Building Your Dream Career: Part 5 - Making the Most of Where You Are
Turning Any Job Into a Stepping Stone Toward Your Goals
Here's a truth nobody wants to hear: most of us won't land our dream job straight out of college. Or after our first job search. Or maybe ever, because "dream jobs" are kind of a myth anyway.
But here's the more important truth: it doesn't matter.
What matters is whether you can turn wherever you are—even if it's not where you ultimately want to be—into a stepping stone that moves you closer to your goals.
I learned this lesson at Boeing. When I started as a Software Engineer 1, I wasn't working in AI/ML, which is where I ultimately wanted to be. I was doing general software engineering work on aerospace systems. The job was fine. It paid well. But it wasn't my "dream job."
I could have spent two years just doing what was in my job description, collecting paychecks, and looking for my next opportunity. Instead, I turned that role into one of the most valuable experiences of my career.
By the time I left Boeing, I had:
Joined the ML team and worked on machine learning applications (being first to volunteer when the opportunity came up)
Leveraged my existing cybersecurity expertise as the cybersecurity focal for my team
Been given nearly full responsibility for four summer interns—including project decisions and return offer recommendations
Created onboarding documentation that became the team standard
Represented Boeing at Women Who Code's virtual conference
Built enough ML experience that I was interviewing for mid-career ML engineer roles at Apple despite my limited years of experience
Clarified exactly what I wanted in my career (and what I didn't)
Most of that wasn't in my original job description. All of it was possible because I raised my hand for opportunities—even when they didn't always feel like opportunities at the time.
This is Part 5 in my series on building your dream career. We've covered finding yourself, landing opportunities, and navigating your first 90 days. Now let's talk about the most important skill for long-term career success: extracting maximum value from wherever you currently are.
The Mindset Shift: From "Stuck" to "Strategic"
The difference between people who build momentum in their careers and people who stagnate isn't usually talent or luck. It's mindset.
The "stuck" mindset says:
"This isn't my dream job, so I'm just going to wait it out"
"I'll start really trying when I get the role I actually want"
"This experience doesn't count toward my real goals"
"I'm just here for the paycheck until something better comes along"
The strategic mindset says:
"How can I use this role to build skills I'll need later?"
"What opportunities exist here that I haven't noticed yet?"
"Who can I learn from and what can I contribute?"
"How does this experience clarify what I want or don't want?"
I'm not going to lie and tell you to "love every job" or "be grateful for whatever opportunities you have." Some jobs genuinely suck, and it's okay to acknowledge that.
But even in a less-than-ideal situation, you have more agency than you think.
Strategy #1: Look Sideways, Not Just Up
Most people think career growth only happens vertically—promotions, title changes, moving up the ladder.
But some of the most valuable career development happens horizontally—expanding your scope, building new skills, working with different teams, taking on adjacent responsibilities.
When I joined Boeing as a software engineer, my job was coding. That was it. But I paid attention to opportunities around me and raised my hand—even when they didn't always feel like opportunities:
My team had the option to send engineers to work with the ML team → I was the first to volunteer, got ML experience that later had me interviewing for mid-career ML roles at Apple
I already had deep cybersecurity knowledge (I'd even gotten cybersecurity engineer offers before taking the SWE role) → Became the security focal for our team, bringing existing expertise to a need they had
Leadership needed someone to mentor interns → I'd mentioned my FIRST Robotics mentoring experience, they handed me nearly full responsibility—including project decisions and return offer recommendations
Here's what's important to understand: I didn't always know these would be valuable opportunities when I said yes. Sometimes I raised my hand just because an opportunity existed. Sometimes opportunities found me because of my reputation for raising my hand.
The pattern was simple: when something came up, I volunteered. When I had relevant expertise, I made it known. When I proved I could handle responsibility, I got handed more of it.
