I'm going to say something a lot of people don't like, but here it goes. Don't work harder than your desired title suggests. In fact, be slightly less producti

I'm going to say something a lot of people don't like, but here it goes. Don't work harder than your desired title suggests. In fact, be slightly less productive than your peers with the same title without sacrificing quality. Always go home on time and don't do any kind of overtime unless it's an emergency. Make occasional appearances at group lunches and social events, just enough to seem like part of the team but not be too well liked or notable. Be friendly, but don't buddy up with management. Always be looking for different positions elsewhere or other companies you would want to reach out to in case you need to abandon ship. Have fuck-you money saved up. If you contribute code on GitHub, be anonymous about it. Consider contract work so you can choose the kind of work you want to do (and create a business and hire yourself under your chosen title/role in case you need to go back to a W2 job). Be vague, slow to respond, and not overly enthusiastic when management makes you do "reflections" and "self-assessments" that ask you where you want to advance in your career or "where you see yourself in 5 years". When management walks by your desk, act relaxed and don't look like you are stressed or working very hard; even if your work is poor, management likes the perception of an employee that "works hard" for them. Don't do things to make them think of you in particular if a peer higher in the hierarchy leaves. If there is an emergency, let seniors handle most of it unless you are the only one available to help. Only participate in meetings when necessary and don't talk for the sake of talking. Care about the users/customers of the service you are building, but don't care about the company itself more than you need to or emotionally invest yourself; every company is capable of firing you at the drop of a hat and they will not keep in touch unless they absolutely need to and are willing to drop the advancement bullshit to make you happy. If a promotion is offered to you, thoroughly inquire about the responsibilities for the position, make note of the new responsibilities that you really don't like in particular and speak to your manager about making some exceptions because you "have strengths in some areas but weaker in these others"; use corporate buzz words during your one-on-one to talk about the promotion. Again, always have your eye out for other roles and keep an exit strategy in your back pocket. Working hard isn't a virtue in and of itself, and growth to no end isn't sustainable. There is nothing wrong with finding your place and performing adequately within it. I believe that my generation (Millennials) and later have been especially indoctrinated into the fantasy of the "dream job", the need to always be hustling and advancing, and working for paternalistic companies that "care" about the growth of their employees. It creates lots of shame for those who don't have the will to do what it takes to land the corner office. Most of our grandparents made their living doing things that weren't particularly prestigious and didn't live with that constant lack of satisfaction or sense of shame that they won't live up to their parents success. If you are contributing something to society in whatever amount and you are living the life you want to live, nobody really has the authority to tell you that you shouldn't be satisfied with that.