When it comes to careers, sometimes following the straight and narrow gets you nowhere. In many of today’s companies, the career ladder has no legs. Employees’ wishes to the contrary, few businesses can provide a map to, much less guarantee, advancement. You have to take responsibility for your career development and make your own way along the path.

If you feel like your career is stuck on hold, don’t keep running in place. There are other options for getting on besides waiting around for that promotion that may never come.

• Move out and up. One of the most tried and true ways of advancing your career is changing companies or institutions. Positions may not be turning over quickly with your current employer, but opportunities usually are available with other companies. You may need to accept some trade-offs, but making the change can help revive your career and lead to other possibilities.
• Move over and up. If your company is large enough, consider a lateral move, such as moving to a different department, division or branch. Especially if you are at a level in your career where you are approaching the point where the hierarchical pyramid begins to narrow, a lateral move may position you more favorably for future advancement.
• Make a change. Experts say most of us will have three or four careers during our working lifetime. Switching careers is not easy, and not for everybody, but it happens more often than you might think. Over time you may have acquired a number of related skills that could be applied to another occupation or profession. Perhaps with some additional education, experience or certification you can parlay that knowledge into a position in a new field. Or, you may want to consider starting your own business or consultancy.
• Transition to something new. If you’re not ready to commit to making a job or career change, you can give yourself a boost by exploring other options while maintaining your current position. Volunteer for different kinds of duties either within or outside your company. Do a bit of freelancing. Go to a conference in a different field to see what it’s all about. Take some classes or attend talks or seminars. Even if you decide not to make a change, you will benefit from the infusion of new knowledge and ideas.

With the many responsibilities and commitments we have, it’s easy to get locked into our current job and lose sight of the other opportunities we could be pursuing. Sometimes putting ourselves in a new situation or taking on a new challenge is just what we need to free us up and getting moving again in a more positive direction.