Taylor Swift, the Eras Tour and Careers

How can the Eras Tour help us to reframe the way in which we think about our career?

I first came across Taylor Swift when I moved to Canada and lived in a shoebox of an apartment where I had access to just two TV channels, namely the weather channel and country music channel. This was also a time before streaming, when people watched live TV, listened to music on CD’s, watched boxsets on DVD’s and (according to my daughter) dinosaurs still roamed the earth. As an early adopter of the ‘Swiftie’ movement, I remember it was around this time that Taylor was just launching her career as a country music star and won her first Country Music Award (thank you country music channel).

At that point in time, I am guessing that Taylor did not expect that within the next 15 years she would diversify into pop music, have her career so affected by Kanye West, have the rights to her music taken away, have an Eras tour with an economic impact greater than 50 countries or become the unofficial queen of the 2024 Super Bowl.

Like the rest of us, Taylor’s career has been organic. It has had twists and turns and hasn’t been clearly defined or mapped out. It has already gone through various ‘eras’. This is despite having managers, agents and a lot of people undoubtedly providing a lot of direction. Taylor named her tour 'Eras' to reflect the numerous changes experienced during her career.

Personally, my ‘Eras Tour’ has so far included an early twenties era that can be defined as my ‘exploring genre’. I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do after Uni. I just knew I wasn’t ready to return to my hometown. So, I chatted to a lot of people about the fact that I needed a job, followed opportunities that came my way and took a chance on my curiosities. In my late twenties I moved into ‘the climb’ phase of my tour and grafted hard to build a future that included a home of my own and a feeling of job stability. This involved coming out of my comfort zone, being vulnerable and taking a lot of risks. In my early thirties I entered ‘the juggle’ era. Becoming a Mum, being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and being the primary earner in my house brought pressures that I was unprepared for.

Like Taylor, I don’t know what my next career era will bring or how I will eventually come to define it. I have ideas and ambitions, but these will be influenced by life both inside and outside of work. Thinking of careers in era’s can be freeing and can help us to move beyond the idea that we all must have a clear career roadmap for the rest of our working lives. Careers are messy and they can at times feel scary. But we adapt, we change, we take risks, we follow our interests, and we seize opportunities. Without this, life, our careers, and Taylor Swifts music back catalogue would be a lot less exciting.

What does your Careers Eras Tour look like so far? Do you have a favourite career genre?