The finish line is approaching---What happens next?
Josh Byer, MBA, PMP?, DTM
Program Manager | Client Relations | Cross-Functional Collaboration | Consulting | Strategic Leadership
The ever-shifting nature of goals and the importance of adaptability: The experience of marathon running to broader life experiences, particularly those of students and professionals facing transitions.
Today is Tuesday, April 16, 2024. A marathon race has ended...or is it just the beginning? You see, over 30,000 runners from around the world completed the 2024 Boston Marathon yesterday. After working their whole lives for this moment, long-distance runners from around the world descended upon the streets of Boston, Massachusetts to test their skills against the clock and each other.
The Boston Marathon is unique in that not "just everyone" can run it. In fact, the overwhelming majority of runners must qualify in order to compete in it, by meeting a qualifying time in a prior race. The "best of the best" come to Boston each year from around the world to showcase their talents and compete against the clock. Some compete against others, but except for those at the very top, the goal each year is to go a little farther, to run just a little faster, to do "better" each year and score a new "personal best" finish time.
Here's a little secret: As runners compete, over and over and over each year... the finish line moves! Not literally, but we all get older, priorities change, and somebody always tries (it seems) to "yank" the finish line out from under us or move it further than we thought it was before. That's OK! This is how we as people grow, and learn, and develop to become a new version of ourselves each day with the skills and talents of the past but living in the present with hope for a new day tomorrow. What we thought was our "personal goal" yesterday, changes over time. We see new visions of tomorrow, and become a better version of ourselves to meet new challenges and to THRIVE.
How does this apply to me? The job market and completing a degree program is the same way. Many students, in undergraduate and graduate programs, are entering this time of year "in transition". Winter is over, spring is here, and summer will soon be upon us. Students at top colleges and university programs gain new skills and knowledge to successfully enter the world of work as new graduates. The finish line is near... or is it?
In 2024, the finish line is constantly moving further and further away. We can see it in the distance, but the world is changing every day at breakneck speed. Even if we "graduate", a new set of skills develop and talents need to be different tomorrow to meet the challenges of the world of work. It is said that once every three years the criteria and success factors for each role and position will have changed so much that new criteria and new performance indicators must be written to accurately describe the success factors one must meet.
领英推荐
What's your finish line? And what does that mean for the journey?
As the mind expands and learns new skills, new questions pop up! Have you ever entered a program or class at school with the best of intentions to complete, only to discover a new set of problems (or solutions!)? MANY students begin a degree program thinking "one day I will be a ____" only to discover they like a DIFFERENT subject even more.
Every day, as we learn, and grow, we discover new ideas that make us think DIFFERENTLY and we meet the world with new potential. New jobs are created, and each new role takes a different set of tools and skills to meet the needs of that job. The finish line is constantly moving. But it's not all bad. In fact, it can be pretty fun! So, how do we as learners approach the world of work, even if we will soon leave the "hallowed halls" of a learning institution and move into new roles, new careers, new opportunities in the world of work?
1). Pay it forward---Make the world a better place for those around you.
2). Never stop learning---Continue the story! Read books, go to the library, be a speaker, volunteer, get a new certification, brush up on old skills, teach a skill to someone else. Network!
3). "Never give up... never, ever, ever give up." - Winston Churchill
What's next? Keep the momentum with an open mind and seize the opportunity!
Josh Byer is a project and program manager with experience leading teams of 1-20 members in the healthcare space. He is currently completing his MBA at The University of Hartford and is excited for the next opportunity in the world of work.