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Calm Down — It’s Just a Career
Where Does Coasting Fit in Your Career Life Cycle?
According to Indeed, the career life cycle categorizes your professional life into five stages:
- Exploration. Typical age range: 21–25.
- Establishment. Typical age range: 25–35 years old.
- Mid-career. Typical age range: 35–45 years old.
- Late-career. Typical age range: 45–55 years old.
- Decline. Typical age range: 55–65 years old.
It’s a broad-brushed stroke that uses age to describe trajectories, common goals, and corresponding behaviors. And while having a general framework for your career makes sense, given the future of work, it’s a little naive to imagine starting at age 21 and trending upward for the next thirty-four years.
That’s why I prefer to think of careers in seasons instead of linearly. In some seasons, you lean in, as Sheryl says, embracing your ambition and accelerating your growth; in others, you coast and conserve your energy for important reasons.
By the way, for those of you who reacted to the word coasting, don’t panic. I’m not talking about quiet quitting or slacking off.
If you’re mid-career or senior-level, you’ve earned some concessions for your stellar…
