At this point, you’ve spent time figuring out how to find meaningful roles, position yourself to get them, and navigate the challenges that inevitably come up. But making a difference through your career doesn’t stop once you land an impactful role; it’s an ongoing process of growth and adaptation.
A big part of making a meaningful difference lies in learning how to grow into your work in ways that keep you engaged. This means seeing your career not merely as a sequence of jobs, but as something you actively shape and develop throughout your life. The skills you cultivate, the projects you take on, and the connections you make can create new opportunities for the future.
This chapter explores how to keep the bigger picture in mind throughout your career journey, so you can continue to create meaningful opportunities and deepen your impact at every stage.
Growing where you are
Your current role, regardless of whether it’s your long-term ideal, likely offers some opportunity to learn and grow. In fact, you have more control than you might realize over your development, especially if you approach your work as a place to actively explore and build, not just something to get through. That starts with getting clearer on what you want to improve next. What skills or experiences would help you deepen your impact or move toward your next meaningful contribution? What do you want to test out, strengthen, or better understand? Once you have a rough idea, you can start looking for ways to build those into your day-to-day.
Use your current role to test things out. Your current role can be more than just a job—it can be a space to explore what fits and what doesn’t. Even small experiments—like trying a new type of task, volunteering to lead a project, or stepping a bit outside your comfort zone—can teach you a lot. You might uncover a hidden strength or realize a certain path isn’t right for you. Either way, these small tests often offer clearer insight than waiting for the “perfect” opportunity to come along.
Make time to upskill intentionally. You don’t have to rely on formal training to build skills and knowledge, especially if you want to shift to a new field or cause area. Sometimes it’s about gradually building capabilities that match the kind of contribution you want to make, like getting better at communicating ideas clearly or analyzing complex problems. You can often do this within your role by tackling stretch projects, learning from colleagues, or carving out time to go deeper on specific tools or frameworks. Or you could seek opportunities to learn outside of work with online courses, newsletters, books, events (even virtual ones), or conversations with people in your field, which can be just as valuable as on-the-job experience.
Pick a few projects that move you in the right direction. If you have any say in how you spend your time, look for work that nudges you closer to what you want more of. That might mean building a new skill, testing out a different kind of challenge, or contributing to something you care more deeply about. These small choices, repeated over time, start to shape the path ahead.
Keep track of your progress. It can be easy to forget how far you’ve come. Keeping some sort of record of what you’ve figured out—skills learned, challenges handled, feedback received—can help remind you of your growth, especially in times of doubt. It gives you something concrete to look back on and makes it easier to reflect, update your resume, or talk about your growth when it matters.
Build relationships that support your growth. As you develop in your role, the people around you can play an important part in where you go next. Colleagues and managers can be valuable sources of guidance and even future opportunities, so it’s worth taking the time to build relationships along the way. It also helps to have someone you can regularly talk things through with—whether that’s a mentor, a former manager, or just someone a bit further ahead who gets what you’re working toward. And when someone sees your potential and is willing to speak to your growth, it can open doors to opportunities down the road.
Thinking ahead
It’s easy to get caught up in day-to-day tasks, but it’s just as important to step back occasionally and ask yourself: Where is this all taking me? Every role offers something valuable to carry forward, whether it’s a new skill, a clearer sense of what matters to you, or even insight into what to avoid next time.
One way to shape your growth is to start from where you want to go. Instead of trying to improve everything at once, look at the kinds of roles or problems you want to focus on. What skills and experiences do people in those areas usually have? That can guide what to prioritize next.
It’s also helpful to do regular check-ins with yourself. Your goals and interests will naturally evolve over time, and that’s a positive thing. But when you’re in the momentum of a job, those shifts can be easy to miss. It’s worth stepping back at least once a year to ask yourself:
- What am I actually learning right now?
- What’s giving me energy—and what’s draining it?
- What kind of problems do I want to be working on a few years from now?
- Does my current role feel connected to the impact I want to have?
- Are there small changes I could make to move in a better direction?
You don’t need firm answers to all of these questions. The goal is simply to notice when things have shifted, so you can adjust your course before drifting too far from the work you truly want to be doing.
Developing your relationships
The people you connect with throughout your career—coworkers, collaborators, mentors, peers—can have a lasting impact on your growth and your ability to contribute meaningfully. But strong professional relationships don’t just happen by chance. They’re built gradually, through small, genuine interactions over time. By approaching this part of your career with intentionality, you can open the door to new perspectives, learning opportunities, and paths you may not have found on your own.
Invest in everyday connections. The strongest professional relationships often start with small, thoughtful interactions. Look for natural moments to connect, whether that’s following up after a conversation, asking a colleague about their approach, or sharing something relevant to their work. These efforts help you build trust and stay visible without needing a big reason to reach out.
Reach out before you need something. It’s easier to build meaningful connections when there’s no immediate ask. If someone’s work resonates with you, take the time to let them know or ask a genuine question. People are often more open to thoughtful outreach than you might expect, especially when it’s grounded in curiosity rather than a request.
Stay in touch deliberately. Relationships don’t have to be constant to be valuable, but they do benefit from occasional maintenance. A quick message to share an update, say thanks, or check in can help keep the door open for future collaboration, support, or advice. These kinds of connections are also what often lead to strong references down the line—something that tends to grow out of a lasting connection rather than last-minute requests.
Specializing or generalizing?
As you move forward in your career, one question often comes up: Should you dive deep into one area or keep your skills broad and flexible? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, but this choice can shape both the kind of impact you make and how satisfying your work feels.
Specialists go deep. They develop expertise that’s hard to find elsewhere—whether that’s in scientific research, communications, policy, or another field. Their strength comes from solving problems that few others can. This usually fits roles that require very specific technical or scientific skills, where knowing the details inside and out really matters.
Generalists have a wider range of skills and knowledge. They tend to pick up new things quickly and connect across different groups. They’re often a good fit for fast-changing fields like new organizations or emerging industries, where the challenges are varied and solutions come from combining ideas across areas.
Both approaches can lead to meaningful, rewarding careers. What matters most is finding what fits you and the kind of work you want to do. A lot of people start general, then narrow their focus once they find something that really clicks. This “T-shaped” style (broad knowledge with deep skills in a couple of areas) gives space to explore before settling in.
That said, if you’re thinking about specializing, it helps to get a clear sense of the field you’re interested in. Look into what skills matter, how the area is changing, and what kinds of roles are out there. That way, you’re not just diving deep blindly but ensuring your focus matches real opportunities and where you want to head.
Bringing it all together
Building a meaningful career takes time, and it rarely moves in a straight line. What feels like a good fit today might shift as you gain experience, take on new challenges, or learn more about the issues that matter to you. That’s a natural part of the process!
The main takeaway is to always keep your current role in perspective: What are you learning? Where could it lead? Staying connected to the broader direction you’re aiming for can make it easier to grow your skills, spot new opportunities, and move toward the kind of impact you want to have. In the next chapter, we’ll wrap up the main points of the guide and provide some actionable next steps to move forward.