Career and climbing the corporate ladder are orthogonal. For example, I don't care about climbing the corporate ladder but I do care very much about my career

Career and climbing the corporate ladder are orthogonal. For example, I don't care about climbing the corporate ladder but I do care very much about my career progression because it defines what job opportunities I get to choose from in the future and better career progression allows me more freedom to choose only the ones that are likely to be fun. (Unlike many here, I actually enjoy my profession.)