profile

Work in Progmess

Join us if your career path feels like a sitcom without the laugh track. Expect sharp satire, snarky tips, and all the career truths nobody else will tell you.

Subscribe to the chaos

Issue 46: Self-Awareness Is the Skill No One Teaches

The Work in Progmess Team February 10, 2026 Self-Awareness Is the Skill No One Teaches 2026 - Week 6 ⏪ Last Week in Progmess Last week, we talked about responsibility. How it shows up before the title.How it arrives without permission.How most people are already the CEO of their own lives, whether they feel ready or not. That raised another question. If you are already responsible, what helps you make good decisions when it counts? This week, we want to talk about the most underrated answer....
READ POST

Issue 45: You Become the CEO Before You Get the Title

The Work in Progmess Team February 3, 2026 You Become the CEO Before You Get the Title 2026 - Week 5 ⏪ Last Week in Progmess Last week, we introduced a slightly inconvenient idea. Personal readiness does not come preinstalled. It is not automatic.It is not assigned.It is developed. Which raised a new question. If personal readiness is built, not given, what does that building actually look like in real life? This week, we have a theory. 🧾 This Week, In Brief Life gives you responsibility...
READ POST

Issue 44: Personal Readiness Does Not Come Preinstalled

The Work in Progmess Team January 27, 2026 Personal Readiness Does Not Come Preinstalled 2026 - Week 4 ⏪ Last Week in Progmess Last week, we talked about checklists. Why they feel responsible.Why they are comforting.Why they work beautifully in stable environments. And why they quietly fall apart the moment things get uncertain. That left us with an uncomfortable question. If checklist readiness struggles in the world we actually live in, what does readiness look like instead? 🧾 This Week, In...
READ POST

Issue 43: Why Checklist Readiness Feels So Responsible

The Work in Progmess Team January 20, 2026 Why Checklist Readiness Feels So Responsible 2026 - Week 3 ⏪ Last Week in Progmess Last week, we talked about the system. Not how it failed.Not how it is broken. But how it is doing exactly what it was designed to do. It produces completion efficiently.It rewards consistency.It hands out credentials reliably. Readiness, we suggested, is something we hope happens.Not something the system is built to create. That idea stuck with us. 🧾 This Week, In...
READ POST

Issue 42: The System is Not Broken

The Work in Progmess Team January 13, 2026 The System is Not Broken 2026 - Week 2 📌 Pinned Manifesto Work In Progmess is not a newsletter for finished thoughts. It is a place for ideas that are still forming, questions that do not resolve cleanly, and observations that feel slightly uncomfortable once you sit with them. We are not here to provide step by step instructions for life, leadership, or success. We are here to challenge assumptions that have quietly overstayed their welcome. If you...
READ POST

Issue 41: New Year. Same Definition of Ready.

The Work in Progmess Team January 6, 2026 New Year. Same Definition of Ready. 2026 - Week 1 📌 Pinned Manifesto Work In Progmess is not a newsletter for finished thoughts. It is a place for ideas that are still forming, questions that do not resolve cleanly, and observations that feel slightly uncomfortable once you sit with them. We are not here to provide step by step instructions for life, leadership, or success. We are here to challenge assumptions that have quietly overstayed their...
READ POST

Issue #40: We’re Done for the Year

The Work in Progmess Team December 23, 2025 💌 From the Editor’s Desk Welcome back to Work In Progmess, the newsletter that believes in reflection, growth, and knowing when to stop typing. After careful consideration, multiple internal meetings, and one very honest look at the calendar, we’ve reached a conclusion. We’re done for the year. — The Mess 📰Headline Shocker 📰 WORK IN PROGMESS ANNOUNCES YEAR-END SHUTDOWN, CITES “NEED FOR REST” AND “ABSOLUTELY NOTHING LEFT IN THE TANK” Team plans to...
READ POST

Issue #39: Tuition Well Spent

The Work in Progmess Team December 16, 2025 💌 From the Editor’s Desk Welcome back to Work In Progmess, where we believe learning matters, but timing is everything. This week’s edition was inspired by a familiar scene. A college student returns home for winter break. Parents are proud. Tuition has been paid. The finish line is near. Then something unexpected happens. — The Mess 📰Headline Shocker 📰 COLLEGE SENIOR BUILDS APP OVER WINTER BREAK THAT TEACHES HIM EVERYTHING HIS DEGREE DID, PROMPTING...
READ POST

Issue #38: In Loving Memory of Expertise as the Differentiator

The Work in Progmess Team December 9, 2025 💌 From the Editor’s Desk Welcome back to Work In Progmess, where we process the modern world the only way we know how: with sarcasm, tenderness, and a light administrative panic. Last week, ChatGPT turned 3 years old. We are celebrating the birthday of the tool that has quietly rewritten homework, job applications, email etiquette, and the phrase “just Google it” into something much more alarming. And with that anniversary comes a reality check: the...
READ POST