🛣️ On a road to nowhere?

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🤔 Where do you see this going?

I think it is fair to say that data career pathways are not as well defined as they are in many other disciplines.

Data folks often arrive at a point in their career where they have very little idea about what’s supposed to come next. Some will be ICs who’ve reached the ceiling for technical roles inside their orgs - with management appearing to be the only option for anyone wanting to progress.

While others who are already on the managerial track will struggle with belonging as they straddle the fence between being a technical delivery manager/support desk operator, and wanting to contribute their skills in a more strategic sense.

It’s as tricky and stressful as it is commonplace.

So what are the options?

Some will want to make a bigger impact where they are and shift gears from operator to strategic influencer. Others are quietly toying with a different thought entirely: What if I built something of my own?

👉🏼 A side hustle.
👉🏼 A data consultancy.
👉🏼 A new business.
👉🏼 Or something totally outside the data world.

Either way, the feeling is the same. They’re standing at a career crossroad wondering what’s next.

Unfortunately, most data careers don’t come with a map. Which means unless you design your next chapter yourself, you’ll likely end up drifting.

In this post, I’ll show you how to take control of that next chapter. Whether you want to become more influential where you are, or finally start building something of your own.

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🧍‍♀️ Here’s what happens when you just stand still…

1. Your growth stalls.
You’re still doing good work, but it doesn’t feel like it is going anywhere. You’re busy solving operational problems, writing decks, or firefighting delivery issues, but none of it feels strategic or career-defining. You stop learning new things, stop being stretched, and before long, others with less experience start overtaking you simply because they’ve been more intentional about where they’re headed. It’s not that you’ve stopped growing, it’s that you’ve stopped growing in the right direction.

2. Your energy drains.
You’re putting in the hours, but the spark’s gone. The days start to blur into each other, and even the “wins” don’t feel particularly satisfying. You’re caught in a cycle of meetings, stakeholder requests, and urgent-but-unimportant work. It’s exhausting because you’re mistaking being busy for being effective: lots of motion, very little momentum.

3. You lose influence.
Without a clear vision for where you’re going, it’s hard to position your role as strategic. You become reactive, responding to whatever lands in your inbox instead of being one who shapes the agenda. Before long, your peers stop involving you in the big conversations because they don’t see you as a driver of business outcomes. And the longer that continues, the harder it becomes to change their perception.

4. You start fantasising about quitting.
You scroll through LinkedIn, browsing other roles, or start thinking about doing something completely different. It’s not that you dislike your company or your team, it’s that you’ve outgrown the version of yourself who once wanted this job. The frustration builds because you know you’re capable of more, you just can’t quite see what “more” looks like yet.

The good news?
You don’t have to wait for someone else to hand you your next opportunity.
You can design it yourself. Whether that means making a bigger impact where you are or finally building something of your own.

It’s in your hands!

**BTW on the topic of quitting things that no longer serve you, my book club, The Bad Ass Bookshelf is reading Quit but Annie Duke in October. Come join us - we just started!

🎯 Get intentional about what’s next

You don’t need a ten-year plan or some grand career manifesto. You just need clarity about what you actually want, and the courage to start moving towards it.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Audit your joy.
Take a hard look at your week and ask: which parts of my work energise me, and which parts completely drain me? The things that light you up are your compass. Most people skip this reflection and then wonder why they keep chasing roles that make them miserable. You can’t steer your career if you don’t know which direction feels right.

2. Experiment and stretch.
Growth rarely happens inside your comfort zone. Say yes to projects that scare you a little, get you in rooms with new people, or expose you to business areas you’ve never touched before. The goal here is discovery. Every stretch assignment, every awkward meeting, every new responsibility is a data point that helps you refine what you actually want next. You gotta talk it out.

3. Build visibility inside and out.
Inside your company, make sure people see the impact you’re having. That means sharing wins, offering ideas, and showing up to conversations that shape direction rather than just delivery.

Outside your company, start building your personal brand. Post insights on LinkedIn, start a newsletter, comment thoughtfully, share your perspective as much as you can. Visibility compounds, and the more people who know what you’re good at, the more great opportunities find their way to you.

4. Have real conversations.
Talk to mentors, peers, and trusted colleagues about your goals, even if they still feel half-baked. You’ll be surprised how often a casual chat turns into a connection, introduction, or new idea (I’ve seen it a million times). And don’t be afraid to tell your manager what you want next. A good one will support you, even if that means helping you grow beyond their team (I’ve experienced this personally).

5. Reverse-engineer your path.
Once you’ve got a sense of direction, work backwards. Let’s say your goal is to become a Director of Data or launch your own consultancy in the next two years. What needs to be true 12 months from now for that to be possible? What skills, relationships, and results need to be built? Break it down into quarterly experiments or milestones. The smaller and clearer your next steps are, the easier it is to keep you moving.

Careers doesn’t just happen. They’re built one intentional move at a time.

So whether your next step is to elevate your impact inside your organisation or to start creating something entirely your own, stop waiting for clarity to appear. Create it.

Tristan Burns

Find me on LinkedIn or Book a 1:1 call

⚡️ Previous poll results

Last time I asked you: Have you experienced the guilt that goes with being a new manager?

Here’s how you guys responded: