Play on the jungle gym

I've been reading the Lean In book and came across a concept I just had to share with you - it makes sense, and it's never occurred to me before:

"Careers are a jungle gym, not a ladder." (Pattie Sellers of Fortune magazine)

We've all heard the saying "climbing up the corporate ladder blablabla". But ladders are limiting. We move up and down this ladder, get on or off, but we never once even consider going sideways, for example.

There's only one way to get to the top of a ladder, but many ways to get to the top of a jungle gym. Makes sense, right?

So if you're stressing about your career path and that dreaded question in interviews, "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" - it helps to think of the jungle gym.

It's ok not to have a clear structure. It's ok not to have your career mapped out. It's ok, to move sideways.

It actually helps to think this way - it takes the pressure off. In today's competitive world, the reality is, we won't always be able to accept a job that will take us to the next step in the ladder. We might have to trade our seniority to acquire a new skill, we might have to drop a level.

But in a jungle gym, that's fine. Eventually, at the end of the day, all roads lead to Rome. Right?