Are You Building Your Career?

Are you being Good at your Job or building your Career?

It hit me the other night—right in the middle of rummaging for a late-night snack. Funny how the best thoughts sneak up on you when you’re thinking about food.

I realized something I had struggled with for years, something I had to unlearn and relearn before it finally clicked. And I know I’m not alone in this—many people go through their entire working lives without ever truly figuring it out.

We celebrate people who have had great jobs, but only a few can look back and say they’ve had a great career. Those few, the ones who seem to move with purpose, who carve out a name for themselves, often appear to us as enigmas—forces of nature. We admire them, sometimes even envy them, but we rarely stop to ask: What did they do differently?

And that’s when it dawned on me.

A job isn’t the same thing as a career.

Most people confuse the two. We equate being good at our job with building a career. But they are not the same. Your job is what you do to earn a living; your career is the story you are writing for yourself. And if you’re not intentional about it, you might wake up one day and realize that you’ve mastered your job—but neglected your career.

See, jobs come and go. They have start and end dates, promotions, and paychecks. But a career? A career is a journey. A career is yours to shape. Where it’s end date is sole determined by you, your actions, and also your vision.

The Trap of Being “Good at Your Job”

The world rewards competence. If you do your job well, people will praise you, give you more responsibility, maybe even a raise. But that doesn’t mean you are building a career. Because while you’re busy excelling at your job, you might not be paying attention to whether it’s leading you to where you actually want to be.

It’s like being on a treadmill. You’re running, putting in the effort, getting stronger—but you’re not going anywhere.

The truth is, your employer’s priority will always be their business. They’ll invest in your growth as long as it benefits them, but your long-term aspirations? That’s on you. Your “job within the job” is to ensure that what you’re doing today aligns with where you want to be tomorrow. Which isn’t always easy and sometime would require to have a side project or spending your weekend reading about that topic that has always been an interest to you.

A career isn’t something that just happens after years of working—it’s something you craft. And sometimes, it takes a few years before you even realize what direction you want to go. That’s okay. The first few years in the workforce are often about exploring, learning, and figuring things out.

Some people might realize early on that they want to retire by 40. If that’s the case, then every job they take should be part of a larger strategy—saving aggressively, investing wisely, and picking roles that accelerate that goal.

Others might want to be leaders, industry experts, or pioneers in their field. That means seeking opportunities that push them in that direction—taking on challenging projects, networking, and positioning themselves for the roles that matter.

Whatever the goal, the key is being intentional. A job pays the bills, but a career shapes the life you want.

It would be great if every job fit neatly into our long-term career path, but that’s rarely the case. Over time, the skills required for a job and the skills needed for a career often diverge.

Being great at a job often means following established systems, meeting expectations, and working within a structured environment. A career, on the other hand, requires vision, adaptability, lots of learning, and personal responsibility.

That’s why some people wake up after 10 years in a job and realize they’ve been running in place. They were so focused on succeeding at their job that they forgot to steer their career. I think that’s why job losses, hurts the most. Especially, for those who built their life, and plans around a job. Living standard, and family plans around being good at their current job. That’s risky and very volatile.

At some point, you have to ask yourself: Am I just working, or am I building something?

That’s the moment when real careers begin. Sometimes, it requires stepping back to move forward. It might mean leaving a comfortable role to take on a challenge that aligns with your long-term vision. It might mean investing in learning new skills, even if they don’t seem immediately necessary.

A friend told me, “The skills that got me here won’t be the skills that take me to the next level.” And that stuck with me. What you’ve learned in the last ten years brought you here. What you learn next will determine where you go.

So, if you’re early in your career, don’t stress too much about it. Life has a way of nudging you in different directions. But at some point, you have to take the wheel and drive with intention. And if you are already into a job, then you should ask yourself, what are you without this job? Who are you without the position you hold at the moment. Are you getting invited to give a speech at that event, because you are the CEO, or Manager of that known company, or as “YOU” who also is the CEO, or Manager of that company.

Because at the end of the day, your job will make you useful—but your career will make you valuable.