“The map is not the territory” when applied to work means; Map : Territory :: Resume : Career It’s important to not forget that you’re navigating the territory, not the map. Resume demands brands, titles, and other tokens with high legibility. Career demands skills, capabilities, and the ability to deliver results despite all challenges; nearly all intangible. People with strong maps i.e. titles, fancy degrees or famous companies run the risk of optimising for the next map artifact, i.e. the next title, fancy company, degree, etc. and losing sight of the territory (doing good work and having fun while doing it) People good on the territory i.e. solid skills, run the risk of forgetting that people nonetheless judge you by your map, they can’t see your territory!