Why this matters
This is different from feedback or coaching on how to improve.
This is ensuring you have the opportunity to continue learning, growing, and creating value for yourself. You don’t want two more years to go by and have nothing to show for it. That’s a huge financial hit for you (skills and experience you could have been acquiring to land the role—and the salary—at that next job that you want), not to mention, that just sounds really boring.
I think the right target is to talk about is one year from now. One year is a reasonable timeline to talk increased responsibility, increased readiness for higher-level role.
You should go into that conversation with an idea of where you want to be, not just asking where you could go according to your boss.
Some of this should be guided by your company’s conventions, if there are any. For example, maybe your company has designations: junior, mid-level, senior, lead, principle, or something similar.
You should always keep understanding of where you are and what it takes to get to that next level; and you need to keep your boss on top of that with you.
Sometimes that’s just experience, and it’ll just take time, but you make your boss get clear with you on how much time.
Ask about skill acquisition: what skills would accelerate your growth at the company? You should get guidance for growth in areas that both help the business and you.
When to have this conversation
This isn’t an every week topic, but it should be a regular one.
You’ll need to read the room and just have situational awareness. Don’t ask about your growth path when you have a clear directive in front of you for improving performance in a given area. Take care of that first, then you’re ready to talk growth path.
When to push back
Let’s revisit this conversation in about six months.
No. Let’s have the conversation at a reasonable point in time to put you on the right path for growth. Letting six months go by while you feel like you’re in limbo can make work miserable.
If you find your boss unable to look at you face to face and show you a growth path, whether it’s their own inability to do so or because of company-level circumstance, it’s time to look for another job.