Show Where You're Going, Not Just Where You've Been

You're updating your portfolio. You list past projects: three redesigns, two migrations, four features shipped. Solid work. But when leadership reviews candidates for the new architecture role, they pick someone else. They couldn't see where you're headed.

Now you rebuild it with trajectory. Same projects, but you add: "Currently building distributed systems expertise—reduced latency 40% across 3 services, studying event-driven architecture, targeting staff engineer roles in scalable infrastructure." Two senior engineers reach out. Your manager mentions you for the platform team.

The difference? You showed your direction, not just your history. Portfolios that show trajectory get 3x more meaningful conversations because they help people imagine your next role. AI can transform your project list into a trajectory narrative in minutes.

K. Anders Ericsson spent decades studying how experts develop. They don't just accumulate experience—they deliberately build specific skills. Your portfolio should show that intentional progression. AI surfaces the skill trajectory hiding in your projects.

Most portfolios are obituaries—they catalog what's dead and done. But hiring managers and mentors aren't archaeologists. They're investors looking for momentum.

Your trajectory is the through-line connecting your past work to your future impact. It's the pattern that shows you're not randomly completing tasks—you're deliberately building toward something specific.

When you make your direction visible, people can help you get there. They see the role you're growing into and think "I know someone" or "We need that" or "Let me introduce you." Trajectory turns your portfolio from a resume into a roadmap.

The best part? You already have the raw material. AI helps you find the pattern in your projects and articulate where that pattern is taking you.

Trajectory creates narrative gravity. When people see where you're going, they remember you differently. You're not "the person who did that project"—you're "the person becoming X."

This shifts every conversation. Instead of "nice work," you get "have you met Sarah in platform?" or "we're building a team for exactly that." People naturally want to help someone with clear direction.

Trajectory also gives you decision-making power. When you know where you're headed, you can evaluate opportunities by whether they advance your path. Not every project needs to fit—but the pattern should be visible.

AI excels at finding these patterns because it can see across all your work simultaneously and articulate the through-line you've been living but haven't named yet.