The career growth software development lifecycle from Coalesce

"Your career has infinite potential paths, and you continually refine the path that you choose by finding which skills that you're liking [and] which you're not liking. And then you continue to move forward."

Kasey Mazza, manager of analytics engineering at HubSpot, explains how to see your career as a journey rather than a destination. She also shares her own career experiences and provides a framework for thinking about career growth differently, focusing on skills rather than job titles.

Career growth should be intentional and planned for long-term success

Kasey emphasizes the importance of intentionally planning career growth. She argues that a sense of direction and purpose provides focus, enabling accountability and making growth against milestones clear. By planning, you can ensure continuous growth and learning, seizing opportunities quickly without impulsiveness.

Kasey states, "I think it's important to think about planning your career for long-term success, so a sense of direction and purpose will give you some focus. You'll have accountability and clear accomplishments, and clear growth against your milestone." She further adds that, "a fulfilling, engaging, and appropriately challenging career leads to a happy and rewarding life."

Career growth often aligns with skills instead of job titles

Kasey suggests that instead of thinking traditionally about career growth in terms of job titles, it's more productive to consider it in terms of skills, with a focus on growth at the center. This approach recognizes that career growth is not linear, and that one's career should be continuously iterated upon.

"Instead of thinking in terms of job titles...we're going to think of it more in terms of skills and focus on growth at the center," said Kasey. She discusses the idea of continuously iterating on one's career, emphasizing, "...every role that you're in should actually be an input to the next step."

Regular reflection on career progress allows for continuous improvement

Kasey underscores the importance of regular reflection on career progress. She mentions setting a personal task to review her career goals monthly, asking herself key questions about accomplishments and future plans. This self-audit allows her to identify trends in her career progression and use that to guide her next steps.

She explains, "I have a recurring task on the first of every month to review my career goals, and I ask myself these four questions: Did you accomplish the goals you set last month? What else did you accomplish? What do you want to accomplish this month? And what ideas do you have to improve your team or your company?" She adds, "Paying attention to your own trends and where your energy is really thriving can help you to plan for the next cycle and beyond."

Kasey's key insights

• Career growth is not linear and there is no end or destination. It should be continually iterated upon, and every role should be an input to the next step
• Success in this framework is defined as growth and learning, not necessarily getting a new role or being promoted
• It's important to plan a career for long-term success, with a clear sense of direction and purpose
• Career growth should be thought of in terms of skills rather than job titles
• Reflecting on your career regularly and noticing trends can help in planning for the next cycle of career growth