How to Identify Sideways Growth Opportunities
Look for:
Gaps the team has that nobody's filling
Missing documentation or processes
Technical areas where expertise is shallow
Cross-functional coordination that's not happening
Tools or automation that could help but don't exist
Adjacent skills you want to develop
If you want to move into management, look for mentoring opportunities
If you want to move into ML, look for data analysis projects
If you want to improve your communication, volunteer to write documentation or give presentations
If you want to understand the business side, ask to sit in on planning meetings
Cross-team initiatives that need volunteers
Working groups on technical standards
Internal tools or infrastructure projects
Diversity and inclusion efforts
Hackathons or innovation challenges
Problems everyone complains about but nobody fixes
Inefficient processes
Confusing onboarding
Missing tooling
Technical debt everyone works around
The key is finding the overlap between "what the organization needs" and "what serves your career goals." That's where the magic happens.
A Critical Warning: Avoid "Office Housework"
Here's something I need to be brutally honest about: not all opportunities are created equal.
There's a difference between work that builds your career and "office housework"—tasks that need doing but don't translate to career advancement. Things like:
Organizing team social events
Taking meeting notes
Managing the team calendar
Cleaning up after others' work
Administrative tasks that don't build skills
These tasks often fall disproportionately to women and underrepresented groups. They're important for the team, but they won't help you get promoted or land your next job.
The test for whether an opportunity is worth taking: Can you clearly explain how this prepares you for your next opportunity (promotion, new role, career pivot)?
When I took on intern mentorship, I could explain: "This gives me management experience, develops my communication and leadership skills, and demonstrates I can handle increased responsibility."
When I joined the ML team, I could explain: "This builds expertise in the field I want to move into and gives me concrete ML experience for my resume."
When I became the cybersecurity focal, I could explain: "This leverages my existing expertise, makes me more valuable to the team, and demonstrates I can contribute beyond my job description."
If you can't articulate how an opportunity moves you forward, think twice before saying yes—no matter how much the team "needs" someone to do it.
Strategy #2: Build Skills That Transfer
Not every skill you build in your current role will be directly applicable to your next one. That's okay. Focus on building skills that transfer across roles, companies, and even industries.
Technical Skills That Compound
Core engineering skills:
System design and architecture thinking
Debugging and problem-solving approaches
Understanding how to work with legacy code
Writing code that others can maintain
Data literacy:
Understanding how to work with data (even if you're not a data scientist)
Basic statistical thinking
How to measure and communicate impact
Understanding what metrics actually matter
DevOps and operations mindset:
How systems fail and how to make them resilient
Monitoring, logging, and debugging production systems
Understanding the full lifecycle from development to deployment
These skills transfer regardless of what specific language, framework, or domain you work in.
Soft Skills That Matter More Than You Think
Communication:
Writing clear technical documentation
Explaining complex concepts to non-technical audiences
Running effective meetings
Giving presentations
Collaboration:
Working with difficult stakeholders
Navigating cross-functional projects
Building consensus when people disagree
Managing up effectively
Project management:
Breaking down ambiguous problems
Managing your own time and priorities
Coordinating across multiple people and dependencies
Delivering projects end-to-end
Mentoring and teaching:
Helping others understand complex topics
Giving useful feedback
Creating learning resources
Developing others' skills
At Boeing, the mentoring experience I gained managing four interns was just as valuable as any technical skills I built. That experience directly translated to better collaboration skills, stronger communication abilities, and eventually helped me in graduate school and at my startup.
How to Deliberately Build Transferable Skills
1. Pick 2-3 skills to focus on at a time
Don't try to build everything at once. Pick a couple of skills that:
Align with your long-term career goals
Have opportunities in your current role
You're genuinely interested in developing
2. Find projects that let you practice those skills
If you want to improve your system design thinking, volunteer for architecture discussions or propose a refactoring project.
If you want to build communication skills, offer to write documentation or give a tech talk.
If you want management experience, ask to mentor a new hire or intern.
3. Be explicit about your development goals
Tell your manager: "I'm trying to develop [skill], and I'd love to take on projects that let me practice that. Are there opportunities coming up where I could work on that?"
This serves two purposes: your manager can actively look for opportunities for you, and you've signaled that you're thinking about growth.
