For years, the prevailing message in career development has been clear: Employees own their careers. Leaders support them. It’s a sentiment that gained traction in an era when roles were relatively stable, development followed a logical trajectory, and success could be tracked in movement around the org chart.

Back then, “owning your career” made sense. Employees could reasonably plan five years out. They studied career paths, knew what came next and how to get there. The workplace offered a sense of predictability that enabled ownership — in some cases.

For many, though, “owning your career” felt like a cop-out. The “just figure it out” school of career management shifted responsibility for development to employees, often without the support, empowerment or resources required for success.

Welcome to 2025 and a very different reality. Today, roles evolve constantly. Skills expire quickly. Career paths zigzag, vanish or branch in unexpected directions. What worked yesterday is often irrelevant today and antiquated tomorrow.

That’s why it’s time to shift from a model built on predictability to one designed for adaptability — one rooted in career agency.

From Ownership to Agency: What’s the Difference?

Agency goes beyond ownership by empowering individuals to not just be responsible for career outcomes but to actively shape them through intentional, information-rich choices and actions. Career agency redefines development as emergent, co-created, responsive and aligned with real-time realities.

Let’s take a look at the differences:

Career Ownership (Then)

• Development via setting goals and following paths
• Planning-focused: “Where do you want to be in 5 years?”
• Negotiating for organizationally rationed (but known) resources
• Learning designed by the organization
• Personalized development powered by your needs

Career Agency (Now)

• Development via experimentation, iteration and evolution
• Design-focused: “What’s emerging, and how can we build on it?”
• Seizing organic, embedded opportunities and self-sourced resources
• Growth designed with you
• Adaptive, dynamic experiences powered in real time by data and dialogue

Why It Matters Now

Employees today are forging a new relationship with their careers and their development. They’re seeking not just advancement, but alignment — work that fits their values, energizes them and allows them to make meaningful contributions.

They’re building skills in real time, across projects, roles, and frequently outside the organization. And let’s face it: With managers stretched thin, employees must do all of this with considerable autonomy.

Agency represents a step beyond ownership — one that helps employees build self-awareness, embrace ambiguity and engage with their growth in ways that feel personal, relevant and future-forward.

How L&D Can Enable Career Agency

Learning and development (L&D) professionals play a critical role in turning this concept into a reality. Here’s how to support the shift.

Befriend unending uncertainty: Predictability is an artifact of the past. People can no longer wait for the new or next “normal.” It’s time to teach everyone to dance with the eternal “never normal,” and embrace the unpredictable nature of today’s careers. This activates agency, fueling curiosity, confidence and sense of possibility.

Distribute the data: Empower employees by ensuring access to real-time insights. Share organizational results openly, help people analyze the landscape and offer performance feedback generously. Sharing data helps individuals make informed, adaptive development decisions instead of relying on old patterns or waiting for direction.

Promote design over planning: Inspire employees to move beyond static planning. Career frameworks that felt fresh just a few years ago, may fall short today. Instead, offer tools like career canvases or reflection guides that help employees capture and act on what’s emerging — new interests, opportunities and work that is giving them energy.

While the dynamic and unpredictable nature of today’s workplace may feel challenging, it also opens the door to next-level growth. Career agency isn’t just a development strategy. It’s a mindset that cultivates adaptability, engagement, innovation at every level and a more agile, resilient and future-ready workforce.