As you plan your next steps and delve deeper into your career preparation, weighing your options can be tough especially if you’re considering what your future career will look like. Change and adversities are inevitable, so it’s crucial that you set the right foundation early on.
Heed these tips on how to prepare yourself for future opportunities and build a future proof career intended to stand the test of time.
1. Be intentional as you future proof your career
It pays to be in the know. The more you’re aware of what’s in store, the stronger and better you’ll be able to deal with challenges and maximize your career options. This is why you must put in the time and effort to research and note the forces that are shaping work and careers from where you are. Doing that allows you to understand the impact of those factors on your current situation. In the long run, your ability to make wiser choices will come from your capacity to understand.
For now, start by crafting a career plan that’s designed not just to monitor your progress but also to ensure you’re on track with your targets. If it helps, you may set up your own personal career tracker or ask your manager/mentor to guide you.
2. Adapt to the virtual way of doing things
As the world keeps evolving thanks to technology, being able to embrace technological developments is now one of the most in-demand skills you will need to develop for your future career. Work has the potential to become more global, meaning collaboration will be highly virtual. If you don’t want to feel and be left out, don’t let your lack of tech skills hinder your career growth.
Instead, try integrating virtual methods of working into your routine. If you easily get overwhelmed, don’t force yourself into it. It’s better to slowly work your way into trying things one by one, taking it day by day. Soon enough, you’ll be more comfortable and become more tech-savvy.
3. Enhance your skill sets
Think and research about the skill areas that are likely to be more valued later on. These are called future proof skills. Over the next decade, skills related to sustainability, health and wellness, and social media are highly in-demand and where more jobs will be created. Apart from that, new and promising opportunities that involve working closely with people (such as chefs, coaches, and physiotherapists) are unlikely to move to another country.
Moreover, your journey toward becoming a skilled professional in your chosen field doesn’t stop in upskilling yourself. You must also choose a certain area of expertise and learn to master that skill or talent, developing it with real depth. While being a “jack of all trades” can help you explore a wider range of jobs and opportunities, you’re also competing with a lot of people who possess similar skill sets as you.
4. Consider building your own business
While not everyone has the necessary skills to become a business person or an entrepreneur from the get-go, trying to explore opportunities in starting something you can call your own isn’t such a bad idea.
As the world enters the “age of the micro-entrepreneur,” technology becomes more democratized, significantly reducing the barriers to getting off the ground. Additionally, the notion of remote work lets talented people across the globe stay connected and work with each other. This, along with other digital initiatives, promotes cross-boundary collaboration and world-class ideas.
You can also make a living out of what you love doing! Here are 7 ways to turn your passion into a career.
5. Find and form a support system
As the world constantly welcomes change, shifting relationships is also a thing. That’s why you need to invest in developing deep restorative connections with at least a couple of people, which can then help you improve your well-being. Besides, your emotional health and resilience are two key factors that can largely impact your career.
Start by building your professional network. Talking and working with others who are completely different from you lets you in on different mindsets, ranges of ideas, and areas to improve on or learn. After all, reaching out to others who can help and advise you will help you create more valuable skills and knowledge quickly and more efficiently.
6. Have the courage to take risks or make hard choices
As building a career is a long-term effort, be ready to face shifting patterns, trends, and notions of the way we do work. Hence, your working life will be shaped by relatively tough choices you’ll make along the way.
Establishing a long-term strategy is key. Some of the things you need to decide on would include:
- Building a career that enables you to work longer (up until your late 60s or early 70s)
- Preparing early by saving a significant portion of your income throughout your career
- Considering ways how to reduce your consumption and live more simply
Remember that your current circumstances play a key role in how you’ll pave the way to smart decision-making. Understanding where you are now and where you want to be in the years to come is a great first step you must take.
7. Learn how to learn
Honing the skill of “learning how to learn” sets an intentional career person apart from another. To make your career stand the test of time, choose to abandon the notion that there’s a stable set of tools you can use to navigate how you work. Instead of hoping and looking for safety and predictability, aim for new possibilities that are safe to try.
Also, it’s a good practice to mingle with people from a wide range of fields, who may have fresh takes on things like collaboration and personal development. What this can offer you is a lens to see where your line of work and other fields overlap. This then gives you the opportunity to become an interdisciplinary thinker, being intentional in connecting ideas from various sources and providing more value to the world.
Lastly, you can always take charge of your future proof career. One thing you can do now is to upgrade your knowledge by taking online courses! In fact, Bossjob Academy lets you access thousands of courses to equip you in your lifelong journey of learning. Get started for free and be ready to widen your horizon, expand your skill sets, and explore new job opportunities that will surely stand the test of time.
Looking for more resources like this? Browse Bossjob’s blog archives on career advice, job search tips, and a lot more!
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