Why I ditched the 5-year plan, and what I learned from my colleagues at Foolproof

At the start of my career, I wasn’t too worried about long-term planning – just getting into the industry felt like enough of a win. But as my career advances, the questions about what’s next start to feel heavier. I’ve found myself more anxious about making the “wrong” decisions or setting the “wrong” goals, without a clear sense of where I want my career to go.

I thought the solution was to create a five-year plan. My friends were making them, society seems to expect them, and I was plodding along not knowing where I was headed. A five-year plan felt like it could give me that direction and certainty I was craving. But at every end-of-year review when asked where I wanted to be in five years, I would panic because I had no idea. How could I plan so far ahead when I wasn’t even sure what my trajectory should be?

To tackle the anxiety I was feeling, my career mentor suggested I speak with colleagues who had more experience. I reached out to more senior designers and design directors at Foolproof to understand how they considered and planned their careers. Did they make five-year plans like I thought I had to? And if not, what did they do instead?

Their answers changed the way I think about career development and growth.

Start with curiosity, not a rigid plan

One of the first lessons I learned is that you don’t need to have everything mapped out. A colleague told me: “You control the narrative around yourself. No one else does.” That really stuck with me. Instead of chasing the “perfect” path, they leaned into curiosity - asking themselves what sparked their interest, what they wanted to explore next, and what skills they could build along the way. Another colleague described UX as a pivot point rather than the whole of who you are, which reinforced the idea that your career doesn’t have to be fixed to one direction. Curiosity creates momentum: following what excites you now can open doors you never would have planned for. It is curiosity, not certainty, that moves you forward.

Learn from the people around you

Another big insight was how much your growth is shaped by the people you work with. A colleague gave me some simple but practical advice: if you want to develop a skill, find someone who’s good at it and pay attention. Notice how they do it, how others respond, and then practise it yourself. I realised that career development isn’t just about training courses, formal goals, or structured experience - it’s often the small, everyday lessons that make the biggest difference. Whether it’s how someone facilitates a workshop, handles difficult clients, or balances creativity with pragmatism, these observations accumulate over time. As one colleague put it, “It’s all these things that have stuck with me and shaped the person I am professionally.” Your colleagues aren’t just contacts on LinkedIn - they are a daily source of insight, inspiration, providing practical lessons you can apply immediately.

Mini-plans beat five-year plans

Perhaps the biggest reassurance came when I realised that hardly anyone I spoke to had a rigid five-year plan. Instead, they set shorter-term goals, reflected often, and adjusted as they went. They encouraged me to experiment with smaller, achievable goals - what they called “mini-plans.” The analogy they used was treating yourself like a product: you wouldn’t set a rigid five-year roadmap because you’d miss opportunities to pivot. With mini-plans, you don’t feel overly attached to a single goal because it’s smaller and more manageable. If a goal no longer feels right, you can stop it without guilt; if you don’t complete it, you can always reflect on it and revisit the following year. This flexibility is especially important in an industry that evolves so quickly, because it allows you to tailor your skills to stay relevant. Mini-plans give you space to explore new skills, test ideas, and adapt without the pressure of getting it “right” first time. It’s an approach I’m excited to try for myself, because it feels more flexible, human, and realistic.

It’s okay to be confused

Finally, one of the most comforting takeaways was that confusion never really goes away. Even colleagues with decades of experience admitted that they still feel uncertain. One said: “You don’t need to paralyse yourself with what your next step is… there are so many opportunities that fell at my feet both personally and professionally, that if I had overthought it or tried to plan, I would've missed!” That honesty reminded me that not knowing exactly where you’re headed isn’t a weakness - it’s part of the process. What matters is being open to opportunities when they come along, and recognising them for what they are, even if they don’t fit neatly into a plan.

If you’re a designer wondering what’s next, you’re not alone

Speaking with my colleagues gave me clarity I couldn’t have found on my own. I realised that growth doesn’t come from rigid planning - it comes from curiosity, learning from others, setting small goals, and being okay with uncertainty.

If you’re a designer trying to figure out your next step, try observing the people around you and identifying skills you want to develop. Experiment with mini-plans: set achievable goals for the next six months instead of five years. Reflect on what you enjoy, what you’re good at, and what you want to learn next. And don’t be afraid to embrace ambiguity – confusion is part of the journey, and it often leads to unexpected opportunities.

For me, that’s far more exciting than any five-year roadmap could ever be – and I’m looking forward to applying these lessons as I shape my own career path.