When I first started working, the idea was simple: do your job well, get promoted, climb the ladder. Rinse, repeat. But after spending years observing how real careers unfold—for colleagues, friends, and myself—I’ve come to learn this: growth isn’t always a straight line. It rarely is.
Today’s workforce is shifting in real time. Traditional, linear career paths are giving way to something more flexible, more adaptive—and frankly, more honest. Enter the career lattice. It’s not new, but it's finally getting the respect it deserves as more professionals rethink what progress actually looks like.
So let’s explore what it really means to build a career in a world where the top isn’t the only direction to go.
What Is a Career Ladder?
The career ladder is the traditional model of career progression. You move upward through a defined hierarchy: junior → mid-level → senior → executive. Each promotion gives you more responsibility, a new title, and (ideally) better pay.
Ladder-style paths still exist in many organizations, especially those with clearly defined corporate structures, like finance, law, and engineering. They give structure and predictability, which can be motivating if you thrive on clarity and tangible goals.
But they also come with constraints:
- There's often only one seat at the top.
- Promotions may depend on tenure rather than talent.
- It can lead to “title chasing”, even when the role isn’t aligned with your skills or interests.
And here’s the thing: ladders assume everyone wants to manage people or rise to the top of a hierarchy. But that’s just not true for everyone.
What Is a Career Lattice?
A career lattice opens up more possibilities. Instead of only climbing up, you can move sideways, diagonally, or even down temporarily—all in the service of long-term growth.
You might:
- Switch departments to learn new skills
- Take a lateral move with more flexibility
- Temporarily step into a smaller role to pivot industries
- Explore different functions (e.g., going from marketing to product)
The lattice allows for horizontal learning, experimentation, and nonlinear progress. It’s a model that reflects how people actually build careers today—through skills, experiences, and strategic moves, not just promotions.
Why Career Lattices Are Gaining Traction
The workforce is evolving—and with it, our expectations around what growth should look like.
1. The rise of skills-based hiring
More companies are hiring based on capabilities, not just job titles. If you’ve picked up data analysis in one role and strategic communication in another, that combination might make you the perfect fit for a new opportunity—even if it’s in a different department.
2. Job security isn’t what it used to be
The idea of staying at one company for 20 years is increasingly rare. Professionals are changing roles, industries, and even locations more frequently. In this context, learning how to move across functions builds career resilience.
3. Work-life alignment matters more than ever
A lateral move with better hours or a switch to a more purpose-driven organization may feel like a step “down” on paper—but it could be a massive upgrade in quality of life. And that, too, is a form of growth.
4. Leadership is expanding beyond titles
You don’t need “Director” in your title to be a strategic leader. Today, influence, initiative, and communication often matter more than formal hierarchy. Career lattices allow people to lead from where they are.
How to Know if the Lattice Path Is Right for You
This doesn’t mean the ladder is dead. Some people thrive with clear, vertical structure. But others want the freedom to explore.
Here’s how to assess your alignment:
You may prefer a ladder if:
- You’re motivated by titles, promotions, or hierarchy
- You work in a field where skills are tightly tied to linear progression (law, accounting, medicine)
- You prefer well-defined paths and expectations
You may prefer a lattice if:
- You value learning and curiosity over titles
- You’re exploring multiple career identities
- You care about cross-functional growth or industry pivots
- You’re open to redefining success based on purpose, not just position
The truth? Most modern professionals will use both models at different times. You may climb early in your career, pivot mid-way through, and then return to a ladder later on. It’s less about picking a side and more about knowing what season you’re in.
The Career Lattice Isn’t Less Ambitious—It’s Smarter
There’s an outdated assumption that moving sideways is a compromise. That if you're not climbing up, you’re somehow stalling.
But in reality, lateral moves can:
- Expand your network
- Deepen your range
- Make you more valuable across the business
- Give you new perspectives and adaptability
This kind of growth is strategic. It's expansive. And in a world where industries are changing fast, range is often more powerful than narrow specialization.
(There’s even a whole book on this: Range by David Epstein, which argues that generalists—not specialists—tend to win long-term across most domains.)
Navigating a Career Lattice: What It Takes
Making nonlinear moves isn’t always easy. It takes a different kind of preparation and self-awareness.
Here’s what helps:
1. Clarity on your ‘why’
Be honest about what you’re optimizing for: more creativity? Better work-life balance? A new challenge? Don’t make a lateral move just because you’re bored—make it with intention.
2. Storytelling skills
You’ll need to explain why a sideways or diagonal move makes sense. Frame it as building range, not running away. Connect the dots for others—especially hiring managers.
3. Curiosity over ego
Not every move will come with a title upgrade. That’s okay. Ask yourself: “Is this getting me closer to the kind of work and life I want—even if it looks different than I expected?”
4. A learning mindset
Skill-stacking is the name of the game. The more you learn across functions, the more unique value you bring.
How Companies Can Support Career Lattices
Forward-thinking organizations are already rethinking how they structure internal mobility and professional development.
They might:
- Offer lateral mobility programs
- Create cross-functional rotational roles
- Use skills matrices to guide learning instead of job titles
- Encourage managers to sponsor nontraditional moves
For companies, the benefit is clear: talent stays longer when people feel like they can grow without leaving. And employees get to shape careers that are both agile and authentic.
Smart Moves
- Only 29% of employees say they have a clear understanding of their career path, according to Gallup. What if clarity comes from exploration—not a blueprint?
- Don’t confuse direction with momentum. A lateral move with purpose can outperform an upward move done out of pressure.
- Your resume is not your career. It's a snapshot, not a story. You get to write the narrative.
- Ask yourself: “What skill do I want to be known for 5 years from now?” Let that guide your next move—not the job title.
- When was the last time you asked someone with a different job title how they got there?Start there. You might uncover your next step.
Progress Isn’t a Straight Line—And That’s a Good Thing
In a world that’s shifting fast—industries, economies, technologies—the smartest thing you can do is stay agile. That might mean saying yes to a project outside your comfort zone. It might mean taking a step sideways into a team you’ve never worked with. It might even mean letting go of the ladder completely.
The career lattice isn’t less ambitious. It’s just more honest. It reflects the reality of how people grow—by collecting experiences, deepening skills, and expanding their vision of what success can look like.
So if you’re feeling pressure to always “move up,” pause. Ask yourself if up is even the direction you want to go. Then build a career that grows with you—not just your title.
