Today I’m sharing 3 frameworks to accelerate through the “messy middle” of your career.
Push through the messy middle quickly and you’ll earn more money, faster, and be happier at your job.
What is the messy middle of your career? It’s the volatile period filled with uncertainty and struggle. As Brian Balfour put it:
Everything is always changing. New roles and functions are always emerging, the underlying knowledge for tech is accelerating, nothing is a linear path. As a result, navigating this part of the journey is chaotic and volatile (source).
This period is critical. The middle makes or breaks a career.
Unfortunately, because there’s no clear narrative arc (hence the “messy”) people rarely talk about it. Or they put too much stock in Steve Jobs’s idea that “you can only connect the dots going backward.” (Arnold was guilty of it, too.)
Instead, here are 3 frameworks to grab the reins of your career and navigate through the messy middle:
- Develop a clear hypothesis for your next role
- Set yourself up for success in the first 90 days (avoid these mistakes)
- Capture upside and limit risk in your career
Let’s jump in.
