Career ladder self-check

Staging material for Chapter 4, "The Ladder Breaks: Entry and Mid-Career." Version: 2026-06-10. Practicum URL: https://cheap-intelligence.vercel.app/en/.

Goal: In one evening, find the weak point in your career ladder: entry, middle, or top.

1. Three questions

Question	Your answer	What counts as a risk signal
What am I learning through my work now?		My week has no tasks just above my current level. AI or a senior colleague does all the work that could help me grow.
What do I own, and what do I pass along?		Most of my week goes to status updates, summaries, forwarding information, and checking other people's work.
Who learns from my simple tasks?		Agents already handle all routine work, so beginners have no safe place to practice.

2. Your weak section

Choose one section to focus on for the next 90 days.

Section	Choose this if	Main move
Entry	You are looking for a first chance, but there are fewer "simple tasks" available	Build proof of a result instead of waiting to gain seniority
Middle	You are no longer a beginner, but you spend much of your time passing along other people's work	Shift your time from forwarding work to owning an outcome
Top	You are responsible for people, a team, or hiring	Design an apprenticeship instead of hoping one happens on its own

3. One move this week

Choose one action you can finish within seven days.

Section	Action
Entry	Make one small public artifact: an analysis, prototype, template, short research note, or working example
Middle	Calculate how much of your week goes to passing work along, then choose one handoff for an agent to handle
Top	Find one learning task that you will not automate completely because a person can grow by doing it

4. Check again in one month

• What can I do better now, not just faster?
• Which task has become mine to own?
• Who did I give work that can help them grow?