#67: Strategy isn’t just for product. It’s how we build a career that lasts

Job security isn’t a myth. But expecting companies to provide it? That one is.

The biggest career myth we’ve been told (or two).

The biggest career myth ever told? That having a full-time job is the safest, most secure path. That we just need to keep our head down, work hard, follow a straight line, and we’ll be rewarded with shiny titles, fat paychecks, and a golden reputation in record time.

I believed it. Until I didn’t.

I got laid off in January 2015 from a startup after an M&A (now that I’m typing this down, what happened in 2024 feels like a deja vu lol). Everybody in the company was sacked. I have no beef, though. They gave us a generous severance package and off-boarding support.

I still didn’t lose faith in the myth.

I even thought of it as just the universe creating space for something bigger/better. Still think it’s true!

Because after that, I got a job as a Product Manager in a multinational tech company and moved to Barcelona after that. I was living!

But that job came with caveats. They sponsored my visa. I didn’t think much about it because hey that’s a huge deal for me and my Philippine passport.

Until that visa became a dependency.

3 years later, I found out that I was the lowest-paid and lowest-level Product Manager in our group. This, despite leading a product that supposedly unlocked opportunities for the business and reshaped how our group operated. Despite hearing glowing feedback and being told that my work was “a game changer.”

Despite having all the receipts to prove that I had an impact. I was not rewarded nor recognized.

At first, I tried the usual route: as in I asked for a recalibration and pushed for a raise. But between multiple manager changes and bureaucratic messes, the answer was always: not yet.

And I couldn’t easily leave for another job either. Visa sponsorship is a big ask, and most companies weren’t easily convinced that I was worth the investment of both time, money, and dealing with the stress of the paperwork.

That’s when it hit me. The thing I thought would keep me secure, my job, was the very thing that was keeping me stuck.

My employer didn’t just control my employment. They also decided whether I could stay in a country I now called home.

And all I could do was hope that someone else would pick me. Promote me. Rescue me.

I kept waiting. Still thinking that working hard and being the ‘ideal employee’ would be enough. Because I didn’t really feel like I had any other real options. Not unless someone else said yes.

I knew I wasn’t bad at my job. My recalibration case proved that. And my revolving door of managers who wanted to support me but couldn’t prove it too.

But there was still the nagging feeling at the back of my head that “clearly, I wasn’t good enough” if I was having a hard time finding anybody to bet on me again while out of the promotion cycle, or to invest in me again despite the bureaucratic nightmare for a visa sponsorship.

That was the wake-up call. I didn’t like having this much dependency on anybody.

It was bad enough that I was dependent on somebody else to stay in Barcelona. But I was also dependent on somebody else to say that I was awesome for me to fight harder for what I deserved.

I did not fly halfway across the world just to feel helpless.

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There is no reward in “just” working hard

And that wake-up call was the start of my villain era (aka my “strategic about my career” era). 😂

So I took a deep breath, stopped feeling sorry for myself, and took a long hard look at myself in the mirror — asking these questions:

1. What do I really want? Was it really about the title? Yes. But I also want to be autonomous. Have less dependency and not need to wait to be chosen. And I also want to enjoy my professional life.

2. Who do I need to become to get it? Do I need to be a Senior PM? Or do I need to be the kind of person who behaves like one already? Who knew their shit and wasn’t afraid to tell the world about it? But also wasn’t afraid to admit what they didn’t know (to themselves) and take it from there.

I stopped performing for a title and started performing for myself.

What does this mean, actually?

• I started showing up differently at work. I gave myself permission to show up in spaces where I thought, in the beginning, that I didn’t belong. I spoke about the topics that I thought, at first, I had no say in. And I said no to the things that kept me busy but also kept me from having a real impact.

• I didn’t stop there. I showed up differently outside of work, too. As in, I started showing up. I started experimenting with what else I can do with the things I know how to do, and how I can have more fun with them. So I started teaching and mentoring, did my first public speaking stints, and even started a community for professional women.

And that’s when things changed.

Suffice to say I got what I wanted after that.

I ended up staying in the company. I got the promotion — a 2-level jump and the appropriate salary too. And I never had to send a single CV since then to be considered for an open role.

