We all operate in layers.

When we take a step back and view our position in our careers we can begin to unwrap these layers. The outermost layer is your job title that blankets the layer beneath which is your particular skillset. That's where most people stop looking. They focus in on enhancing those skills and working towards leveling up their job title. That's expected and that's how most of our society is designed to operate. However, if we were to continue to peel back these layers we may find more valuable discoveries.

I will use myself as an example. I began my career as a graphic designer and built a skillset which was made up of learning design software, the basics of design principles, color theory and so on. Eventually I kept building those skills and worked my way up the list of job titles to Art Director. I could have kept going along that path, but the road gets much more narrow at that point. The positions above me that are left to strive for didn't seem fulfilling anymore. I began to question how I was really improving in my career outside of what's on my business card. So I took a step back to view the full picture of what it is that I do for a living.

What I found out is that graphic design is nothing more than the tool I use. When I peeled back the layer of skills on my resume I found out that what I was really driven by is communication. Communication is what drove me to be a graphic designer. It started with trying to make things around me look better, but it led to my desire to improve communication and efficiency with the clients I work with. My superpower is communication. With that discovery my position became meaningless.

When I view myself as a graphic designer I feel limited in what I can offer. I felt less valuable in a way. However, when I view myself and my skills as a whole I can think of myself as a communication expert. That opened up a lot more doors. When Communication & Design are paired together I felt valuable again. I felt there was more opportunity in what I can become outside of the current ladder I was attempting to climb.

Peel back the layers and find out what it is that drove you to where you are today.