Managing your career for the next 50 years

How to Manage your Career Path for the next 50 years??

Managing Careers.

Almost every single person at any level of every firm is rethinking their career. We’ll all asking if am I doing what I am best at. Am I setting myself up for my ideal future??

Early Career.

A life of work is a decades-long adventure and it’s getting longer. In the future expect people to work until they are 80 or 90-not retire at 55 or 65. So it’s time to reexamine our careers in a longer time frame. Your career is now a marathon-not a sprint.?

During the early years, it is important to align with the long-term trends that can serve as a way for you to get started and get some traction. .?Being in the right industries or areas can help you be successful.?

Early in your career expect things to change and be difficult. This is the nature of cycles. Don’t give up and keep moving forward. Over time you’ll be able to figure it out and build on what you have.?

Finally, keep your eyes on the future and not focus on what other people are doing.??You are trying to improve and get better at your goal versus trying to stop others. Focus on improving yourself and improving your skills. Stop comparing yourself to others.?

Mid-career.

It is at this stage that you can use your skills to exponentially grow. You do this by finding the right guides and focusing on what serves you well. Find a great boss or mentor and start to focus on what you excel at and what gives you joy.

Do what you can to support a great boss. This enables you to grow and your boss may return the favor by bringing you along and increasing your momentum.

A decade or two into a career most people begin to understand what they are good at and what gives them joy. It is imperative that you focus on your key strengths and begin to partner with people who can address your weaknesses. Seek to learn new things, be collaborative but focus on building your expertise, competency, and skills so you can point to your accomplishments.?

Late Career.

Three decades or more into a career one still have a decade or two ahead. You need to be sure these decades are productive, impactful, and meaning-filled.

First, review your roadmap Has .the environment changed around you? Do you??need to transform your way of operating, and potentially re-invent yourself to align with a different direction?

Spend time to determine if it makes sense to take a different road or trajectory as you continue your career journey. Exits are as important as entrances. Every career in a company has a midnight hour, and the smart ones leave at five to twelve. Leaving before you crash and burn can extend and amplify one’s career and impact.

Preparing.

As one progresses in a career it is important to look ahead and try to prepare for what may come. The future is uncertain and you must adapt and align for what comes next. You do this by keeping up to date on industry trends and talking to others to be sure you understand the climate and the risks.

We know that trends such as globalization, demographic shifts, technology change, and climate change will impact the world of work. It will look very different a decade from now in significant ways.

a)?????Gigs:?Larger portions of the workforce will be gig workers/free agents even if we work for long periods of time in the same company. Cloud-based and AI/ML technologies allow companies to combine and re-aggregate talent and expertise while the same technologies enable people all over the world to access opportunities they did not have. This will be true for many well-paid professions from consulting to?entertainment to science -not just routine jobs. Be sure to build true competency and expertise so you stay “in demand”.?

b)????Technology enabled and measured:?Expect more of the world to become?technologically enabled. New jobs will require us to work in tandem with machines and technology. Consider getting comfortable with a “robot” partner who works with you to accomplish your goals. You should be building skills that computers can duplicate but need to create the solutions.?

c)?????Networked.??With the ability to use?AI, 5G, AR/VR, and Blockchain??the question of who owns which pieces of the work with evolve. New work will come from being networked into different types of teams and environments. To make the most of this continue to network outside of your areas of expertise so that when one opportunity closes another door opens.?

d)????Older and more diverse workforces: The world is aging fast (India, China, Japan, etc.), and people are living longer while the population is declining. For a variety of reasons from the economic need to delayed pensions to decades of healthy life after sixty, to the desperate need for employees. the workforce is going to grow older and as a result truly multi-generational with employees spanning nearly six decades! This will be in addition to continued diversity in ethnicity and gender.

Career decisions are usually made based on the criteria for compensation, power, and recognition. As we age our criteria change and we are framing our decisions based on impact, freedom to do things “our way” and personal growth.?

Will you have the freedom and flexibility you need to have personal satisfaction? Do your career and company re-enforce the story of your life and let you bring your whole self to work? Can you keep learning and growing as a person and professional? These will be the things that make people happy in the long run and these are the decisions you want to consider as you reach your mid-career and later.?The factors that fuel job satisfaction are much like those that make for a satisfying relationship: respect, shared values, communication, emotional connection, and a sense of purpose.

If you need help determining your longer-term career path, please reach out to me on LinkedIn. https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/darcybev/

Darcy Bevelacqua, CEO, SuccessWorksCX

Career Success for those 50+??