Well, that’s as useful a question as the paradigm “and they lived happily ever after…” Both imply that there is a one off event or decision that without any further attention or effort serves us beautifully and perfectly for the duration of our lives. If only …
Although logic tells most of us that’s not how the world operates, we can still fall into the trap of functioning as if it were. What then happens is that we can spend our lives with a sense of unease, that the answer is eluding us and we are spending all of our time and effort on the “wrong” thing.
By the time you have finished reading this sentence, another job title will likely have been invented. We can simply never know every possible option. What’s the alternative then?
Rather than getting hung up on the “right” answer, get clear on the components that you want to be present in your day to day work life, then find out what is available, and match them as best you can. This alignment has to be done on an ongoing basis, and by definition so does your own development.
Continuous development is the new job security.
The good news here is you have far more control and influence over your own development than you do over restructures and industry changes.
So, rather than see it as a scary and chaotic world where loyalty is seldom rewarded, many people start to see it as a place where they can be more autonomous, and feel like they are steering the ship rather than flotsam bobbing on the high seas.
A highly relevant cliché here is to focus on the journey rather than get hung up on the destination, enabling us to better focus on what we can influence and making it more likely we’ll find enjoyment or satisfaction along the way.
How to actively manage your career?
The foundation is to get clear on the components that you want and need to be present in your working life at any point in time. And there are the five key skills required for actively managing your career on an ongoing basis: curiosity, persistence, flexibility, optimism and risk taking (Mitchell, Levin & Krumboltz, 1999).
Then, like for most things in life, there is the need for continual check in and calibration.
CareerGrow.Coach can support you in this process: to get clear, to build career management skills, take action and check in regularly. Whether you are at a significant transition point or whether you are happily travelling along, CareerGrow.Coach will enable you to make the most of you and the time you spend at work.