Avoid These 10 Career Traps

You’ve got big dreams, a solid LinkedIn profile, and enough ambition to believe anything is possible. But before you go full steam ahead, let me share a few sneaky little potholes that could trip you up on the way. This is coming from someone who has been on this journey for over two decades! Nothing dramatic, just a few career traps people (read: all of us) tend to fall into. I will call them out so you can dodge them.

1. Chasing titles over skills
“Senior Executive Of Something Something” sounds fancy, but if you’re not earning or learning or growing, what’s the point? A shiny title without real skills behind or the compensation to back it up is just LinkedIn fluff. Focus on substance.

2. Waiting for the “perfect time”
You keep telling yourself, “Next year I’ll apply for that role,” or “Once things calm down, I’ll finally switch careers.”  I hatebyo be the bearer of this news, but things rarely calm down. Procrastinating on your career dreams is a subtle trap that keeps you stuck. Progress loves action, not endless planning.

3. Confusing busyness with productivity
Running around all day, answering emails, and attending back-to-back meetings doesn’t mean you’re killing it. If your to-do list has everything except your actual goals on it and what you are measured on , you might be mistaking motion for progress.

4. Waiting for someone to notice you
This isn’t high school. There’s no “most likely to succeed” award waiting in your inbox. Speak up. Volunteer. Share your wins. No one can cheer for you if they don’t even know you scored.

5. Saying yes to everything (without strategy)
You are not a human machine. If you say yes to every task, every last-minute ask, and every “quick favor,” you’ll burn out fast and dilute your impact. Instead, say yes strategically to the things that stretch you, build your skills, or align with your goals. Everything else? Try a polite, professional “not this time.”

6. Thinking your job description is the ceiling
That dusty document from HR is a starting point, not a limit. Growth lives just outside your official role if you’re intentional. Look for smart ways to expand your impact, take on a visible project, offer solutions to a team challenge, or explore cross-functional work. Don’t do more just for the sake of it. Do more of what matters.

7. Comparing your journey to someone else’s
That colleague who got promoted in six months? Or that friend who now works in three time zones and calls themselves a “digital nomad strategist”? Bless them. Even the one who made the 30 Under 30 List, congratulations to her. But your race is yours. Comparison will only make you think you are behind even when you’re not. Should you be inspired by the success of others? Yes, you should,  but do not ever let anyone’s success steal your joy.

8. Ignoring your network
Your next opportunity might come from someone you had coffee with three years ago. Don’t just show up when you need something. Nurture your network. Reach out just for the sake of it. It’s human decency, and it pays off.

9. Avoiding difficult conversations
Whether it’s asking for feedback, negotiating your salary, or calling out bad behavior, hard convos are where growth lives. Don’t ghost your own potential because it feels awkward. Awkward is temporary. Regret lingers.

10. Forgetting to have a life outside work
If your whole life revolves around your job only,  you need to urgently do something about it. You’re allowed to be ambitious and have a life. Read books. Dance badly. Travel. Sleep. (Seriously, sleep.) A well-lived life fuels a great career, not the other way around.

Careers aren’t straight lines, and success isn’t a checklist. Just be smart enough to know the traps and be brave enough to step around them. Your future self will high-five you, probably over coffee, in a job you love, doing work that lights you up.

Gratitude: This week, I am grateful for my mother, who stands as a pillar of strength in my life. I thank God for her every single day.

Gratefully