Oh… I don’t want my manager’s job.
Now what do I do?
This is a revelation that hits many professionals in their 20s & 30s.
They look one level up.
And realise they don’t want that.
For some, it’s a confronting moment, because for most of your career the way forward has looked pretty linear.
Work hard → get promoted → manage a team → repeat.
But career progression doesn’t mean one singular path.
You can grow, get paid more and make a bigger impact, all without taking your manager’s job.
So if you’ve realised the job one step up isn’t for you…
You’re not stuck.
You’ve actually got more options that you may know what to do with!
Here are 10 ways you can advance without following the same path as the person above you:
- Focus on becoming the go-to specialist in your field that no one else can replace.
- Pitch a custom role that solves a problem the business hasn’t solved yet.
- Lead high-impact projects that raise your visibility without requiring you to manage a team.
- Position yourself as a trusted advisor who gets brought into important decisions.
- Move laterally into a more strategic or high-growth part of the business to accelerate learning.
- Take on additional responsibilities that build your skillset and open up future options.
- Renegotiate your current role and pay based on the value you’re already delivering.
- Drop to part-time and test a business idea or passion project on the side.
- Start mentoring others in your company to demonstrate leadership without needing a title.
- Contract into a more senior role and use that as a stepping stone to redefine your level.