The career kid

Last week, I gave a talk about how we can use our childhood skills in our career.

As children, we all have really valuable traits, but somewhere along the road we tend to unlearn them. ?We’re all creative, curious and inventors when we are little. But somehow we learn that those skills are not always welcome. Our parents want to keep us safe and keep the house clean, they provide us structure and teach us good manners. Once we enter school we are shaped to fit in the pre-defined box, we all learn the same things more or less.

After 20+ years, we enter the job market. Read a job description, do you see companies looking for “someone who knows the same as everybody else” or “someone who functions well inside the box”? No. Companies are looking for people who are creative, inventive, authentic, …

It is valuable to keep our inner child alive. Think about what made you happy as a kid. If you can’t remember, think about what your parents used to complain about. (My mom still tells the story about how I painted the walls in her living room). I was a creative child, and I lost it for a while because there was “more important” stuff to do. But by nurturing your inner child, you might develop your strongest skills. We need creative people, who have own quirky perception on things. We value inventors that are brave enough to do things differently. We can only be happy with explorers that see opportunities where other see roadblocks.

As children we also learn a lot. How to behave, how to be polite, kind, humble. All important skills of course, but be careful, being polite and humble doesn’t mean that you’re not allowed to speak up for yourself. Dare to express your ambitions and clearly state what you need to pursue your dreams.

Don’t be afraid to be demanding, you have every right to negotiate your worth.

I hope you’ll find a fun way to encourage your inner child and put it to great use in your career.?