MAP Strategic Wealth Advisors

Career coach Matt Youngquist has helped over 20,000 professionals improve the trajectory of their careers. Here, he lists the nine biggest career-limiting mistakes he has seen professionals make, with key strategies for how to avoid them:

1. Letting Somebody Else Make Career Decisions for You: Advice is a powerful resource, but the power to discern the good advice from the bad is a superpower. Your career should align with your talents, interests, and values, not just the advice of others. Trust your own instincts when choosing a path. Utilize career assessments and counseling resources to make informed decisions.
2. Underestimating the Importance of Networking: The “its not what you know…” cliché bear some truth. Success is not just about talent—it’s also about relationships. Building a strong network, even online, can open doors and create career opportunities. Find a networking strategy that suits your personality and stick with it.
3. Not Keeping Your Skills Sharp or Engaging in Continuous Learning: The job market evolves quickly, and staying relevant requires ongoing education. Whether through formal training or self-study, lifelong learning helps maintain your competitive edge. Keeping skills fresh also helps combat workplace biases, such as age discrimination.
4. Failing to Clarify Your Career Priorities (or Recognizing Tradeoffs): Every job comes with tradeoffs, so it’s crucial to define what matters the absolute most—whether it’s salary, impact, flexibility, or work-life balance. Understanding your priorities helps you choose a fulfilling career path. No job offers everything one seeks.
5. Not Being Able to Explain the Specific “Problems You Can Solve”: Employers hire people who solve problems, so knowing your personal value proposition is essential. What problems do you make go away? Be clear on the skills you bring and how they benefit an organization. A failure to understand or articulate this can limit your trajectory.
6. Failing to Consider the Impact of Age Bias: Though despicable, age bias is a very real factor- Especially in fast-changing industries. Be proactive by keeping your skills current (see last week’s newsletter about upskilling vs reskilling) and avoiding behaviors that reinforce negative stereotypes. Adaptability and energy can counteract assumptions about age.
7. Not Keeping Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile Current: Regularly updating your resume and LinkedIn makes job opportunities easier to pursue. Keep track of your achievements so you’re always prepared to present your skills effectively. Updating every year or two prevents last-minute scrambling.
8. Inability to Ask for Help: Career growth is rarely a solo effort—mentors, peers, and professional circles can provide invaluable support. Seek feedback and embrace collaboration. Asking for help or advice accelerates learning and will open doors.
9. Underestimating the Amount of Opportunity That Exists: The world is full of uncertainty, but opportunities are more abundant than they appear. Many employers, remote work options, and alternative career paths are out there and worth pursuing. Stay optimistic and be proactive in exploring opportunities rather than focusing on limitations.

While there is no perfect roadmap for career success, you can count on a career being the product of how you leverage your learning and pursue growth. There will always be setbacks and wrong turns, but by avoiding these mistakes, you will smooth your path forward.

Upskilling and reskilling are two forms of active growth. They are similar in that they lead to the expansion of knowledge and ability, they differ in the nature of the skills learned and– importantly– in the end goal of the learning.

UPSKILLING is when an employee actively undertakes learning to expand their existing skill set. These additional skills enhance the worker’s performance in their current role, potentially advancing them along their career path.

RESKILLING is defined by actively learning new skills that go beyond a worker’s existing skillset. These skills are often closely adjacent to those required by their current role, but may sometimes be geared toward a different path entirely.

Upskilling advances talent on a linear path, and may be done in response to new demands of a role or a desire to “level up” in one’s career. Reskilling connotes more lateral movement– a pivot to something new and possibly more advantageous.

The workplace is evolving faster than ever, demanding a more adaptable workforce. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated these shifts beyond expectations, highlighting the rise of automation, the complexities of remote work, and the growing need for flexibility at all levels. In this changing landscape, employers that promote learning are more likely to thrive.

Investing in your own upskilling and reskilling can not only lead to the opening of new career doors, but can boost job satisfaction overall. Employers that help their teams bridge skill gaps or grow existing skillsets have shown to retain talent more effectively than those that do not.

Bloom’s 7 pieces of advice of career advice, designed to apply to any stage of your career, are:

1. Swallow the Frog: Mark Twain wrote, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” This is not only a reminder to do the hard things in the day first. It is a reminder to look for opportunities to do the hard things for your bosses– both to add value and to stand out from those unwilling to do the hard tasks.
2. Do the “Old Fashioned” Things Well: Simple habits like eye contact, punctuality, good posture, and kindness are timeless. These small but powerful actions will never go out of style, and set you apart in a world where basic courtesies are too often overlooked.
3. Work Hard First (& Smart Later): It is simple: Hard work is the foundation for success. Before focusing on working smart or cutting corners, establish a reputation for effort, reliability, and getting things done. Over time, this earns you the leverage to work more efficiently.
4. Build Storytelling Skills: Great leaders aren’t necessarily the smartest—they’re the best at aggregating complex sets of data, and communicating it simply & effectively. They turn important learnings into clear, compelling narratives. If you can master storytelling, you’ll always bring value to any organization.
5. Build a Reputation for Figuring It Out: No one has all the answers, especially early in their career. The most valuable people are those who can take on new challenges, ask the right questions, and solve problems independently. Doing these things is the easiest way to beat imposter syndrome and get key experience.
6. Show Up Early (& Stay Late): Being present before and after key meetings is the best way to increase your “luck surface area”– it increases your exposure to opportunities and important conversations. In remote settings, seek out moments to connect and engage outside of formal meetings, as this in-person connection will be even more vital.
7. Dive Through Cracked Doors: Opportunities don’t always present themselves in obvious ways. Pay attention to life’s small openings, unexpected chances, and moments where you can step up—these often lead to the biggest career breakthroughs.

In your career, many things will feel maddeningly beyond your control. But– like in all areas of life, directing your energy toward what you can control will always push you in a better and more actionable direction.