The idea of a career ladder is great in theory—a steady progression from intern to CEO—but most people’s jobs don’t work that way. You can change industries, change departments, or even get fired.
That’s why Google chief marketing officer Lorraine Twohill wants young people to “enjoy the journey” instead of trying to carefully plan their entire career, she said. told LinkedIn podcast “This Is Working,” in an episode that aired earlier this month.
“Learn as much as you can. I feel like life and companies like Google are more like a jungle gym than a career ladder,” said Twohill, who manages a team of more than 4,000 employees. “Try on different roles, try different things on for size. Work in different teams, different fields, get as many skills as you can. And stay informed.”
In her early career, Twohill — who is originally from Ireland — worked in marketing for European travel companies. She never planned to work for a startup, let alone a tech startup on another continent. In one of these jobs, she worked with Google, and the company invited her to a meeting.
That visit turned into questioning Twohill during casual conversations on bean bag chairs and while he was in line for barbecue, she said. “I thought I was going as a VIP client,” she said. “But it turned out, 22 interviews later, that I was being interviewed for one of their first roles in Europe.”
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Twohill became one of the company’s first non-US marketing hires in 2003, and six years later moved to the US – another unplanned development, she said – to become Google’s head of global marketing.
Recently, her career took a different path: In 2016, she was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare, aggressive form of bile duct cancer. She tried to return to a workaholic rhythm after treatment, but found it unsustainable, she said.
Now he no longer works late nights, doesn’t try to answer all of her emails and has found “peace” in not trying to be perfect all the time, Twohill said. To her surprise, her career didn’t fall apart, and she’s been happier and healthier ever since, she added.
Her advice echoes the comments of bestselling authors and millionaire entrepreneur Seth Godin, who says to follow a predetermined path it will not lead you to success and luck in your career.
Godin’s accomplishments fulfill him especially because he never followed a career plan, he told LinkedIn “Time” newsletter in 2023.
His advice: Use a “compass, not a map.” Your compass is your overall goal, who you want to be outside of work. Pursuing it means pursuing decisions that make you happier and more fulfilled in the short term, rather than following a pre-planned series of steps that could eventually lead to your “dream job” if you’re incredibly lucky, Godin said.
Your short-term decisions won’t always be successful, but you’ll learn enough from each failure to eventually succeed, Godin said. And you’ll have “more fun” along the way, he noted.
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