4. Document what you're learning
Keep a running log of:
New skills you're developing
Projects where you applied those skills
What you learned and how you grew
Examples you can use in future interviews
This documentation becomes invaluable when you're updating your resume, preparing for interviews, or advocating for promotion.
Strategy #3: Create Opportunities (And Handle What Gets Handed to You)
Sometimes the best opportunities aren't ones you discover—they're ones you create or that come to you because of your reputation.
The intern mentorship at Boeing is a perfect example. I had mentioned my experience mentoring a FIRST Robotics team (which I'd volunteered for without any prompting). When Boeing needed someone to mentor four summer interns, they handed me nearly full responsibility—not just "help out," but actual authority over project decisions and even return offer recommendations.
That happened because:
I had relevant experience I made known
I had established a reputation for following through
Leadership trusted me with real responsibility
That decision led to:
Management experience years before I "should" have gotten it
Recognition from leadership for successfully running the program
Documentation I created that became the team standard
Clarity about how much I enjoy mentoring and knowledge transfer
None of that would have happened if I'd kept my robotics mentoring experience to myself or if I hadn't proven I could handle responsibility.
How to Create Opportunities
Identify problems that need solving
Look for pain points that:
Affect multiple people
Aren't being addressed
Are within your ability to solve (or learn to solve)
Align with skills you want to build
Propose solutions, not just problems
Don't just complain about broken processes. Come with:
A clear description of the problem
Why it matters (ideally with data or examples)
A proposed solution
What you'd need to implement it
An offer to take it on
Start small and prove value
You don't need permission to:
Write documentation
Create a useful script or tool
Organize a learning session
Improve a process your team uses
Do something small that adds value. When people notice and appreciate it, you've earned credibility to do something bigger.
Make your work visible
Creating value doesn't matter if nobody knows about it. Share what you're working on:
Demo your tools or improvements
Write blog posts or documentation
Give presentations at team meetings
Share in appropriate Slack channels
When I created the onboarding documentation at Boeing, I didn't just save it to my local drive. I made it the team standard, shared it with new hires, and made sure leadership knew it existed. That visibility turned a side project into a recognized accomplishment.
Strategy #4: Learn What You DON'T Want
Here's an underrated aspect of any job: it teaches you what you don't want.
My time at Boeing taught me crucial things about my career preferences:
I learned I need constant challenge and growth The role was stable and predictable, which many people value. For me, it felt stagnant. I realized I thrive in environments where I'm constantly pushed and learning.
I learned I love AI/ML work Getting involved with the ML team clarified that this wasn't just interesting—it was the direction I wanted my career to go. That realization led to my master's degree decision.
I learned about organizational cultures that fit me vs. don't Boeing's culture was healthy and balanced, but I realized I'm a striving personality who wants a faster pace and more intensity.
I learned when overwhelm is productive vs. destructive Taking on too much taught me my limits and what sustainable growth actually looks like.
None of these lessons came from just doing my job. They came from experimenting, trying new things, and paying attention to what energized me versus what drained me.
How to Extract Learning From Your Current Role
Track your energy
Notice what kind of work:
Makes time fly vs. drags
Energizes you vs. depletes you
You're excited to talk about vs. want to forget
Builds your skills vs. feels like wasted time
Keep a log for a month. Patterns will emerge.
Try different types of work
Even if your role is narrowly defined, find ways to sample different work:
Volunteer for different types of projects
Shadow people in other roles
Attend meetings outside your immediate area
Take on side responsibilities in different domains
The more you try, the more you learn about what you actually want.
Pay attention to what you complain about
Your complaints reveal your values:
If you complain about lack of challenge, you value growth
If you complain about unclear expectations, you value structure
If you complain about bureaucracy, you value autonomy
If you complain about lack of collaboration, you value teamwork
Your complaints are data about what matters to you.
Notice who you want to be like
Pay attention to people whose careers you admire. What do they do? How do they work? What choices have they made?
Also notice people whose careers you DON'T want. What paths did they take that you want to avoid?
Both are valuable information.
