Forging a better career path for future

Industries, organisational structures and jobs have changed. Industry boundaries don’t exist, which means anyone can be your competitor the day after. Organisation structures are fluid, hence the dependence on a boss or bosses is unwise. Jobs are different with a lot more technology needing you to upskill constantly.

Managing a career for the day after requires you to think differently. Here are some points to consider.

Hop, skip and jump

A career will no longer be a high jump where you joined one company and were asked how high you could go. A day after tomorrow career will be a hop, skip and jump, where you move companies and industries depending on your skill set. A high jump context required the management of bosses and patience to get the next move. In the high jump model, you left your career management to the HR team, the company, and the boss. A hop, skip and jump require you to know which jobs are opening around you, what skills are needed for the day after etc. In the hop, skip and jump model, you are the owner and no one else.

Transactions, not relationships

The contract between a company and an employee has become more transactional and less relationship at every level in the organisation, but more so at junior levels. The promise of the legacy organisation—coaching, developing etc. is absent in most companies.

Companies need to pay well and have stretch jobs for employees. If they don’t, then we will see moonlighting become the norm in industries where it is possible. In headcount-heavy industries, the pressure to reduce headcount and increase margins is a daily equation. A decade ago, employees were happy to be part of a large family and took part in company family activities today few millennials want to mix family and work.

Be good at what you do

Money is a hygiene factor. One needs to be paid fairly for one’s talent and to build assets for the future. One should not be greedy about it. Don’t get carried away by greed on the basis of the media stories of monied people. Those stories apply to a minuscule percentage of professionals in India. The average person needs to work hard, you need to deliver results. If you are good, money will follow you. If you have money, you might get media coverage but it need not necessarily be good.

Being good at your profession requires you to learn and more importantly, have a teachable point of view. You cannot lead the day after if you do not have it. So, be a lifelong learner, but also be a lifelong teacher, that way you will inspire people and build a legacy. If you are a good teacher, you will be a good coach. You will be in demand and you will not be insecure at work.

Keep a broad view

Don’t define yourself by industry or type of company. Today you have an option between government organisations, multinational companies, Indian companies, start-ups, non-governmental organisations, venture capitals and other types of firms. A day-after-tomorrow career is boundaryless. Your career and skills are fungible across more companies and industries than you can imagine. So, keep a broad view. A key to fungibility is digital fluency. Opportunities will only multiply for the talented. It is likely that you will do a series of paid and unpaid jobs in your career. So, define what you would do as gratis, and for whom you would do it.

Having your own team

Career management for the day after needs you to have your own set of advisors, career counsellors and mentors. Having your own team to lean on for input and to clarify your own mind will be good. These can be colleagues, professors, ex-bosses etc. A challenge today is mental health and stress from work. There will be people around you at work who will try and make you insecure even if you are good. So, watch out for that. As a rule, avoid cynics even when you are in a corner since optimism and hope always wins, not despair and running down people.

All career management involves risk. There is nothing called a safe option for tomorrow. Safe options might not help you realise your potential. So, every move you make needs risk judgement. My input for you would be to ask yourself:

Will I learn in the new job, will my learning curve be steep?

Are there good colleagues to work with?

Does the company have a good reputation for building people?

Is the company fair and welcoming of newcomers?

Moonlighting is a hot topic. If you have a contract with the company, then don’t moonlight. If your company allows moonlighting, then full disclosure from you is expected. However, never lose sight that your primary job is the reason for success in your career. Don’t ever short-charge your basic job.

A career is a marathon and not a sprint. So, pace yourself, stay in good health, physically and mentally and look ahead every day.