The Cost of Not Understanding Your Career
Imagine walking through a parking lot, confidently heading toward what you think is your car. You reach out, pull the handle, and realize—it's not your car at all. Wrong make, wrong model, wrong color. Embarrassing? Sure. But ultimately, it’s a minor mistake. You shake it off, find the right car, and move on.
Now, imagine spending years—perhaps decades—working toward a career goal, only to discover you’ve been following the wrong strategy all along. That’s not just embarrassing. That’s devastating. The consequences aren’t just a few seconds of awkwardness; they include wasted time, lost earnings, and missed opportunities that may never come back.
And yet, this happens all the time. People invest years into their careers, assuming they’re on the right path simply because they’re working hard. But hard work alone isn’t enough. If you’re working hard on the wrong things, you’re not progressing—you're just exhausting yourself.
Not understanding how your career actually works can cost you years of effort—and potentially millions in lost earnings.
Most professionals assume that dedication and persistence will eventually pay off. They believe if they keep at it long enough, they’ll break through. But in reality, effort without strategy is like running on a treadmill. You may be moving fast, but you’re not actually going anywhere.
This is especially true in creative fields, where the path to success is often misunderstood. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the world of book publishing.
The Wrong Way to Become a Published Author
Let’s talk about writing. Specifically, let’s talk about how most aspiring authors approach the publishing process. If you ask someone, «How do you become a published author?» the most common answer is: «You write a book.»
That seems reasonable. After all, if you want to be a chef, you cook. If you want to be a musician, you play music. If you want to be a writer, you write. But when it comes to the publishing industry, this logic doesn’t hold up.
Cal Newport, a bestselling author and researcher, has written multiple books, including So Good They Can’t Ignore You. When I spoke to him about this, he pointed out a crucial mistake that many new authors make: they start by writing the book.
Writing a book before securing an agent or a publishing deal is often a waste of time.
The problem is that writing a book doesn’t automatically mean it will get published. You can spend years crafting the perfect manuscript, only to realize no one in the industry is interested in it. Meanwhile, the people who actually get book deals often haven’t written a single page before signing a contract.
That’s because publishing isn’t just about writing—it's about selling. The process that actually gets books published looks very different from what most aspiring authors imagine. Here’s the real sequence:
- Find a literary agent who represents books in your genre.
- Develop a compelling book proposal that outlines your idea, your audience, and your qualifications.
- Work with your agent to pitch the book to publishers.
- Negotiate a deal with a publishing house.
- Then, and only then, write the manuscript.
Skipping these steps means you might spend months—or even years—writing a book that no one will ever read.
Why We Fall into the «Feel-Productive» Trap
So why do so many people default to the wrong strategy? Why do they assume writing first is the best approach?
There are two main reasons:
1. A lack of industry knowledge. If you don’t understand how publishing works, writing a book first seems logical. But if you actually study successful authors, you’ll see that most of them secured agents and book deals before writing full manuscripts.
2. The appeal of «feel-productive» work. Sitting down to write every day feels good. It gives you a sense of accomplishment. But feeling productive isn’t the same as making real progress.
Many people prefer familiar, comfortable work over the scary but necessary steps that actually move them forward.
Finding an agent? That’s intimidating. Getting rejected by publishers? That’s terrifying. It’s much easier to sit alone and write. But easier doesn’t mean better.
What Separates Successful Authors from Struggling Ones?
Take a moment to think about the most successful authors you know. People who have multiple books published. People whose work is on bestseller lists. Who get invited speaking at literary events and conferences.
Do you think these authors just woke up one day and decided to write a book, hoping someone would notice? No. They followed a strategic process:
- They understood how the publishing industry actually works.
- They built connections with agents, editors, and other professionals.
- They pitched their book ideas before investing years into writing.
- They focused on marketability just as much as creativity.
The key difference between successful authors and struggling ones isn’t talent—it's strategy.
A Case Study in Career Strategy
This principle applies far beyond the publishing world. Let’s take a look at a completely different industry: programming.
Chris was a database programmer who wanted to become a leader in his field. He admired the top experts—people who spoke at conferences, published books, and shaped the future of database design.
For years, Chris assumed that the best way to stand out was by answering technical questions on Stack Exchange. He spent hours every week doing this, believing it would build his reputation.
But it didn’t. Despite his efforts, he wasn’t making any progress toward his goal.
Through a career mastery course, Chris learned to study how the people he admired actually built their reputations. He discovered that many of them weren’t just answering questions—they were creating valuable resources for the industry.
So Chris shifted his focus. Instead of answering questions, he started developing programming quizzes for a popular technical website. This had two major advantages:
- It forced him to deeply understand his area of expertise.
- It put him in direct contact with industry leaders.
Within a few months, his work caught the attention of top professionals. Soon after, he was offered a job working alongside the very people he had once looked up to. This position not only put him at the cutting edge of his field but also came with a 20% salary increase.
The Real Secret to Career Growth
Success isn’t about working harder—it's about working on the right things. To avoid «feel-productive» traps, you need:
- A deep understanding of how your industry works.
- The ability to identify high-impact actions.
- The courage to step outside your comfort zone.
Before investing time in a career goal, make sure you understand the actual path to success—not just what feels productive.
If you’re serious about career growth, start by researching the steps that truly matter. The right strategy can save you years of frustration and put you on the fast track to real success.