Strategy #5: Build Your Portfolio (Even in a Full-Time Job)
Your current job is a platform for building artifacts that demonstrate your capabilities.
These artifacts become:
Resume bullet points
Interview stories
Portfolio pieces
Proof of your skills
What Counts as Portfolio-Worthy Work
Documentation you've created
Onboarding guides
Technical documentation
Process documentation
How-to guides
Tools or automation you've built
Scripts that solve real problems
Internal tools that others use
Improvements to developer workflows
Solutions to recurring pain points
Projects you've shipped
Features you designed and implemented
Systems you architected
Problems you solved
Impact you delivered
Presentations or teaching you've done
Tech talks you've given
Training sessions you've run
Blog posts you've written
Conference talks you've delivered
Leadership or mentoring
People you've mentored
Interns you've managed
Cross-functional initiatives you've led
Working groups you've organized
The key is creating tangible evidence of your capabilities. When you're interviewing for your next role, you want to be able to say: "Here's something I built that solved a real problem and added measurable value."
How to Document Your Impact
Keep a "brag document"
Weekly or biweekly, write down:
What you accomplished
Problems you solved
Impact it had (quantify when possible)
Skills you used or developed
Challenges you overcame
This becomes your source material for:
Resume updates
Performance reviews
Promotion packets
Interview preparation
Take before/after snapshots
When you improve something:
Document what it was like before
Show what changed
Quantify the improvement if possible
"Reduced onboarding time from 6 weeks to 3 weeks" is much more compelling than "improved onboarding."
Collect feedback and testimonials
Save positive feedback from:
Managers and peers
People you've helped
Stakeholders you've worked with
Anyone who can speak to your impact
These quotes become powerful evidence in performance reviews and interviews.
Strategy #6: Build Relationships That Outlast the Job
The people you work with are often more valuable than the work itself.
Strong professional relationships:
Become referrals for future opportunities
Turn into collaborations on new projects
Provide support and advice throughout your career
Create opportunities you couldn't have predicted
How to Build Relationships That Last
Be genuinely helpful
Look for ways to:
Share knowledge that would help others
Make introductions between people who should know each other
Offer assistance on projects or problems
Teach skills or concepts you understand well
The best professional relationships are built on mutual value, not transaction.
Stay in touch after you leave
When you leave a job:
Connect on LinkedIn with people you worked well with
Reach out occasionally with relevant articles or updates
Congratulate people on accomplishments
Offer help when you can
These relationships compound over years. The person who was a peer at your first job might be a hiring manager at your dream company five years later.
Be someone people remember positively
You don't need to be the most talented person in every room. But you do need to be:
Reliable and trustworthy
Pleasant to work with
Generous with your time and knowledge
Professional even when things are difficult
People remember how you made them feel. Make them feel good about working with you.
Strategy #7: Know What You're Building Toward
The key to making the most of where you are is knowing where you're trying to go.
Go back to Part 1 of this series—your core values and priorities. Everything you do in your current role should connect back to those goals.
Ask yourself regularly:
Is this experience building skills I'll need for my long-term goals?
Am I developing relationships that will serve me later?
Am I learning things that clarify what I want?
Is this role moving me closer to or further from my career vision?
If the answer to most of these is "no," that's important information. We'll talk more about that in Part 8 (Knowing When to Leave).
But if the answer is "yes" or "it could be if I'm strategic," then you're in the right place—even if it's not your dream job.
Creating Your Personal Development Plan
Every 3-6 months, assess:
What am I learning?
New technical skills
Soft skills I'm developing
Domain knowledge I'm gaining
Things I'm discovering about myself
What opportunities am I creating?
Projects I'm taking on
Skills I'm building
Relationships I'm forming
Visibility I'm gaining
What's missing?
Skills I need but aren't developing
Experiences I want but aren't getting
Growth that's not happening
Opportunities that don't exist here
What do I need to do differently?
New projects to take on
Skills to focus on
Relationships to build
Conversations to have with my manager
This regular reflection keeps you strategic and intentional about your development.
