Thought Experiment #1
Career Progression (According to Who?)
In our recent VSGD membership conversations with people two years out and thirty years out, one word kept surfacing: progression.
Almost everyone said they wanted it.
Very few could clearly define what it meant for them.
So we decided to slow it down and ask the question properly.
Take a listen or watch this Career CPD/CE conversation and let us know what your takeaway is.
If you would rather read then take a look at our summary below
The Inherited Assumption
Career progression in veterinary medicine is usually framed as:
- Moving up the hierarchy
- Gaining a title
- Becoming head nurse / senior vet / practice owner
- Accumulating certificates and credentials
- Earning more money
- Managing more people
It’s linear.
It’s visible.
It’s externally validated.
And often, it’s borrowed.
What We Explored Instead
In our conversation, progression started to look far less linear - and far more personal.
We explored:
- Progression as skill utilisation, not just skill acquisition
- Progression as culture and voice, not hierarchy
- Progression as outgrowing environments
- Progression as identity untangling
- Progression as health and wellbeing protection
- Progression happening internally - not just outwardly
We also questioned whether progression has to sit solely inside paid work at all.
Voices from the Conversation
On hierarchy:
Progression doesn’t automatically mean leadership. For some, it once did - until they realised titles didn’t equal fulfilment.
On skills:
You can invest in learning, graft hard, upskill - and still feel stuck if your workplace doesn’t allow you to use what you’ve learned.
On growth:
You can love a practice and still outgrow it.
On identity:
When your whole identity is “I am a vet” or “I am a nurse,” any shift feels destabilising. Progress can be untangling that identity and allowing yourself to be more than one thing.
On discomfort:
Wanting progression means accepting change. And change is uncomfortable.
On mindset:
Sometimes the biggest progress happens between the six inches between your ears - in beliefs, confidence, openness, and clarity.
The Shift
Progression moved from something external and hierarchical to something internal and values-led.
It became less about climbing
and more about:
- Alignment
- Autonomy
- Culture
- Variety
- Learning
- Longevity
- Wellbeing
Instead of asking, “How do I move up?”
the better question became,
“What does growth look like for the version of me I am now?”
Reflection Prompt
If we had this conversation again in a year’s time:
- What would have changed?
- What would you have learned?
- How would you want to feel?
- And most importantly - progression according to who?
Closing Thought
Progression isn’t a ladder.
It isn’t a race.
And it isn’t a competition.
It’s personal.
It evolves.
And it changes as you do.
Clarity beats comparison.
Define it - or you’ll end up chasing someone else’s version of success.
Add a comment! These thought experiments are designed to open things up, not wrap them up neatly.
We are here to help so drop us a line at hello@vsgd.co and book in for a career coffee. If you’d like more structured space and support to explore what’s next, you can find out more about our membership offerings https://www.vsgd.co/membership
And if there’s a theme you’d love us to explore - or if you’d like to join us as a guest in a future experiment - we’d love to hear from you.
Career Progression (According to Who?): Session Timestamps
- 00:00 – Real-life start (internet wobble, window cleaner chaos) and why “progression” keeps surfacing in VSGD career conversations.
- 01:15 – Lacey reflects on early-career progression as hierarchy (student → head nurse) and how that definition no longer fits.
- 02:37 – Progression shifts from titles to culture, voice, and being able to use the skills you’ve learned.
- 03:19 – Sandra explores progression as becoming “a better vet” and questions what “better” actually means.
- 04:37 – The people-skills gap: why communication and psychology may matter more than clinical mastery.
- 05:53 – Ebony introduces three emerging themes: assets of progress, progress beyond work, and the universal love of learning.
- 07:11 – Nurses upskilling but not being allowed to utilise new skills — and the frustration that follows.
- 08:48 – The reality that you can outgrow a practice without it being anyone’s fault.
- 09:24 – Progress requires change — and change is uncomfortable.
- 10:40 – Flexible working isn’t just about shifts; it’s about space for development and progression too.
- 12:53 – How progression changed when stepping beyond clinical roles into diversification.
- 14:05 – Internal progress: mindset, openness, and values-led growth rather than linear career ladders.
- 14:22 – Identity untangling: who are you if you’re not “the vet” or “the nurse”?
- 16:35 – Protecting health and wellbeing as a form of career progression.
- 18:15 – Reframing identity: “I work as a vet” versus “I am a vet.”
- 19:46 – Looking ahead: if we revisit this in a year, what would progress look and feel like?
- 20:48 – Serendipity versus mindset — does opportunity find you, or do you notice it?
- 21:34 – Final reflections: clarity over vagueness, don’t mirror someone else’s progress, and define success for the version of you now.
- 23:36 – Closing invitation to rethink progression and explore support within VSGD membership.