Making the Right Career Choices When Apparent Simplicity Hides Pitfalls
You think you’re making the right career choice because it seems simple? Be careful: behind some obvious options, unexpected pitfalls can be hiding. Taking the time to pause and think before rushing in can save you from quite a few headaches.
This summer, I went hiking in the Austrian Alps. Two hours already climbing steep trails, my muscles on fire, and one single obsession: reaching the ski lift to descend calmly. Then came the moment of choice: two paths. The first, which I knew well, with its brutal climb followed by a steep but manageable descent. The second, unknown, appeared as a gentle slope, almost reassuring.
Guess which one I chose? Exactly, the so-called easy path.
Three hundred meters later, I found myself stuck on a rocky trail, flanked by cliffs, marked with “Danger – Rockfall” signs. Turning back was impossible without taking more risks. So I had to keep going, focused, fast, with the unpleasant feeling that a single misstep could cost me… dearly.
And it was only when I reached the bottom, legs trembling, that I remembered my mother and her eternal Bible warning: “Beware of paths that seem too easy; they lead to trouble.” At the time, I rolled my eyes. That day, I rolled my eyes too… but mostly to make sure no rock was about to fall on me.
In Life as in Work: The Temptation of the “Easy Path”
How often do we make decisions that resemble this shortcut in the mountains? We think we’re avoiding a “certain and manageable” difficulty, only to rush into a route that seems gentle but is full of obstacles. In your career, it’s the same:
- Choosing a job that “looks easy” but turns into a tunnel of boredom.
- Throwing yourself headfirst into a project that promises fast recognition but exposes you to the risk of not measuring up, being trapped in a poorly defined role, or depending on an employer with questionable practices.
- Believing that a “stroke of luck” will spare you the hard work of building solid skills step by step.
A word of caution: it’s not simplicity itself that’s the problem. It’s choosing without understanding the real risks. Ease is often an illusion… an illusion that makes you smile before making you grind your teeth.
True Courage: Choosing the Hard Path You Can Own Rather Than the Deceptively Easy One
Next time you’re tempted to take the “seems simple” option, ask yourself:
- Do I really know what I’m getting into?
- Have I listened to those who have already been down this path?
The danger isn’t in predictable effort. It’s in the blind choice, the one that seduces with apparent ease but leaves you alone facing unexpected obstacles or difficult consequences.
Making the Right Career Choice
And it’s the same for any professional choice: taking on a “simple” but poorly defined assignment, engaging in a project that looks appealing on paper but is risky, or collaborating with a team whose practices are unclear…
All these choices can turn into traps if you rush in without vigilance. Before deciding, better activate your survival radar. I am talking about this here: Thinking of changing jobs? Read this before quitting everything
And if you’re not convinced… remember that the so-called “easy path” has an uncanny talent for turning into a slippery slide full of traps. My advice: observe, think, and breathe… and you’ll avoid finding yourself climbing perilous trails while regretting your slightly naive enthusiasm.
