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Take Charge Of Your Future
30 April 2014
That the business world will get increasingly complex and demanding is a given. That technology advancement and its impact on our daily life is similarly something that very likely will not go away, is another. Disappearing jobs is one of the end-result of these challenges.
We tend to operate and think within a framework. We are a logical, orderly and fairly predictable people. Whilst this approach has served us well over the past 50 years, I believe it is time now to refresh, apply some creativity and consider alternative approaches to earning a living. As a rule, rather than as an exception. Here’s three key points as food for thought.
Changing mindsets –we have been operating in a one-person-one-job career mode. We have to change our mindset and begin thinking of a career that is made up of more than one set of things, one job. But then, it might not be practical for many of us as we are already fully stretched with doing just one full-time job, and there is the parenting and minding the elderly duties as well. Yes, that is right. But this should not prevent us from thinking about, and planning for our future. We have 24 hours a day. We do not have a choice of having more, but we do have the power to decide how we want to use those hours. Insuring our employability and the ability to continue to earn an income to take care of our living needs is surely important enough for us to allocate time to?
Establishing a Plan B – so long as we are a salaried worker, there will always be a shelf life/expiry date –a time when employers do not see us as attractive enough to offer a job, when we become un-employable. This typically happens when we are in our 50’s. Increasingly, we will see expiry dates being brought forward not voluntarily, but by our employers. So, having a Plan B when that happens is essential – or better still, before that happens. What can you do to continue having an income when your experience and skills set are no longer required? Working under the assumption that everyone wants to do something that is aligned to their interests would be a good space to begin thinking about your Plan B.
Portfolio Career – having a portfolio career is one option to consider as a Plan B. As the name suggests, it will consists of a portfolio of things that you do, mostly driven by your interests. You will be self-employed and your ability to continue to earn an income will no longer be dependent on your company, nor your boss. You will be in-charge, and be able to have the power to earn an income for as long as you want. This is important, not just from the perspective of earning your keeps, but keeping the mind active. With better health care, we tend to have longer life spans, and thus the need to continue to maintain mental and emotional health becomes one of our key priorities.
Importantly, a portfolio career also allows you to discover your hidden potential – which I strongly believe every one of us has. We only have one life – wouldn’t it be such a waste if our potential remains un-discovered?
To remain relevant to society, we need to constantly re-invent ourselves. This has become a necessity, not a choice. Worrying about disappearing jobs gives us something to do, but it gets us absolutely nowhere. The worst thing I can think of as one ages is to be of absolutely no use to anyone – this thought really frightens the hell out of me.
Paul Heng
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