Chapter 8. Career Killers

“You are what you do. If you do boring, stupid, monotonous work, chances are you’ll end up boring, stupid, and monotonous.”

—Bob Black

We all make mistakes, but some mistakes have greater impact than others. To avoid serious career-limiting maneuvers, it helps to understand what one looks like. In this chapter, I point out common mistakes many of us stumble over throughout our careers. Some career killers are spectacular and volcanic, erupting and destroying a career overnight. The harder ones are the problems that creep up on you over the course of years. Some unlucky souls wake up after years of ponderous work and loyalty to their employer and wonder quizzically, “Why am I here, and what did I do wrong?” Career-development problems fall into some basic categories, including social interactions, teamwork, productivity, and professional growth.