The new year marks a time of hope for many people. It’s a time to look for positive change in numerous aspects of life. For your career, the future may be full of possibilities. And considering just how much the job market changes, your next step might be something that a few years back seemed entirely impossible.
Think about how much has changed in the job market landscape over the past 10 years. In just a decade, numerous jobs have emerged that didn’t exist for previous generations. Much attributed to technological advances, the job market continues to evolve at a faster pace with each passing year.
Want some examples? Consider that 2007 brought the iPhone, and Android arrived shortly after. Now in a world where smartphones are so common, app developers are in high demand, as well as other tech gurus. The same goes with social media managers and cloud computing experts.
Uber drivers are another example of a job that didn’t exist a few years ago, although some experts predict this job will be eliminated in the next 10 years as driverless cars take over the roads. This in turn will require new jobs whose responsibilities we can only hypothesize about now. In fact, children in school today will likely work jobs that haven’t yet materialized. The World Economic Forum notes 65 percent of children entering primary school today will ultimately work in completely new job types that aren’t on our radar yet.
So what does this mean to today’s professional? It’s time to embrace change and use the present as an opportunity to better yourself so you can positively impact your future.
Whether you love or loathe New Year’s resolutions, 2020 should be a time to learn something new.
Maybe it’s improving specific job skills. Maybe it’s focusing on soft skills, like leadership or creative thinking. Still yet, maybe it’s something totally outside your area of expertise. One smart idea: Work with a career coach to achieve a laser-sharp focus on the possibilities of the future.
No matter what, use today as the time you sharpen your edge and expand your knowledge. The future is changing at a lightning-fast pace. Are you agile enough to change with it?
