16 Common Missteps That Can Limit A Promising Tech Career

Innovation 16 Common Missteps That Can Limit A Promising Tech Career Expert Panel® Forbes Councils Member Forbes Technology Council COUNCIL POST Expertise from Forbes Councils members, operated under license. Opinions expressed are those of the author. | Membership (fee-based) Jul 5, 2022, 01:15pm EDT | Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin These days, a career in technology seems full of excitement and boundless opportunity—and in many cases, it is.

Still, even in an in-demand industry like tech, it’s possible for a professional to make the wrong moves or bad decisions that hurt their career. If that happens, you may end up stuck in an unfulfilling, underpaid or dead-end role. While there are some unique mistakes that can damage a promising tech career, many of the poor decisions tech leaders see among their colleagues are common to professionals across industries.

Either way, these errors are usually avoidable. Here, 16 members of Forbes Technology Council share common missteps that can limit upward momentum in a tech career, and what ambitious tech professionals should do instead. Members of Forbes Technology Council share common missteps that can limit a promising tech career.

Photos courtesy of the individual members. 1. Not Forging Your Own Career Path It’s easy to forget that not everyone wants or needs to be a manager.

If managing people isn’t your thing, check to see if your company has opportunities to form a technical career path (rather than a managerial one). If they don’t, see if there is a way to form your own track so you don’t get stuck in a rut. – Jose Antonio Martinez Aguilar , Making Science 2.

Settling For Outdated Or Inefficient Tools When starting a new job, the tendency is to work with the tech tools you’re given, even if they are outdated or obsolete. Don’t settle for what’s given to you. Seek out technologies that help you become more agile in managing change.

Artificial intelligence and intelligent automation are examples of technologies that can help you do your job better and uplevel the business as a whole. – Paul Deur , ReadyWorks Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify? MORE FOR YOU Google Issues Warning For 2 Billion Chrome Users Forget The MacBook Pro, Apple Has Bigger Plans Google Discounts Pixel 6, Nest & Pixel Buds In Limited-Time Sale Event 3.

Burning Bridges Think twice before burning bridges. One misstep is leaving a workplace with an unpleasant perception of you and then hoping nobody else will learn about your past. The IT world is not as big as it looks; acquaintances are many, and they have networked with each other.

Creating a solid perception of yourself and your way of working in the beginning influences your future work. – Juta Gurinaviciute , NordLayer 4. Failing To Upskill There are two common missteps that slow careers.

The first is a failure to upskill over the course of one’s career. The landscape is constantly changing in tech, and you need to change with it. Second, while you upskill, you also need to build a strong next level so that you can delegate and, in turn, help the next generation grow alongside you.

– Khadim Batti , Whatfix 5. Making Decisions Guided By Fear It’s a mistake to be guided by fear in decision making. The best leaders are comfortable making mistakes.

A senior manager’s decisions will never be 100% correct. The leaders who succeed and advance are often not the most careful, but the most decisive. – Jun Pei , Cepton 6.

Neglecting Soft Skills There are plenty of studies that point to human, or soft, skills being more important than hard skills for career advancement and higher salaries. Tech talent should spend a lot more time learning how to be better teammates or leaders. It also helps to really understand the business that you are in to bring more value.

– Mike Grushin , Next League 7. Not Vetting Your Direct Manager Vetting your direct manager is the most critical thing you can do. Regardless of valuation, growth projections or company culture, your direct manager will be an advocate and force multiplier for you—or a blocker.

– Erik Kostelnik , Postal. io, Inc. 8.

Thinking You Have Nothing More To Learn I see a career not as a formal rise from “junior” to “senior” but as the development of professional hard and soft skills that lead to natural career development. The belief that there is nothing more to learn is damaging for a career and can cause professional stagnation—even degradation. – Alexey Shliakhouski , Elinext 9.

Making Commitments You Can’t Keep Ignoring relationships at your workplace for tasks? Working to deadlines? Then you’re probably overpromising, overcommitting and under-delivering. This leads to your being branded as an “odd one out,” which can cost you opportunities and promotions. Rebuild your image by making commitments you can fulfill.

And always say “no” to busywork and unrealistic deadlines. – Sergiu Matei , Index Soft Limited 10. Overpromising And Underdelivering One sure misfire is to overpromise and underdeliver.

Tech rollouts have timelines. If you know a new feature will take longer to build than promised and you don’t speak up and make that clear to your CTO or direct team lead, it can have a serious impact on your career when you can’t deliver. This is particularly true in startupland, where tech teams who deliver late can kill runway and credibility.

– Indiana (Indy) Gregg , Wedo 11. A Narrow Focus On ‘Climbing The Ladder’ Don’t assume your career is all about “climbing the ladder. ” No one’s career path is a straight line.

Most people zigzag their way to their own version of success. You will make mistakes along the way. Just reflect on your learnings, move forward and take the next shot.

Here’s how I look at career success: It’s about solving hard problems with really smart people while having fun. – Chet Kapoor , DataStax 12. Setting Rigid Goals While it is good to have a career goal to work toward, it is essential to be flexible.

The technology industry is constantly evolving in response to volatile market demands. Having a set, rigid goal reduces your ability to capitalize on new opportunities that may benefit your career. So please keep an open mind about pivoting when it makes sense.

– Osborn Gomes , Astor & Sanders Corporation 13. Getting Caught Up In Passing Trends There’s a lot of “fashion” in tech, in the sense that many of the trends and “hot new things” are just lipstick on a pig. Too many people go all-in on something without a clear understanding of its future or true application.

This leads people into career deadends, as they’ve trained in something that the market no longer cares for. – Alexander Hill , Senseye 14. Failing To Negotiate A Fair Salary When starting a job, it’s a misstep to not negotiate well at the start.

Many companies give small raises and promote people in title only, without additional compensation. Do enough research to know what you should be paid, and then negotiate the right salary for the right job. Also be careful about exaggerating your skills to get a higher salary.

If you say you can do something during your interview, expect to be asked to do it. – Laureen Knudsen , Broadcom 15. Neglecting Your Personal Brand It is important to always strive to build a credible personal brand on your own and to maintain a strong network.

Being open to new roles that might be somewhat outside your comfort zone or what you might believe is the path to upward movement is critical. This enables you to be challenged, develop new skills, grow your network and, often, find an unexpected or unique path forward. – Jennifer Esposito , Magic Leap 16.

Job Hopping Think carefully before jumping from job to job. The idea that two years is enough to pour into a company is ridiculous! I get that we live in an age of “forget loyalty, I’m here to be paid. ” However, sticking with a growing company provides you with much more than a corporate environment ever will.

– Kevin Huber , IT Outlet Check out my website . Expert Panel® Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.