But in reality, I got so much more. I got self-trust. And the realization that I can give myself options by making myself visible. Not to build a brand. But to build proof so I can stop waiting to be picked, and start positioning myself to choose.

I didn’t know it then, but what I was doing was building my career stack.

Not a list of skills on a CV. But the deeper assets that can travel with me across seasons, titles, and industries.

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The Career Strategy to rule them all

These days, when companies are laying off left and right or every CEO thinks that AI can do the job of 10 people, being able to give ourselves options is even more important.

I have a friend who’s been in her company forever, got let go without a warning. And this has impact, both emotionally and financially. And to think that she wanted to leave before; but stayed because according to her the company has been good to her and didn’t want to let people down.

Another friend is still traumatized from a previous lay-off so she’s started to play safe in her current one to not be in the firing line. And this has impact too. On how she engages with her new role and in her confidence.

We’ve all been taught the same myth. Get a full-time job. Work hard. Keep your head down. And you’ll always be safe and rewarded. Security.

But this myth has been debunked over and over again, moreso in the last 2-3 years.

The real safety? It’s in ourselves. From knowing that whatever happens, we’ll be able to bounce back because we’ve created options for ourselves. Because we’ve created career optionality.

Career optionality isn’t just a cool word that a bunch of influencers have been throwing out these days.

It’s a career strategy. It’s the ability to move between roles, industries, and domains because of the experiences and impact we’ve accumulated (and have receipts for them too) over the years. It’s being able to respond to the waves of hype that disrupt the industry with calm and perspective.

It’s a way of leading our careers that doesn’t rely on being chosen but on knowing what we carry.

And these days, it’s a critical career strategy.

And no, it’s not about being a solopreneur or building a side hustle. It’s about being able to do so if we want to.

It’s about building a career stack that can hold us, stretch with us, and reflect who we truly are.

Everybody’s career stack is different, but often it includes:

1. The things we’re great at and the ripples we create

2. The way we show up to truly represent our value

3. The ability to track possibilities and turn them into opportunities

4. The connections and relationships we’ve built and nurtured

5. The way that we take care of ourselves and protect our boundaries

And each part of the stack works like a lever. When one is strong, like our relationships, the self-talk, or our proof impact, it builds momentum.

But when several are strong? That’s when things start to compound. That’s when you stop asking for permission and stop waiting to be chosen… and you start feeling your oats. (side note: honestly, if you haven’t yet — please watch Ru Paul’s Drag Race for the best life school there is)

And the thing is that we never actually need to build from scratch. Most of us already have the pieces that build up to a stack. What’s often missing is the ability to see them, the courage to name them, and the audacity to use them.

But the rules of the job market have changed. And they keep changing.

And while building a career stack to create career optionality as a strategy is not a new thing… if it’s new to you, I encourage you to start exploring it.

Because the job title? It won’t protect most of us..

That full-time job? It can’t guarantee anything to us (no matter how many times slides about how “we’re a family” are shown at every All Hands).

But the career stack we can build? It can do all of that… and maybe even more.

It’s time to get off my soapbox now. But if any of this made your stomach clench or your shoulders ride up to your ears… that’s your signal.

You don’t have to wait for the rug to be pulled out from under you. You don’t need to wait for the right time either (because when is that, really?). You can start building your stack now.

Start with what’s already true:

• What do you have that you’ve been hiding behind “it’s not good enough”

• How have you made the people/company you’ve worked with successful or better?

• Who knows what you’re great at?

• Also… do you? And if not, maybe it’s time to find out.

You don’t need a 5 year plan. Just a little more self-trust.

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This is the work I do now with my clients inside the Career Expansion Playbook… and honestly even with myself (yes, still). Bit by bit. Layer by layer.

I’ll share more about the playbook soon. But for now:

If this is something you want to explore more deeply, I’d love to invite you to:

1. Get on the waitlist for my free workshop, From Stuck to Expansive on April 24. It’s full but just in case somebody cancels, you’ll be the first to know.

2. Or if you would like to explore 1:1 support, book a discovery call with me and let’s discuss what that can look like for you.

Thanks for reading!

💙

Kax
(i’m also on LinkedIn and on Instagram)

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