Going to college. Get a degree and a job. Work and retire. Many would say that there is no linear career, well, at least not anymore. Whereas in the past employees stayed with a single company for years and waited patiently for their promotion and pay raise, today this is no longer the case. Now, most young employees are more likely to experiment in their career, moving from job to job based on experience and increasing their expertise in a wide range of disciplines.
Doing this is certainly challenging and risky, but at the same time really rewarding. It equips you with comprehensive work experience and a unique combination of skills that enable you to advance your professional practice and manage your career more effectively.
This has become the new trend in the labor market since the economic crisis broke out. Peter Capelli, a professor of management at the Wharton School, said that “what we see now are more ‘jerky’ careers. People stay in their jobs during the recession a little longer than usual, and then when they move, not necessarily move in a predictable way. ” Since jobs are no longer stable enough to guarantee a stable income and a good quality of life, you should be able to explore and evaluate alternative options rather than relying on a “job for life.”
Other professionals also claim that a “meandering” career appears to be more appropriate for today’s younger workforce. In fact, in his book, Ctlr Alt Delete, Digital Marketer, Mitch Joel says that to be successful you need to be willing to embrace change by adapting to challenges and opportunities as a businessman. This means that you must become more self-reliant and learn to use planned chance effectively.
The only certainty is that success is not linear, and this is evident in the business world. Very few people know exactly what they want to do as a teenager, and this is no different for many of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs. If you look at Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, they both dropped out of school to pursue their passion virtually blindly, throwing away the traditional trajectory of their academic career. All they had at the time was an idea that could only help them land their first job, or start-up. After that, his path to success and wealth was bumpy, a series of failures and disappointments.
But along the way, this is how you learn. These experiences make you the person you aspire to be and force you to make adjustments to help you fulfill your career aspirations. In this sense, going against the current is no guarantee of success and, although it seems risky, it is worth a try. It will help you find what your professional self is made of, embrace its strange quirks, and advance you to the top.
So strive to make a difference by not following a linear career path. Be open to changes to bring evolution, challenge yourself and be willing to change your career to a completely different one if necessary. As long as you have a strong network of contacts and transferable skills; skills that you can apply to a variety of professions and situations, you too can lead a successful non-traditional career.
Remember that your career path will be unpredictable, but this is a good thing. Life has its own twists and turns, making it impossible for you to anticipate and prepare accordingly. However, the only thing you can do is make the most of what life has to offer in any situation. Your ability to identify opportunities that match your passion will help you move forward in pursuing what you want out of your career.
