Okay let’s talk careers. I’m going to share the best company for your career growth. 

I recently read an article listing the top 50 companies for career growth. The headline intrigued me, so I clicked. All were impressive companies. The kind your parents would want you to work at. They were large, stable companies. There was even a requirement that none had done layoffs over the last year. 

But I guarantee that the best company for your career growth isn’t on that list. Why? Because real career growth doesn’t come from a perfectly carved out role at a big company. Real growth doesn’t come from a stable role. It doesn’t come from a rotational program, or good benefits, or anything like that.

REAL career growth comes from being in a role that’s too big for you. Real career growth comes from being way in over your head but still having to find a path forward. Real growth comes from discomfort and uncertainty. It comes from being pushed harder than you’d like. I love this quote from former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer: 

“I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.”

Want career growth? Don’t find a company that promises career growth. Find a job with expectations so massive that career growth hits you harder than you think you can handle and you’re not sure you want to grow anymore.

That’s where the magic happens.

(Truth bomb — I hate to say it, but companies that MIGHT do a layoff are places where real growth occurs. If there isn’t a decent chance your company misses plan and has to pivot, chances are you’re in a low career growth environment.)