How do you make career decisions?
Careers are a long run, and figuring the joy part helps you compound personally, professional and financially.💰
Welcome to this special edition of our career growth newsletter. We're diving deep into the art of finding work that truly brings you joy and fulfilment.
Imagine spending half your life doing something you don't love. Sounds absurd, right? Yet that's exactly what most of us do. We're not just talking about a job here—we're talking about a 40-year marathon called a career. In this edition, we're breaking down the process of finding your dream career into actionable steps. But first, let's talk about why this matters.
The brutal truth about career decisions
Most of us spend 40 years working. That's more than half our lives. Yet, how many of us actively choose our career paths? Too often, we find ourselves running away from what we dislike rather than towards what we love.
"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life." - Confucius
But let's be real - finding that perfect fit isn't easy. It requires introspection, courage, and sometimes that leap of faith.
Paul Graham wrote about “How to do great work” and I want to start by sharing something he wrote.
Four steps:
One, choose a field.
Two, learn the field.
Three, notice gaps.
Four, explore promising ones.
It's essential to work on something you're deeply interested in. Interest will drive you to work harder than mere diligence ever could.
Now, coming to the part of figuring out this path for yourself.
There’s a visualization exercise we do with members who are figuring out what next. And that has led to the most rewarding outcomes, one of which is -
Conversations with Arnima started back in January, she had just completed immersion then.
Context: [Screenshot below] She had a clear goal & wanted to build a path by identifying skills gaps, setting milestones and defining step 1 of getting closer to the goal. What stands out in the context she shared is thinking about long-term career bets before getting to the ‘what’s the immediate next thing to do’.
And not just one, but hundreds of members have been able to identify a fulfilling career path. See, at GrowthX it is never about a job switch/ salary hike, it’s about truly identifying what brings you joy and compounding on it.
Sharing fundamentals that helped Arnima, Sachin, Anirudh and a hundred other members find work that truly brings them joy. Hoping it does for you too. 👇🏼
Step 1: Ask yourself the hard questions
Think back to your first job. How did you get into it? For many of us, family, friends, or even neighbours influenced this decision. They made similar choices, so we followed suit. This is a pattern—mimetic behaviour. We often do what others around us are doing without thinking if it’s what we want.
Take a pause. Ask yourself if what you’re doing right now was your choice, or if you just followed others. Start by questioning why you want what you want.
Things will become clearer.
Step 2: Envision your 5 year future
Without having a clear goal, finding a roadmap to get there is impossible. But when you take time to write down where you want to be in 5 years—both personally and professionally—you can work backwards and create a path to get there.
Why do we avoid long-term goals? ⚒️
It’s natural not to think long-term. Here’s why:
What if it does not work out? Then?
Believing it’s impossible & can’t happen.
We like to play safe, & figure it out as we go.
There’s no time to slow down & think about 5 years.
Change is uncomfortable, and thinking long-term forces it.
Exercise: vision-setting ☕️
You might hesitate to do this, and that’s okay. Take a deep breath. Find a comfortable place, a safe space. Block out distractions, and get started. This will be liberating, I promise.
Before you get into the flow, I want you to listen to this -
Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address
Take out a pen and paper, write down everything that comes to your mind when you think of your 2029 self - both personal and professional.
Here’s a quick template that you can duplicate. But please don’t restrict yourself to just this, add whatever you can to have your own guiding framework on -choosing the right role, the right company, the right opportunity. Next time you are at the crossroads of making a decision, this will be your source of truth.
And most important: Be honest—this is about you.
Step 3: Chart your path
Now that you know where you want to go, it's time to work backwards. What steps will take you closer to your goal each year?
This process will evolve. You’ll learn and grow, and you’ll find ways to accelerate certain things at the right time.
This isn't about creating a perfect plan. Think of it as your internal compass, guiding you towards meaningful opportunities.
It’s less about checking off specific milestones and more about making sure you’re heading in a direction that feels right and meaningful. It pushes you to take leaps you might not otherwise take, driven by a vision that excites you.
Know the tradeoff
Early on in your career try different things to find the one that resonates most with you. Then as you go towards mid-senior and leadership roles, go deeper into what excites you and build your leverage.
Here’s something I would recommend you to read, for better understanding.
Featured roles this week ✨
Growth Marketing at d’you | 💰 Up to 18LPA
Product Manager at Foxtale | 💰 Up to 30LPA
Product Analyst at AB InBev | 💰 Up to 20LPA
Growth Marketing at Nxtwave | 💰 Up to 18LPA
Curated resources for you 🚀
Careers are long—at least 40 years. Remember, finding your dream career is a journey. It's about progress, not perfection. Keep exploring, keep learning, and most importantly, keep growing.
Until next time,
Kshitija
P.S. We'd love to hear your story. Reply to this email with your biggest career realization. Your insight might just be the wake-up call someone else needs.