journey has afforded me some pretty awesome opportunities including working internationally, speaking at conferences and running my own business during my tenure in the recruitment industry, I understood her point.
I had made a choice that many professionals face in their careers:
Stay an individual contributor or pursue the traditional path of management?
Making the decision to stay an individual contributor can be a difficult one. You may be worried that you are limiting your career growth or advancement opportunities.
This is especially true for those who feel unseen in their careers. Introverts, for example, might feel a bit panicked in their options to grow…
