Looking for mentorees ready to embark on their next career mission

I have a theory tested over 26 years of delivering contemporary work-based qualifications to grown-ups.?

These are the type of grown-ups who grew up being told they would be live long and prosper if they had a house, a car and a job for life. The same adults who in childhood showed off their latest addition to their family set of the Encyclopedia Britannica. The type of grown-ups who were given coloured rods to learn the principles of mathematics and who took cursive writing lessons so that they could write beautiful letters, take notes and take up careers in any number of jobs including travel agent, bank teller, journalist, and secretary to shopkeeper.

It would be fair to say no one in my early school years ever imagined they would live and work in this world—a world where information is abundant, communication has shrunk to instant gratification 7-second videos, and where generative AI can do almost anything short of making the morning coffee.?

Shift happens. Literally.?

This shift is a great divider, opening the workforce into those who adapt and blocking those who falter. It's the tectonic movement that pulls the rug out from seemingly stable careers, leaving seasoned professionals staring at job listings that require skills and knowledge that might come from a sci-fi novel.

Take, for instance, a friend of mine—a seasoned Marketing Manager who recently found himself leaving his role through a restructure. He now faces a job market that demands not just marketing savvy but proven experience in AI, machine learning, and skills juggling the nuanced dance of working with technical teams, product teams and C-suite executives. The lexicon of his profession has expanded, and he finds himself staring down the barrel of skill obsolescence.

What we, as working professionals, prioritise, grasp, or learn will sculpt our future. There's no standby button, no option to defer and no roles hanging at the sideline. This is the stark reality of our times, where the choices we make today define our tomorrow.

I find myself increasingly perturbed by the number of professionals who view continuous learning as an optional accessory rather than an indispensable tool for future-proofing their careers. As we peer into the near future, we see a landscape where employees, managers, and leaders will increasingly be called upon to navigate uncharted waters and make informed decisions about the unfamiliar.

Reflecting on my own educational journey, I realise the dividends paid by my school home economics classes, which equipped me to navigate adulthood and parenthood with a semblance of grace. The metal work classes? Not so much. Yet, the question looms large: How many of the skills that propelled you to your current profession will be your ticket to the next?

We've circled back to an employer's market, where the scales have tipped once again. Job loss, a spectre that fills headlines, now serves as clickbait in the digital coliseum where traditional journalism battles for survival.

Before you peg me as a harbinger of doom, let me pivot to my proposition—a personal commitment to catalyse change. If you've journeyed with me through this narrative without succumbing to despair, I offer you a beacon of support.

I pledge to give eight hours of mentorship to each new applicant in academyEX's part-time Master of Technological Futures program starting this July. My expertise will be provided at no cost as I work with you to navigate your learning and career development journey. In exchange, I ask for your openness, curiosity, and commitment to learning.

This is not just an offer; it's my commitment to transform your future in ways you've yet to envision. To embark on this journey, simply enrol and commence your learning in the Master's program Master of Technological Futures. Once you have been accepted, my collaboration with you will begin. This commitment is the embodiment of my dream, a dream that took shape as I transitioned from CEO to Founder of AcademyEX, with a renewed mission to connect, inspire, and empower.

I eagerly anticipate our first meeting. It promises to be the genesis of the new beginning.