I’ve recently re-read The 100 year life, by Lynda Gratton & Andrew Scott. It talks about the impacts on life span due to the advances in technology and science. Our average expected life span has been increasing by 2 years every decade since 1840.
“if a child born in 2007 has a 50% life probability of living to 104, a child born a decade earlier, 1997 would have a 50% chance of reaching 101 or 102” Gratton & Scott
That’s great news... if you enjoy what you are doing for the next 80+ years!
How can you take control, know what makes you spark, confidently review your career growth and be able to plan your career journey so that you can enjoy your extended life span?
Donald Super, career development theorist wrote about Career Development Theory, this identified the 5 key Life stages below:
Growth ( birth to teens)
Exploration ( teens to 20’s) a time to explore and set on a career path
Establishment ( 20-40’s ) gaining work experiences
Maintenance (40-60’s) stretch in role
Decline (60-retirement) getting ready to retire
However, with the exciting prospect of reaching a ripe old age of 104! It’s clear that this theory needs to be reconsidered.
Careers by definition relates to every role that you’ve held throughout your life and as single ‘careers or professions’ for life are no longer a viable nor a sought after option, the ‘now of work’ is about being proactive to face the constant change and disruption, as we can expect that technology will continue to evolve at pace and the working preferences of millennials is more around work/life blend.
Most Organisations are looking for transferable skill sets, adaptability, learning curiosity, growth, collaboration and determination/grit.
Which means the new stages should look more like this:
Growth ( birth to teens)
Experimentation ( teens to 20’s) a time to experience lots of different industries and roles
Skill set development (20’s to 30’s) realise your strengths and interests
Challenge (30’s to 70+) stretch, up skilling and disruption of roles. This could include multiple changes in careers
Life style selection (70+) make choices around the types of role and service you want to continue to provide
So what can you do to take back control, know what makes you spark, show your value to businesses and enjoy your extended career?
Don’t wait until you’re forced into change and only then reflect on what you like and how you add value. Be proactive and book an Annual / bi-annual check in for yourself to realise your worth
Consider what roles/projects you’ve thrived on throughout your roles?
Identify what you like/dislike about what you do and where you are?
List your Achievements and learnings
What new Transferable skills have you gained
Imagine the future, think about what you really want to do, and where your industry and profession is heading. What does it look like, and what would it take for you to get there?
Know where your knowledge gaps are and be creative with your learning/development solutions
Consider how your skills link to Job clusters below to see how you can leverage these if you want to change direction
The seven job clusters include:
1. The Generators: Occupations that require a high level of interpersonal interaction, such as those you find in retail, sales, hospitality and entertainment.
2. The Artisans: Manual tasks related to construction, production, maintenance or technical customer service.
3. The Carers: This cluster seeks to improve the mental or physical health and wellbeing of others, and includes medical, care and personal support services.
4. The Informers: The ‘behind-the-scenes’ types, this cluster involves administration, and the process or service tasks coordinators.
5. The Coordinators: They deploy skills and knowledge of science, mathematics and design to construct or engineer products.
6. The Designers: Professionals who provide information, education or business services.
7. The Technologists: Skilled workers with an understanding of and ability to manipulate digital technology.
Yay, life’s now longer! Book a date with yourself, your manager or a career coach to reflect and take back control