The Boeing Story: Putting It All Together
Let me show you how this worked in practice at Boeing.
I started with a job description: Software Engineer 1, general software engineering work.
I made my expertise known: Had deep cybersecurity knowledge and previous job offers in that field—became the security focal for our team when they needed someone.
I raised my hand when opportunities came up: My team could send a few engineers to work with the ML team—I was the first to volunteer. That ML experience was valuable enough that I later interviewed for mid-career ML engineer roles at Apple despite my limited years of experience.
I shared relevant experience: Mentioned my FIRST Robotics mentoring—got handed nearly full responsibility for four summer interns, including project decisions and return offer recommendations.
I created resources that added value: Built onboarding documentation when I noticed gaps—it became the team standard and demonstrated my initiative.
I made my work visible: Represented Boeing at Women Who Code's virtual conference, built recognition from leadership.
I learned what I wanted: Realized I loved AI/ML work, understood I needed more challenge and growth, clarified what kind of culture fits me.
I built relationships: Connected with people across teams, mentored interns who still reach out to me, developed a reputation as someone reliable who follows through.
The result? By the time I left Boeing, that "just okay" job had become:
A launching pad for my AI/ML career (I was interviewing for mid-career ML roles)
A source of valuable experience across multiple domains
A network of professional relationships
Clarity about my career direction
Strong resume bullets and interview stories
Proof that I could turn any role into a stepping stone
None of that was guaranteed. All of it was possible because I raised my hand for opportunities and made the most of where I was.
When "Making the Most of It" Isn't Enough
Here's the reality check: sometimes you've extracted all the value you can from a role, and it's time to move on.
Some signs that you've maximized what's available:
You've hit a growth ceiling
No more opportunities to learn or develop
You're repeating the same work without new challenges
The role has become routine rather than developmental
Your efforts to expand aren't working
You're asking for opportunities but not getting them
Organizational constraints prevent growth
Your manager doesn't support your development
The environment is fundamentally misaligned
The culture doesn't fit your values
The work is moving you away from your goals
The toll on your wellbeing outweighs the benefits
You're staying out of fear rather than strategy
You're afraid to leave but can't articulate why you're staying
The job is comfortable but not fulfilling
You're no longer learning or growing
If you're in this situation, it might be time to move on. We'll talk about that in detail in Part 8.
But before you conclude you've hit that point, make sure you've actually tried the strategies in this post. Sometimes the opportunities are there—you just have to create them.
The Takeaway: Every Job Is What You Make It
The job you have right now—whether it's your dream job or just a stepping stone—is what you make it.
You can:
Do the minimum and wait for something better
Or extract maximum value from every experience
Build skills, create opportunities, develop relationships
Turn whatever role you're in into a platform for growth
The choice is yours.
I'm not saying every job is secretly amazing or that you should be grateful for bad situations. Some jobs genuinely suck and you should leave them (Part 8 coming soon).
But most jobs—even mediocre ones—have more potential than you initially see. The question is whether you're willing to be strategic, proactive, and intentional about extracting that value.
Because here's the thing about dream careers: they're not built by landing perfect jobs. They're built by making the most of imperfect opportunities and strategically moving from one stepping stone to the next.
Your current job, whatever it is, is a stepping stone. The question is whether you're using it to build the career you actually want.
What unexpected opportunities have you found in your current role? How have you turned a "just okay" job into something valuable? I'd love to hear your stories—connect with me on LinkedIn or follow @code_with_kate for more real talk about building careers that actually work.
Previously in this series:
Part 1: "Define Your Priorities" - Building your career decision framework
Part 2: "Finding Opportunities That Actually Fit" - Strategic job searching even when the market is terrible
Part 3: "Standing Out When Everyone is Qualified" - Actually getting the opportunities you want
Part 4: "The First 90 Days" - Setting yourself up for success in a new role
Coming up next:
Part 6: "Advocating for Yourself" - Beyond promotions: getting what you deserve
Part 8: "Knowing When to Leave" - Reading the signs and making the call
