An average corporate professional’s “Career Life” lasts around 40 years, which should not be confused with the “Productive life”, which is usually longer. In one of my previous articles, I emphasised the importance of being a “conscious learner”, as no single degree taken early in life can provide lifelong value. This continuous learning journey keeps our careers dynamic and exciting, offering new opportunities for growth and development—a link to the article here.

In this section, we will explore the different transitions individuals need to make during different phases of their careers. A person’s career path can typically be represented as a graph, as shown in Figure 1. As individuals progress in their jobs, their responsibilities, expectations, and seniority increase, and organisations expect them to develop the skills required to make the necessary transitions. However, it is crucial to remember that it is up to the individual to drive these transitions, empowering them to shape their career journey.

A typical Professional Career can be divided into five Phases. Phase 1 is the Academic phase, followed by the early career phase, which is Phase 2. Phase 3 is the mid-career phase, while phase 4 is the Senior career phase. Finally, Phase 5 is the Productive phase. Each career phase requires learning new skills, developing new mindsets and connections, and, most importantly, Unlearn.

While technical and Academic skills are essential in the early years, they become less relevant as a career progresses. The skills needed move from hard skills to soft skills. This transition takes work. Suddenly, what made you successful in one phase may not necessarily be relevant to the next. It becomes critical for an individual to understand the nuances and prepare for the next phase. A prepared individual has a much higher chance of cutting. Burnout, disenchantment, and frustrations arise out of lack of this knowledge.

While luck, timing, place, industry, and politics play roles, they can be managed mainly through preparation.