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Stuck or Strategic: Knowing the Difference Could Save Your Career

27 min
Career GrowthCareer AdviceWomen in TechMental HealthWork-Life Balance

In this episode of Her Career Unplugged, Joanne and Vimala tackle the question every professional eventually faces: are you strategically pausing, or are you just stuck? From Vimala's story of staying at a difficult workplace long enough to leave on her own terms, to Joanne's unexpected detour through academia that actually accelerated her career, they unpack what a career "stall" really looks like — and why slowing down doesn't have to mean falling behind.

Show Notes

  • The difference between a career "stall" and a strategic "pause" — and why the language you use matters.
  • Vimala's story: staying at a company she disagreed with long enough to find the right next role and leave on her own terms — not in a rage-quit moment.
  • Joanne's story: taking a 50% pay cut to become a university professor, then returning to industry as a Director of Engineering — a pause that actually bypassed a level she'd been stuck at.
  • Why even the hustlers need to pause: burnout, family, mental health, and external factors are all valid reasons to slow down.
  • The fitness analogy: a career pause is like the breathing interval in a workout — it's not stopping, it's resetting so you can keep going.
  • The Apple Watch reminder: you pause for a set time, then reset and go back. Strategic pauses need a timeline.
  • "Coasting" is not the same as a strategic pause — if you stop growing entirely, your "exceeds expectations" rating can quietly become a performance problem.
  • How to stay relevant during a pause: keep learning, stay connected to your community, maintain your visibility even if you're not chasing promotions.
  • Why not updating your LinkedIn when you're not looking is a trap — especially in tech, where being findable matters.
  • You cannot destroy your career by pausing — unless you do something illegal. Joanne's message to her younger self.
  • Rapid fire: stuck or strategic? Same role for three years, passing on a poorly-timed opportunity, waiting for an internal promotion that may never come, too much on your plate, two years without touching your LinkedIn, lateral move to an interesting team, and turning down a speaking opportunity because you didn't feel ready.