Two Career Paths — and Why Only One Is Sustainable

photo by Maria Kostyleva (IG:masha_and_film)

For a long time, careers were explained to us as ladders.

You start at the bottom.You climb step by step.If you’re ambitious, you climb faster than others.

But careers today no longer follow straight lines. They zigzag, pause, restart, and sometimes move sideways. And if you look closely at how people navigate them, two very different patterns emerge.

Path One: The Sprint to the Top

The first path is all about speed.

Move fast. Skip steps. Don’t get distracted.Every choice is optimized for one goal: the next title.

There’s no time for exploring interests that don’t immediately pay off. No room for detours, curiosity, or doubt. Anything that doesn’t directly support upward movement is considered inefficient.

And then one day, you arrive.

Head of Something.VP of Something Bigger.Maybe even CEO.

From the outside, it looks like success in its purest form. People congratulate you. Your calendar is full. Your LinkedIn profile finally says what you always wanted it to say.

But for many, this is the moment when something unexpected happens.

The race is over — and the silence is loud.

After years of constant striving, the question you postponed finally appears:What’s next?

And sometimes, there is no answer. The title was the goal, not the journey. Once it’s achieved, there’s a strange emptiness. Burnout, loss of motivation, or a quiet sense of “Is this all?” are more common than we like to admit.

Path Two: The Sustainable Route

The second path looks very different and often less impressive on paper.

This path doesn’t obsess over titles. It allows for side steps. It values learning, exploration, and personal fit over speed.

You take time to go deep into topics that genuinely interest you. You join initiatives because they excite you, not because they look good in a promotion deck. Sometimes, you even start things yourself.

Along the way, you notice something curious.

That person from university, the one who struggled with math or never seemed particularly outstanding, is now a CxO. For a brief moment, you wonder how that happened.

Then you go back to your work.

Because, despite not chasing titles, you feel grounded. Your work gives you energy instead of draining it. You’re growing, but without constant pressure. You don’t live in a permanent state of anxiety. Imposter syndrome doesn’t dominate your thoughts.

This path doesn’t maximize short-term status. It maximizes long-term sustainability.

Why Sustainability Matters More Than Speed

A career can be impressive and still be fragile.

If your entire identity is built around a title, what happens when the title changes or loses its meaning? If every move is about climbing higher, how long can you keep going before exhaustion sets in?

Sustainable careers are different.

They’re built on:

• Curiosity instead of fear

• Growth instead of acceleration

• Alignment instead of constant comparison

They leave room for change: in interests, in life circumstances, in energy levels. They allow you to evolve without having to “start over.”

Most importantly, they are careers you can live with, not just ones you can achieve.

Redefining Success

Success is often measured by how fast and how high someone climbs.

But a better question might be: Can you stay there without losing yourself?

A sustainable career isn’t about avoiding ambition. It’s about choosing ambition that doesn’t burn you out, hollow you out, or trap you in a role you no longer recognize.

In a world where careers are no longer linear, sustainability isn’t a nice-to-have.

It’s the strategy.