Worried about what the future holds for your career? You are not the only one who keeps thinking about what scenario will arise in the future that will make a resounding impact on your career. Being in an industry where skills need to be upgraded very often, I have learned that the most important thing is for a professional to make his/her career future-proof.
So what exactly it means when we talk about future proofing one’s career? When we say about a future-proof it means that a professional shows the same amount employability that is being shown now. You can never really predict the future, but we can always be prepared for any risks that our career field may surprise us with. With the growing amount of highly skilled professionals in every field, the amount of competition nearly doubles every few years. And if we do not make ourselves relevant to the situation, it might well be the dead end for our growth.
This article will provide you with some of the strategies that will help you to maintain your skills set up to the level of the present demand. This should not be taken as a guideline but more of an informational piece that will present you with an idea how to future-proof your career with the changing needs.
Survival of the Fittest
No, I would not like to drag you into some critical evolution theory; but it is something to think of. Competition is a ubiquitous phenomenon; yeah, I would like to call it as a phenomenon because even though we can observe it properly it poses a difficult question of its profound effect on the human mind. Competition is what drives man to create enemies out of friends. And competition in career is no different. You have to make your skills fit perfectly with the growing demands of the industry to survive. Apart from skills, increase your competencies in cross-functional platforms.
Be the master of one and not a jack of all trades
As mentioned earlier, cross-functional competencies give you an advantageous edge over others, but that does not mean that you sacrifice your core skills to gather other skills. Being a jack of all trades will not make your employability become higher as every profile requires the professional to be an expert in the same. You cannot and should not juggle all skills at the same time, as it is not a requirement each time, every time. Make yourself formidable at one task. Become the Yoda in your field of work.
Start with a learning career than an earning career
If you are very early in your career, it is highly advisable that you start it with a company that gives you ample opportunities to learn more in your field work. Learning the skills that will give your career a boost in the future is more priceless than your pay package. So instead of counting the greens, count the skills that you might get to learn with a good company.
Spread your web of relationships
As far as relationships are concerned in the professional sphere, you may think of it more as a luxury than a necessary as it is hard to maintain and difficult to create with the time constraint your job has to offer. Now, it is the time to chuck that though out of your mind and make some serious network of like professionals. This is going to help you to get valuable insights into the industry scenario and provide career opportunities in the future.
It’s time to accept technology makes things easier
If you are from a technical background, this point will not make any difference to you. But, for someone who is not they might wonder what the benefit of embracing technology is. I have always found people from non-technical background give the same reason when using a tech tool – ‘my job is this not that’. It is time to accept that technology is touching everyone and is making things easier. It is high time to accept it as in the future it will be a priority professional requirement to have knowledge about some important tools.
Whenever you face with a career related existential dilemma, think of the gaps that are present in your career and try to analyse the situation. Then, create a clear career path and move forward with it; jobs are temporary but a career should be based on a solid foundation.
