Dear Anna,

I’m an editorial print designer specialising in magazine design for a large UK newspaper. The work we do in my department has radically decreased over the past few years. 

I should, by now, be a senior designer but am not progressing any higher in my current role. To progress I feel I need to leave my current company, but I also feel I need to diversify the work I do – venture more into digital to be able to get a job. I don’t know where to start. Can you help?

Anon

Dear Anon,

So, you have two really big things to consider here: the challenge of internal progression, and the need to keep up in ever-evolving times. They’re somewhat interrelated, but let’s try to untangle them a bit to help weave a useful answer for you.

Internal progression or career development within organisations is a fascinating and complex area. So much so that whole consultancies make their living helping companies grapple with this one – mainly because not many businesses seem to do it well, if they consider doing it at all. This is a major mistake on many levels, even if all you’re bothered about is costs, because hiring a replacement costs approximately a third of the salary of the person that’s just resigned.

I know so many people who have experienced what you feel and think that the only option they have is jumping ship. Frankly, they’re often right

Companies are often geared in such a way that an employee feels that all the weight of progression rests on their shoulders. They often feel that they have to climb the proverbial ‘career ladder’ via jumping all sorts of corporate hurdles – be they tangible goals or socially determined forces such as strong networks – at the same time. Which, if not properly supported, is a recipe for anyone to end up at best knackered and at worst running for the hills. And this ladder only leads to an increasingly scarce and competitive number of roles the higher you climb. 

A company should of course expect to see ambition, skill and drive in someone who is seeking progression within their ranks. The laissez-faire attitude is really dangerous on many fronts. I know so many people who have experienced what you feel and think that the only option they have is jumping ship. Frankly, they’re often right because of entrenched behaviours on the part of employers. 

When the weight of progression is placed on the individual’s performance and little else, it’s very easy to sit back as the ‘boss’. That way, you can judge your staff purely on their latest performance review in their current role, not their overall work experience. You don’t have the responsibility to develop new skills in your team; that’s all down to how much they want something. This approach is much easier in the short term, as opposed to taking things like succession planning, career coaching and properly meaningful people development seriously, then investing the time and the money to do it. 

There was a time when that corporate ladder was literally it in terms of career progression in any kind of corporate world

This slightly depressing pattern of (a lack of) action is then further entrenched when you consider the all-too-human attraction of new and shiny people from the outside. Add to that the easy excuse that a high level of churn is a modern affliction – people don’t want jobs for life any more – and you have a perfect recipe over the long term for your business losing real talent, knowledge and a huge amount of money. 

Which is all to say that I’m not surprised you feel you have to move on to progress. Many people do, and it’s no bad thing. But in your situation, you feel caught by the double-whammy of lacking an upward career trajectory where you are while at the same time not being given any real career development, thanks to the attitudes mentioned above. 

This is when I’d challenge you to think about what trajectory actually is these days. There was a time when that corporate ladder was literally it in terms of career progression in any kind of corporate world. You climbed until you hit whatever ceiling you were subject to, and stopped until an awkward party where you were given a carriage clock and went home. Forever. 

Careers aren’t ladders (particularly if you come from an underrepresented group), but climbing frames. I think that’s really true, and such a powerful statement

But actually, when I’ve thought about my own path, and that of some of the most creative and amazing people I know, I’ve realised that the idea of a single upward trajectory isn’t just outdated, it’s not human. 

A very wise woman I know coined a better analogy than I had for this when she said that careers aren’t ladders (particularly if you come from an underrepresented group), but climbing frames. I think that’s really true, and such a powerful statement. It’s true for everyone, but particularly creatives, I think, who are all in some brilliantly crazy Buckminster Fuller-style geodesic playground. 

A lateral move to develop new skills can be just as powerful as a promotion as it may unlock a whole new surprising dimension to your work. It could even unlock a whole new route you’d never even contemplated or been given the space to explore by your employer. 

I’m a big believer that CVs only make sense backwards, so take a look at yours and pick your threads. Then think about the new textures you want to weave

So, are there ways you can find broader skills development within your organisation? Is that digital work being done by a department you can go and sit with, or dream up a shared project that will help you to learn from them? Have a think about all the people you know who have managed to achieve what you’re after and work out ways to tap into that.

Then remember, I’m a big believer that CVs only make sense backwards, so take a look at yours and pick your threads. Then think about the new textures you want to weave into that rich journey and make your new sail. Your employer should help you navigate that if you wish them to. 

As we’ve shown, it makes sound business sense, so present that case to them. Or, you can choose to strike out for oceans new. While you’re ultimately the captain of your own voyage, I’d argue that no ship should be sailed without an amazing crew that not only challenges one another but is supportive. 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is all a treasure map, not an A to Z. We know some of the points on the map and where a few beasts are thanks to experience, but we really have to explore to find the gold.

Anna

Anna Higgs is head of entertainment at Facebook. If you have a question for her, send it via CR’s social channels, or email [email protected]