Shifting Gears Part 5: Future-Proofing Your Career

New World: New Day

Future-proofing your career

With a lot of downtime happening at the moment now is a perfect time to start assessing your current career, thinking about a new career move or possibly up-skilling through further education. The world is changing very fast in so many ways, especially through the way we conduct our business with the use of new technological platforms. The current crisis has really hit home how important it is to be able to work remotely as people have to work from home. People from around the globe will need to re-assess what they’re currently doing (or not doing) and learn how to adapt to a world that is shifting the work goalposts at any given moment. It may be difficult to predict what careers will give you a sense of security for the future but it will involve everyone taking stock of what they currently have to offer and sharing these skills and knowledge to not only enhance and enrich their own lives but also the lives of others.

What has most clearly arisen from the global situation are sure signals of ways people will be able to future-proof their careers. Here are some general ways to start thinking about how you could sustain your career over a long period of time.

Firstly, thinking and working globally may be an essential skill to have – getting to know diverse cultures, learning new languages and taking up projects that require global exposure. No other event in history has demonstrated this more importantly. A good example is Boston Scientific’s support of a project to design and build multiple ventilators for the Covid-19 crisis. There is a shortage of ventilators around the world and the company, with the assistance of engineers, is taking up the challenge to provide the equipment as rapidly as possible – a truly global effort to assist.

Secondly, creativity. A lot of talk has been around the threat of A.I (artificial intelligence) to many jobs in the near future but not even a computer can copy human creativity so jobs with some degree of creativity would be most useful.

Thirdly, compassion. What we have seen from the crisis is the rise in the level of empathy and compassion from many sectors of society – nurses, doctors, police – but the message bubbling to the surface is that these types of qualities will be needed and expected from all sectors of business and society. They will be endlessly appreciated and ultimately rewarded in so many ways. As seen with Medtronic and Boston Scientific supplying much needed ventilators to the world market, companies and their personnel with their generosity of spirit are coming to the fore with compassion to help their fellow humans.

One of the positive aspects of the crisis is giving nature a break! It’s also got people thinking about not only how they can work in the future but where. Is it necessary to work in the big cities with more remote ways of working at our fingertips? Will the future involve occasional commutes to the cities for meetings while we do the bulk of our work from smaller centres or the countryside? The ramifications for helping the climate could be huge with the way we change our working habits but when you think about it, it’s also future-proofing the longevity of our working lives through better health, better use of our time and less stress.

Future-proofing your career may no longer be what’s in it for you but what’s in it for everybody. A more holistic view of your career maybe what’s needed for a secure future.

We’d like to know more about the journey you’re looking to take in your career. Our team are always looking for great talent, talk to us.