Ask AdaMarie: How do I clarify my direction without closing doors to potential opportunities too soon?
“Dear AdaMarie, I’m early in my engineering career and feel pressure to say yes to everything. How do I clarify my direction without closing doors too soon?”
Dear Builder-in-Progress,
First, let’s name what’s actually happening here. You’re not confused. You’re capable. And when you’re capable early in your career, people notice. Opportunities show up. Requests stack. Doors crack open. The pressure to say yes isn’t a personal flaw; it’s a predictable response to being seen as someone who can handle things.
But here’s the part no one tells you: saying yes to everything doesn’t keep doors open. It quietly decides your direction for you.
Early in engineering careers, “keep your options open” often gets translated into “take whatever comes.” Over time, that turns into a résumé full of activity but in a direction that might not align with what you see for yourself. You’ve done a lot, but you’re not sure what it’s adding up to. That’s not because you closed doors too soon; it’s because no one helped you choose which ones were worth walking through now.
Listen, clarifying your direction doesn’t mean committing to a single path forever. It means choosing a learning edge.
Ask yourself:
What kind of problems do I want more exposure to in the next 6–12 months?
What skills do I want to deepen?
What kind of work leaves me energized instead of just relieved it’s done?
Direction, at this stage, is a working hypothesis. You test it, gather data, and adjust. You’re allowed to say, “This opportunity is interesting, but it doesn’t move me closer to what I’m trying to learn right now.”
Also, a quiet truth: not every “yes” is equal. Some build capability. Some build visibility. Some just build exhaustion. You get to be selective without being ungrateful.
If you’re worried about missing out, remember this: careers only stall because someone drifted for too long without setting clear intentions.
You don’t need to decide who you’ll be in ten years. You just need to decide what you’re practicing next.
If you want support learning how to make those choices with confidence and advocate for the direction you’re building toward, the 2026 AdaMarie Career Accelerator was designed for this exact stage. It’s a space to practice negotiating your role, your growth, and your next steps with guidance from STEM experts who’ve been right where you are.
Either way, remember, you know what’s best for you.
You got this,
AdaMarie
