The Career Mistake That Set Me Back 2 Years

I thought I was playing it smart. Turns out, I was silently sabotaging my own career.

The Career Mistake That Set Me Back 2 Years

“You’re doing great work, but…”

That phrase still rings in my ears. It was said during a performance review — the kind where you go in hoping for a promotion, and walk out with a reality check.

For two years, I thought I was progressing. I was shipping code, staying late, fixing bugs, even mentoring juniors occasionally. But I was stuck. No title change. No real recognition. And most importantly, no growth.

What was I missing?

Let me tell you the story of the career mistake that set me back two full years — and how I eventually turned things around.

The Mistake: Thinking Hard Work Was Enough

Let’s get this out of the way: working hard is necessary, but it’s not sufficient.

I was the classic “heads-down developer.” You needed a bug fixed? Done. A last-minute deployment? I was your person. Weekend hackathon? I’d show up.

But here’s what I didn’t do:

• I didn’t advocate for myself.
• I didn’t ask for feedback unless it was formally scheduled.
• I didn’t align my work with what actually mattered to the business.

In short, I believed the myth that good work will automatically be noticed. Spoiler: it doesn’t.

How It Caught Up With Me

While I was grinding away, others around me were moving ahead.

One colleague with less tenure was promoted. Another was invited to meetings I didn’t even know existed. Eventually, I asked my manager what I was missing.

His response?

“You’re a solid contributor, but we’re looking for engineers who show more ownership, who think beyond tickets.”

That stung. I realized I was seen as a task-doer, not a problem-solver. I had accidentally painted myself into the corner of being “reliable but replaceable.”

What I Learned (the Hard Way)

1. Visibility matters.
No one is going to market your work for you. Learn to document impact, share progress, and communicate in terms the business understands.

2. Ask for feedback early and often.
Don’t wait for the annual review. Create your own feedback loops. Ask questions like:

• “What would take me to the next level?”
• “Where am I falling short in terms of leadership or initiative?”

3. Learn the business.
The most respected engineers I’ve worked with aren’t just technically solid — they understand why they’re building what they’re building. Aligning technical work with business goals is a superpower.

4. Take initiative.
Spot a process that’s broken? Fix it. See an opportunity to improve something? Pitch it. Don’t wait to be asked.

5. Build relationships outside your team.
Cross-team collaborations, shadowing product or design, joining planning meetings — these things broaden your perspective and make you a more holistic contributor.

How I Recovered

It didn’t happen overnight. But I started doing things differently.

I asked for 1:1s with leaders in other departments. I began documenting the why behind each task in addition to the what. I offered to lead a small internal project that no one had ownership over — it wasn’t glamorous, but it gave me visibility.

And most importantly, I stopped waiting to be “discovered.” I started owning my growth.

Within the next performance cycle, I got the promotion I was originally hoping for — but more than that, I felt in control of my career for the first time.

Final Thoughts

I wasted two years believing a lie: that being a good soldier was enough to be rewarded. It’s not.

In today’s tech world, being technically good is the baseline. To truly grow, you need to be strategic, visible, and proactive.

So if you’re where I was — working hard but feeling unseen — pause and reflect:

Are you just getting work done?
Or are you showing that you understand the bigger picture, and can help lead the way?

That one shift in mindset might be the key to unlocking the growth you’ve been chasing.

If this resonated with you, follow me for more real-talk on software careers, productivity, and growth.