I Want to Succeed, But I Don't Want a Promotion

There was a time when working hard and climbing the corporate ladder was seen as the obvious path to success. But according to a JobKorea survey of 1,114 Millennial and Gen Z workers, 54.8% said they had no intention of climbing all the way to an executive position. A higher position, more responsibility, and a bigger salary were once seen as career growth itself. But for today's workers in their 20s and 30s, that formula is no longer a given.

The most common reason cited for avoiding promotion was the burden of responsibility, at 43.6%. Another 20% saw executive promotion as unrealistic, and 13.3% worried that becoming an executive would make work-life balance impossible. Meanwhile, 50.8% were content to be promoted at the same pace as their peers. As promotions bring more responsibility and less work-life balance, many are beginning to question whether a higher title really means a better life.

That does not mean they lack ambition. Instead of climbing to the top of one company, they are placing greater value on transferable skills, experience, and control over their own time and lives. Perhaps what is disappearing is not ambition, but an old formula for success we have long believed in. So, does a promotion still mean success to you?