Adaptive Career Planning - A Nine-Layer Approach to Building a Career in 2025

How to get and stay relevant while enjoying the journey of career building

Mar 20, 2025

In last week's newsletter, I explained why traditional career planning doesn’t work in today’s world. The TL;DR? It’s based on a significantly flawed assumption: the future is predictable. That if you just follow a well-laid plan, everything will work out exactly as expected.

We all know that’s not how things go. Most of the jobs people will hold in 10 years don’t exist yet. Entire industries will rise and fall. And the most fulfilling careers? They’re almost never the result of a perfectly executed master plan.

Linear paths don’t work when the destination is constantly shifting.

So, don’t do linear career planning, do Adaptive Career Planning.

What is Adaptive Career Planning?

We first developed the concept of Adaptive Career Planning (ACP) when we launched BillionMinds in 2020. We have been subtly adjusting the approach ever since - developing it into a BillionMinds program and an upcoming book.

The idea for ACP came from a pattern we saw in some of the most fulfilled senior professionals. The vast majority of them were doing something different than their 20-year-old self would have envisioned. Their career paths were not remotely linear—instead, they had allowed themselves to go down all kinds of unexpected routes but ended up in a place they enjoyed and found enriching.

ACP abandons the concept of a linear approach to career planning, not just because the linear approach usually fails but also because it’s often less fulfilling. Instead of a rigid plan, ACP consists of 9 layers—with each building upon the last to create a career that evolves with you.

Layer 1: Optimize Your Now

Traditional career planning typically starts with what you want to become - ignoring the fact that you won’t make any progress in working towards a future state if the current state is not in good order. By contrast, if you can execute well on a daily basis, you can think more clearly about your future state goals and create space for growth.

So before beginning long-term career shifts, focus on optimizing your current work habits. Build systems that allow you to be productive, manage stress, and create space for growth.

Here are some key questions to ask yourself:

Are your daily habits and routines setting you up for long-term success?
Do you have the energy, focus, and bandwidth to pursue change?

Layer 2: Understand Yourself

Before mapping out any career direction, you must deeply understand who you are and what drives you.

Ask yourself:

What am I good at?
What kind of challenges do I enjoy?
How do I like to work—independently, collaboratively, in fast-paced environments, or in structured settings?
What are my intrinsic and extrinsic motivations?

Understanding your own work preferences allows you to build a career that aligns with your strengths and values—rather than chasing titles or expectations that don’t truly fit.

Layer 3: Visualize Your Future State

If you don’t have a clear idea of what excites you, it’s hard to take meaningful steps toward it. But unlike traditional career planning, ACP doesn’t require you to pick a single job title. Instead, think in terms of:

The type of work that excites you
The problems you want to solve
The lifestyle you want to build

Your vision will evolve, and that’s okay, even desirable. The goal is to stay directionally correct, rather than locked into a rigid plan.

Layer 4: Create an Executable Plan

A vision is great, but without actionable next steps, it’s just a wish. The key to Adaptive Career Planning is starting vague and bringing it into focus:

5+ Years Out – Big-picture intent (e.g., "Make an impact in sustainable energy")
3 Years Out – Defined direction (e.g., "Gain experience in climate tech startups")
1 Year Out – Concrete goals (e.g., "Enroll in a data science for climate course, attend industry events")
Sub-1 Year – Actionable steps (e.g., "Reach out to 5 professionals in the space, take an online course, apply for an internship")

The plan should not be rigid—it’s a flexible guide that you can adjust as new opportunities arise.

Layer 5: Build a Sustainable Approach

If you burn out, you won’t get anywhere. A fulfilling career requires sustainability. This means:

Managing stress levels
Avoiding overwork
Balancing ambition with well-being

Career growth isn’t a sprint—it’s a long-term game

Layer 6: Continuously Learn

Career longevity isn’t just about gaining job-specific skills—it’s about building durable skills that allow you to adjust as industries evolve. But learning isn’t something you do in bursts—it should be part of your daily routine.

As work evolves, key durable skills will remain vital, including the 5 Cs of:

Communication
Collaboration
Critical Thinking
Conflict Resolution
Creativity

If you are going to thrive as the world of work changes, you must make learning and development a habit. That doesn’t just mean enrolling in courses or upskilling through formal programs (though that’s valuable). It also means learning from every interaction by making reflection a daily practice. Every conversation, challenge, and project offers an opportunity to extract insights and improve.

Layer 7: Develop Strong Resilience

Setbacks on the journey aren’t just possible—they’re inevitable. Careers are almost never smooth. To thrive long-term, you need to develop resilience.

The data backs this up: By age 40, most people will have faced at least one major career setback—whether it’s a job loss, industry shift, or unexpected life change—and most will have experienced several.

Resilient professionals don’t just endure challenges—they come back stronger by:

Reframing failures as learning opportunities
Building strong mental and emotional coping mechanisms
Developing support systems

Layer 8: Become Highly Adaptable

The goalposts will move. That’s a given. What matters is how well you respond.

Adaptive professionals don’t resist change—they anticipate and actively use it to grow. This means:

Getting comfortable with ambiguity
Taking small risks and experimenting
Developing a mindset of constant learning

In an era of rapid automation and disruption, adaptability isn’t optional—it’s essential.

Layer 9: Get Support From Others

No one builds a fulfilling career alone. Your network—friends, mentors and colleagues can all make or break your success.

Key strategies here include:

Actively seek mentorship and guidance
Surround yourself with people who challenge and support you
Leverage relationships for new opportunities

The most successful careers aren’t just built on talent; they are built on connections.

Your future career won’t be defined by a job title. It’ll be defined by your skills, relationships, and ability to adapt.

So start building that future.

Today.

Next Week

How to balance your need for flexibility while building a career that lasts.