Recently, my project manager resigned and I have taken over his role (with a sizeable raise!). His boss (now my direct supervisor) and I discussed it, and we both agreed it was a big move for me but it was basically a step they saw me taking next year anyway. I was already taking over a lot of those responsibilities and I figured if I didn’t step up someone new would be brought in who I would have to get up to speed with none of the credit.
Because it is a big step, my new boss is kind of mentoring me and we talk about my career development. He talked about how it is important to set career and personal goals, even decades out. Well I agree, but my primary goal is to FIRE in 4 to 5 years and have a life that doesn’t revolve around employment.
At my old company, we had to fill out annual reviews with our current/5 year career goals, and this promotion was what I used to list. I didn’t think about what I’d list next because even without FIRE I didn’t plan to stay in this exact field forever. This industry is a pyramid (e.g. there are really only 4 people above me at this company). I can take on larger projects, and eventually move up to my boss’s level, but that’s about it. I could go work for a larger company with more mid-levels to advance through but that’s really the opposite of what I want. I stay in it for now because I do learn a lot and it’s relevant to other things, but I know eventually it would get repetitive.
So, to get to the point, what goals should I share with my employer? Is it reasonable for them to expect me to want to stay here for the rest of my career? Does it hurt me to say long term I’d want to do something else (possibly in a related field)? Is saying I want to be a nomad for a year a career killer?