For many decades, the traditional path to careers has been linear: go to school, earn a degree, get a job, and climb the career success ladder. The linear approach has generally been viewed as the safest path to professional achievement. Characteristics of linear careers include:

• Rigid structures: Often require dedication to a single path, including relocating for promotions, working inflexible hours, and/or postponing family plans given the demands of a career.
• Delayed fulfillment: Assumes career satisfaction is earned through decades of “climbing the ladder,” to be enjoyed upon retirement.
• Vulnerability in a dynamic economy: There is vulnerability when professional identity and sense of purpose are tied to a single career path. In a rapidly changing economy, job layoffs impact the stability often expected in linear careers.

Non-linear careers are a growing trend in career development. They enable professionals greater versatility in career development, especially the development of diverse skill sets. Characteristics of non-linear careers include:

• Recognition of longer work life: It is projected that many workers will have a 60-year work life versus the current 40-year work life. A longer work life is more amenable to versatility in career paths.
• Changes in the value of work: Increasingly, professionals are prioritizing meaning, work-life balance, and personal growth over traditional advancement.
• Rapidly changing workplaces and economy: With growing recognition that skills in demand today can become obsolete tomorrow and new roles will emerge, many employers are embracing skills-based hiring to create opportunities for career switchers seeking new paths better aligned with their evolving interests.