How to Future Proof Your Career

A combination of five forces is driving this reconfiguring of the workforceAging In the United States 10000 people turn 65 every day and many of this group continue to work because they need to so as to make ends meet or want to for reasons of identity community purpose andor growth but cannot or do not want to work full time for a company Many firms which are finding it difficult to access certain skills and experience are now becoming far more flexible in their approaches to retaining their seasoned workforce on a parttime basisNew Mindsets 76 percent of GenZ want to work for themselves and 66 of GenZ who hold a fulltime job also have a sidegig or sidehustle In addition COVID19 has many people reframing the question of quothow life could fit into workquot with quothow does work fit into lifequotRemoteHybrid Work RemoteHybrid work provides the flexibility to work anywhere for anybody which can enhance opportunities to get work while moving to locations that cost less which allows for more career optionsThe Technology Powered GigEconomy New marketplaces from Fiverr and UpWork to find talent and work AWS and OpenAI to access technology Etsy and Shopify to sell and connect to marketplaces TikTok and Meta to connect and brand combined with companies need to remain agile is driving more talent and firms to a plug and play workplaceAI and Web 3 While AI may not lead to fewer jobs it is going to change the nature of most if not all jobs and the halflife of skills are going to decay considerably faster Web3 while out of favor will eventually enable more ownership and equity for individuals Most importantly many of these technologies are now providing supercomputing power to everybody who cares to learn allowing individuals to get all the benefits of scaled companies Otterai allows you to have an AI assistant to take notes and write meeting summaries SideKick and Magic from Shopify provides entrepreneurs with an army of digital helpers which allow for scaling without adding staffWhether it is finding work postretirement working a sidehustle or passion project to make ends meet or build an expertise or create an offramp or filling the gaps between fulltime employment at firms which are often triggerhappy in adding and removing talent from their payrolls the smart professional prepares to beamp160a company of oneBut even if you do not fit any of these categories be aware that companies are creating internal marketplaces where opportunities can be identified and applied for and teams of experts can form and dissolve around projectsAs a result for an individual to thrive in a company they will need to learn how to operate as a company of one The combined power of the Avengers is because each of the Avengers is powerful on their own and not just because they learn to work as oneThink of yourself as a better paid Uber driver with benefits if you work for a companyIf your expertise is needed at that time or in a particular market and location and your collaboration and ability to work in teams is highly rated you will be in demand If not as companies manage and monitor costs and increasingly find ways to plug into resources all the time everywhere you will find yourself parked permanentlyOr consider the Hollywood model where expertise comes together on TV or movie projects and then the people disband and move on Very few people work at a studio Most people work in teams where they bring their skill whether it be casting directing catering or makeup etc The future of business will be similar as companies begin reaggregating expertise around projects versus having hordes of generalists or people hanging around for a project McKinsey and Bain have done this for yearsI am not suggesting that everyone will be a freelancer going from gig to gig but if you build your career with the mindset of continually honing expertise working well with other people in teams and being flexible you will succeed in your company of tens of thousands versus thinking of yourself as a cog in a big machine waiting for someone to care for or build your careerIn fact I strongly encourage people to stay if they can at their firms as long as they are growing or can find opportunities to grow Make no mistake there are huge advantages to working amidst people you can learn from with the infrastructure that these firms have and their reputations that create a glow and aura around each talented individual and growing because of access to amazing clients big challenges and amazing leaders and mentorsBut to succeed over the long run in a firm you need to maximize your options If you have options it means you are market competitive and it allows you to tolerate a lot of drama and daytoday nonsense at your current firm because you care about the firm and you know you have options Because you have options you have skills that are valuable to your firm People stay a long time in firms where they are growing and building skills and they never feel trappedYou stay because you can goTo thrive in a company today regardless of its size one must be responsible for oneamp8217s own career and ensure one is remaining relevant and not living on the fumes of past successes or believing that change will come slowlyBecoming a Company of One1 Read A Company of One by Paul Jarvis He asks us to consider if the real key to a richer and more fulfilling career is to be able to work for oneself determine oneamp8217s own hours and become a highly profitable and sustainable quotcompany of onequot It is critical like never before to identify opportunities that combine your skills and the market To thrive means to quotflourish by doing what one is best at for which there is a marketquot Do not wait to find this later when you are out of work or under pressure but do so now Finding what you flourish at allows you to further your career at your existing company Again operating with a quotcompany of onequot mindset does not mean you need to work in a company of one but it is a mindset that ensures you are honing skills and have options which allow you to stay in your firm2 Architect hone and sculpt your key superpowers The true power of any organization is a combination of the power of the talent to work as one but also that each person has superpowers and is very talented in some niche expertise or craft Again the Avengers are successful not just because they work together but because each one of them whether it be Captain America or Iron Man have their own unique powers They have powers of quotonequotCareer Turbochargingamp160is a piece that helps you identify your superpowers3 Build out your online and digital presence Your resume is not what is on your hard drive or LinkedIn It is increasingly your digital presence particularly the first page that people see on Google when they search for you or the answer to a prompt quotwho is Xquot on GPT4 Bing Bard or ClaudeGo search for yourself but do not look just at the search results Click the news tab the image tab and the video tab and recognize that this is the first impression that will be made and also this is what the AI engines will ingest Ask a chat bot about yourself This is quotyouquot as the future becomes more distributed and digital Try searching for your colleagues and competitors on search and chatbots and you will be surprised at how your perceptions of a person can changeTo help create a better presence think of being active on two or three platforms like X Twitter Threads Instagram TikTok and LinkedIn develop a website using Square Space or some other service consider writing a blog on some passion or hobby or even start a newsletter4 Invest deeply in relationships including the firm you work at In a connected age it is critical that you have as many allies and people who will vouch for you and serve both as leads and referencesTry to stay as long as you can at a firm working to fix issues with jobs and people there vs giving up or leaving Do not believe the grass is greener on the other side because you will find that it is often because it is fertilized with bullshitIf you do leave do not burn bridges because everyone will check with the places you worked at or the people who worked there especially if you decide to become a company of one Elegant exits are as critical as energetic entrancesThink long term Help as many people as you can as often as you cannot it may help you and you will feel great doing so Even if you spend your entire life working at a large company as most people do keep thinking of yourself as just yourself without your title the budgets and the armies of supplicants or staff Many people confuse their title with themselves and are shocked to find the hard way that it was the title and not them that people were genuflecting to5 Invest in learning The day a human being and a professional stops learning is the day they stop growing and career decay sets in Anybody who does not spend a few hours a week learning is falling behind todayHere are my learnings on how to learn everything I have learned about learningPosted at MediaVillage through the Thought Leadership selfpublishing platformClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillageorgMyersBizNet

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How to Future Proof Your Career

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Rishad Tobaccowala

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How to Future Proof Your Career

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