How to Think about Careers in an Uncertain world
Reimagine Careers
How to Think about Careers in an Uncertain world
Career Ladders are a thing of past. You get a degree, get a good job, rise your way up in the Corporations through Promotions– This is the old model of Building Careers. We are seeing Career Shifts. Layoffs are common. There is rise in Soloprenuership. Portfolio Careers are in. Soloprenuership Renaissance is coming. Daniel Pink wrote about Free Agent Nation The Future of working for yourself 2 decades ago. In 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor and the Library of Congress selected Free Agent Nation as one of 100 Books That Shaped Work in America. Free Agents are the New Economic Icons. Its about Fulfilment, its about making an impact, Freedom from unfulfilling jobs, freedom from toxic workplaces, freedom from dead end Careers.
I can witness the shift as depicted in my own Career Journey.
Careers are like mosaic in new era. In network economy, what you know, matters less compared to who you know. If you know the right set of people, numerous opportunities come your way in different forms.
The world around us is changing at an exponential rate. There are new toolsets to master – Think AI. AI is disrupting the world around us. Even Mid Lifers are required to acquire New skillsets and require New Mindset upgrade. Being a LifeLong Learner is the only option to stay relevant in a fast changing world.
As a Leader, you are not expected to know all the answers, you need to be connected to right people who can find answers for you. In an uncertain nonlinear world, problems are complex . Solving problems require collaboration between experts for innovative solutions.
Career means different things to different people. It can be a new job, promotion, gig, salary hike, lateral move within your company, or starting up and building things from scratch in your Mid Life.
At Mid-Career , you seek out diverse experiences and exposure to different clients, business contexts , markets and work across varied cultures and geographies. How do you know it’s time to look for that second curve? You feel burned out. You don’t enjoy your work as much anymore.
Mid life is when You experience Joy of missing out instead of FOMO ( Fear of missing out).
Mid Life is when your friends get divorced. Mid Life is when your back pain hurts. Mid Life is when you start to take health seriously.
Mid-Life is when you hit a ceiling at work. You take a break because you have been driving your Career on top speed for last decades and now need some rest. Lucky are those who have mentors to guide them during Mid Life crisis. Mentors can bring in clarity, guidance, identifying your strengths and pointing to your blind spots at these pivotal moments.
I know many Mid Life Professionals who quit at the peak of their Careers to start something on their own. If you have been affected by Layoff, Congratulations. Its time to Start afresh and dream new beginnings. When you are ready to say Goodbye to old, Life rewards you with a new Hello. Second phase of your career is driven by Purpose – To give back to community, to make an impact, to have skin in the game, to hone your Craft, to be a Lifelong Learner. Any topic you want to learn is a click away. You can actually use ChatGPT as your Thought Partner and Learning buddy.
My own career choices have been dictated by Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. After working in Corporates for 2 decades, I became a Solopreneur and started Building HRGurukul – A Community for Informal and Social Learning. I now take on clients for Employer Brand Consulting (something which I have done in past at IBM) and Coach / Mentor Professionals – something which adds meaning to my Life.
In seond innings of my Career, As an Executive Coach, I've had the privilege of connecting with diverse individuals and professionals each bringing unique perspectives and challenges to the table. These interactions have not only allowed me to offer guidance but have also enriched me, made me more humble.
The second half of your life could be better than the first. Develop a personal board of advisors . They can be your boss, friends, colleagues, mentor you seek advice from. Quoting Arthur Brooks – “Letting go of past glory can open the possibilities of life's second curve. You can find success, happiness and deep purpose in the second half of your Life . Look at everyone you admire who is, in the traditional sense, successful. They’ve had several years of slog. The slog years are rarely advertised, and certainly not glamourised. “
It’s estimated that Gen Z will have five different careers over their lifetime.
Each person’s second career curve will look different; challenging how one thinks about Careers is critical to seizing it. What may work for someone, may not work for you. Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans. Certainly, Life doesn’t hand us a cheat code. Everyone is making it up as you go along. Second Careers may bring pause, reflection, moments of slow growth unlike speed and busyness in the previous avatar. In retrospect, years spent what you now consider as “languishing” will strike as most significant. When you connect the dots, all odds jobs you did during initial phases of your career, makes sense. We live in exciting times. Where Imagination is more important than Knowledge. Where you can’t solve the problems with the same level of thinking that created it.
So trust you gut instinct and go all in during second phase of your Career – whatever that means for you ! If you need a Coach by your side , remember I am rooting for you. You can book an appointment with me through Whatsapp at 9971722396.
References –
1. Want to Advance in Your Career? Build Your Own Board of Directors.
2. When Working Harder Doesn’t Work, Time to Reinvent Your Career | Working Knowledge
3. Ex-IPS officer reveals 8 striking career shifts he's explored, hopes for 8-10 more
4. About Daniel Pink | Daniel H. Pink
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So much good advice here Ruchi - a 'personal board of advisors' sounds a great idea, including ChatGPT of course!