@EthanEvansVP on X: One of my biggest regrets is how stressful I allowed my career to be. I worried constantly while on the path to becoming an Amazon VP. Let me save you some stress. Career growth requires:
- Doing lots of good work; hard work is table stakes
- Growing your skills to be more valuable
- Partnering with good bosses
- Finding growing companies
1 and 2 are important, but #3 and #4 may matter even more.
In my career, I worked at companies that had opportunities for me to move up. And, a series of good managers mentored me and sponsored my growth there.
But, there was some pain along the way.
In my early career I became a “VP” at the startup level by joining as the 6th employee. This company shot up to 150 people… then had layoffs down to 100, then to 50, and eventually was acquired for pennies.
I lost everything I put into the company stock and got let go in the layoffs.
At my next startup, I joined as a VP to turn around the engineering team. I did that, but the company itself didn’t turn around and I was laid off again.
The third startup followed this same up and down pattern—hiring people then letting them go. After that, I joined Amazon as a Senior Manager with three rounds of executive experience.
When I was experiencing layoffs, I worried about not having a job and not having any money. When I wasn’t being laid off, I worried obsessively about career growth and moving up.
I honestly spent more than 10 years worrying about these two things, and my hair literally turned gray. Then, I worried about that too - about looking too old to be “up on technology” and being seen as “out of it.”
So, I dyed my hair back to brown to “look promotable.”
I cannot prove to you that all this worrying was unnecessary. But, I also cannot prove it helped me in any way that the hard work, learning, good bosses, and growing companies would not have done for me anyway.
Do not work for a bad manager!
Whether that manager is truly “bad,” or simply not a fit for your personality, style, and goals, you need to work for someone who will support you. Move if you do not have an advocate!
So, the way to create career success is this: Find the right company and boss, then “do the work.”
Stressing out is human, but it won’t get you there faster and it WILL give you gray hair.
Where do you stress too much and what are you doing about it?
https://x.com/ethanevansvp/status/1935427475867353348