I’ve been in a marketing coordinator role for about three years now and honestly feel pretty stuck. My manager keeps praising my work but there’s just no room to grow into a manager position here, and I’m starting to wonder if I need to look for a job with a clearer path to leadership. I’m curious if others have been in this spot and how you weighed just loving your team against the need for actual career progression.
I've been in a similar spot and loving the team was the pull that kept me there. growth felt real but the ladder was quiet, so I started looking around while trying to stay helpful.
I'm not sure the promise of a clear path is real in every place. growth gets sold as the answer but it often means a risk or more meetings and less doing.
Honestly I ditched the vibe by taking a quick contract project and stepping back from the office rhythm for a bit. Not the coolest move but it bought me some time.
Last year I moved to a different team within the same company that let me lead a project and mentor juniors. It did not make me a manager yet but it built credibility and gave a path to growth.
Have you tried pitching a formal project lead role to your manager and documenting results?
Sometimes the best fit is to stay and push for bigger projects and clearer scope, the team still matters and you can grow in scope even without a title.
I'm curious how you balance the vibe of the crew with the lack of a ladder when the work feels meaningful and the pay is solid