Your Career In stages
We often talk about careers as if they’re linear: you start, you climb, you retire.
But the truth is, careers have stages. And understanding which stage you’re in—and what it requires—can change how you show up, what you prioritize, and how you build the legacy you want to leave behind.
I look at careers as having four stages: Early, Mid, Legacy, and Bridge.
Let me walk you through each one.
Stage 1: Early Career (0–5 Years)
Post high school, trade school, or college until you’ve reached 3–5 years of experience.
This is the foundational skills stage. You’re learning how things work, building your reputation from scratch, and figuring out what you’re good at—and what you care about.
What Matters Most:
- Show up and put in effort. Early career doesn’t mean you have to take nonsense, but you do have to be willing to learn, focus, and build relationships. It’s not a magic wand—you have to put in the time and effort for it to be worth something.
- Build your reputation early. How you show up now sets the tone for the rest of your career.
- Be curious. Ask questions. Take on projects no one else wants. Pay attention to what energizes you and what drains you.
Stage 2: Mid Career (5–10 Years)
This is where things get interesting.
At the beginning of this stage, you have enough experience to know what you’re doing—but you’re also at a crossroads.
If what you’re doing doesn’t align with your passion and goals, this is a great time for reinvention or transformation.
What Matters Most:
- Maintain the relationships you’ve built and keep building new ones.
- Find mentoring options—both being mentored and mentoring others.
- Always do what you say you will. Your reputation is your currency. Protect it.
- Reassess alignment. Does your current path still fit your mission, passion, and purpose? If not, this is the stage to pivot.
Stage 3: Legacy Career (10+ Years)
This is the most robust stage.
You’re shifting slightly every few years to adjust income, strategy, or financial benefits. But more importantly, this is the stage where your experience from the earlier stages can be shared with those who are just starting out or mid-transformation.
You can:
- Help others learn foundational skills
- Guide career transformations with new skills and perspectives
- Leave a valuable legacy based on the knowledge and experience you’ve built
What Matters Most:
- Your reputation provides your final opportunities and bonuses. If you want to build a great team, this is where mentoring, servant leadership, and listening to understand matter most.
- Use your reputational currency wisely. Make changes for the right reasons. Advocate for others. Leave something meaningful behind.
- Keep learning. Just because you’re experienced doesn’t mean you stop growing.
Many people choose to retire directly from the Legacy stage. But not all can—or want to.
Stage 4: Bridge Phase (Transition to Retirement)
No longer wanting the full schedule and responsibilities of a traditional career, but not ready to fully retire.
In this phase, many tend to explore:
- Working in areas more related to their passions
- Things they would have done if money wasn’t an issue
- Building their own business or consulting practice
This is your chance to bridge the gap between full-time work and full retirement—on your terms.
Key Principles for Every Stage
No matter what stage of your career you’re in, there are a few key things to keep in mind:
1. Continuous Improvement
Not only does continuing to learn new things keep your mind fresh and moving, it helps you remain relevant to what’s happening in your industry and the world.
2. Reputation and How You Show Up
It looks different at each stage, but building and maintaining your reputation is the currency that steps into the room before you do.
- Early career: Show up, put in effort, build relationships.
- Mid career: Maintain relationships, keep building new ones, always do what you say you will.
- Legacy stage: Use your reputational currency to mentor, lead with service, and make change for the right reasons.
3. Create and Maintain Your Mission, Passion, and Purpose Statements
The world is full of consistent change. Even the best employees get displaced or moved around.
When things become difficult, knowing how what you do each day matters can make tough situations easier to deal with.
What to Do If You’re Laid Off
Being laid off, in many cases, doesn’t have to do with performance.
There are so many factors that go into those decisions: reductions in force, site strategies, realignments, market shifts.
If you happen to find yourself in the situation of losing your job, here are a few things to keep in mind:
1. Take Your Moment
It sucks. You’re allowed to be angry and upset.
But do not allow yourself to jump into the blame game or decorate in this negative space. We don’t want to stay here.
2. Reframe
It’s hard. But this is now an opportunity.
Your negative will become a positive if you put in the effort and move forward. It may not look like you thought. You’re going to build that plane as you fly it. But you might just find yourself in a great space you never planned for.
3. Reach Out to Your Network—Positively
Each industry is like a community, and badmouthing any company or person could come back to bite you.
If you wouldn’t say it directly to the person or company, keep it in your private circle.
When engaging your network, share that you want to use this time to find the role that best aligns with your career mission, passion, and purpose.
Give specific role types, companies, or industries—and start working that network.
4. Don’t Be Afraid to Try Consulting or Contingent Work
Some of the best connections have been made in short engagements that lead to amazing long-term outcomes.
5. Take Classes and Upskill
A lot of content is now free or low-cost through LinkedIn Learning, Coursera, or services provided by your former employer if you were displaced.
6. Know What You Bring to the Table
You are not “just a box checker”—you are a coordinator.
You are not “just a program manager”—you are adept at managing multiple enterprise priorities.
You are not “just a nurse”—you are [insert the awesome things your patients and families have told you].
Learn to sell yourself by owning what you actually do.
You’re in the Driver’s Seat
Recently, we had a speaker talk about being in the driver’s seat of your career. They’re absolutely right.
Instead of being on the track at Daytona, we’re on our own track—and we get to decide:
- How fast we go
- How often we collide
- Where we stop
For us, the finish line is where we place it with our goals and actions.
Final Thought
If you want more, go get it.
If you like where you’re at, maintain it.
If you don’t like it, reinvent or transform it.
But no matter what, make sure you are proud of what you leave behind.
Because your career isn’t just about what you achieve—it’s about the legacy you build, the people you help, and the impact you leave in your wake.
Authentic Evolution Journey 