Why The Non-Linear Career Path Is Your Friend—And Other Advice From The 50 Over 50

Forbes

5 days ago

T he Forbes 50 Over 50 list showcases what it means to find success on your own terms, in your own time. The 200 women on this year's list are thriving in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and beyond as they launch companies, lead boardrooms, engineer breakthroughs and start movements.
Some steadily climbed ladders to get to where they are today. Others built their own. And many used their positions of power to help others climb, too. Along the way, each blazed a trail that earned them the kind of wisdom that's impossible to shortcut. Now, with time as their teacher and success on their side, we asked the women on this year's list what they might say if they could sit down with their younger selves. Their responses offer salient reminders to give yourself more grace, to take bigger leaps and trust that the non-linear path just might be the one you were always meant to follow.
Here's a sampling of what they told us:
courtesy Maribel Pérez Wadsworth
'You have to create your own turn. Young people—and especially young women and people of color—are so often told that they're not ready for the next thing, the big promotion, that it isn't their turn. I wanted to be a reporter, but when I tried out for my high school paper, the teacher told me it wasn't my turn—even though I was a senior, so it would never be my turn. When I applied for a leadership job early in my career, the boss took my aside and told me it wasn't my turn. But soon I realized that I had the power to create my turn. I'd tell young me that she can always create her turn—by doing the work, by learning and improving, by always raising her hand, even when she may not feel she's ready.'
courtesy Jo Cato
'Be brave. The unfamiliar will shape you more than the familiar ever could. You left your home country as a young woman with just $20 in your pocket and no family waiting on the other side. That wasn't just a move—it was a leap of faith. And while the loneliness will sting and the setbacks will test you, know this: your courage will open doors not just for you, but for countless others who will rise because you dared to go first. Don't shrink to survive. Expand to lead. Your difference is your advantage.'
courtesy Lisa Suennen Lisa Suennen 59 | Managing Partner, American Heart Association Ventures
'Always take the job where you like the people. In the end, there is no clear career path, only great people along a path that reveals itself along the way.'Kelly Bishop 81 | Actor, Author
'Don't give up. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it. I often hear from young people whose parents tell them not to pursue something because it isn't secure. Do it anyway. Try it. Find a way.'
courtesy Vicki Sato Vicki Sato 77 | Chair, VirBiotechnology
'Learn languages, at least one modern and useful one. It broadens one's worldview.'
courtesy Jen Zeszut Jen Zeszut 53 | Cofounder & CEO, Goodles
'Your kiddos are going to turn out OK. Working so hard while they are little and missing so many field trips and school plays is NOT messing them up for life! All three kids will grow up striving to find some kind of work or life purpose that fills them with as much joy and passion as they saw their mom bring to her work. (In fact, one is going to follow your footsteps and start a bunch of little companies all before the age of 20!)'
courtesy Amy Weaver Amy Weaver 58 | CEO, Direct Relief
'Don't cling too hard to the career path you think you should follow, or focus only on the next logical step up the ladder. Embrace the jumps to the side. You may feel like you are zigzagging, but with each non-linear move, you will gain new skills, meet new people, and collect experiences – these will be your building blocks. When I think about the most pivotal moments in my own career, not one of them was a straightforward promotion or an obvious next step. Each transition was either a lateral move to a new field or location or sometimes even a step backward to create a longer runway. And now as I look back, it feels like I've been climbing in a straight line to exactly where I am meant to be.'
Christopher Willard/ABC/Getty Images Vanna White 68 | Co-host, Wheel of Fortune
'Follow your heart. Follow your dreams. It can happen.'
courtesy Mackenzie Stroh Alexis McGill Johnson 52 | President & CEO, Planned Parenthood
'Trust yourself to lead. Don't just step into power, step and stand in it fully. The work is long, but the line for leadership is short. Seize each moment of leadership with all the power that you have. Don't be tentative—just drive it like you stole it!'
courtesy Elyce Arons Elyce Arons 62 | Cofounder & CEO, Frances Valentine
'Don't smoke cigarettes.'
courtesy Victoria Coleman Victoria Coleman 65 | CEO, Acubed
'Party more. I've probably only been to one real party. And pick your bets.'
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