Once
upon a time a person found a job (or position, if you wish) in a particular
company and stayed in that system (hopefully with some promotions) for forty
plus years then retired. I think it is
pretty evident that is no longer the reality in which we live. Most people
change not only their jobs but their careers several times in their lifespan,
and the frequency of this is increasing.
The number of career changes one can expect is unclear and
some of this is based on definitions but the figures generally range from three andseven times in one’s lifespan. By my
personal estimate, I have had five careers—U.S. Army officer, campus minister
(in three locations), denominational administrator (in two different settings),
educator, and life coach. Granted that I
would consider most of these under the overall theme of Christian ministry, the
responsibilities, preparation, knowledge, and skills for each is different enough to classify each of these as different “careers.”
I think that the average person can expect to have a
number of jobs and/or vocations in the 21st century. Even if you have the same position (which is
unlikely), your responsibilities will change with the needs of the organization
and your developing abilities.
The challenge of the 21st century is that
most of the careers or positions available now did not exist even ten years
ago. Some of the titles of new positions
assembled by Fast Company magazine are interesting and exotic. Here are some
samples: Director of Emerging Thought, Chief Imagination Officer, Visual Executive Officer (VEO), Minister of
Enlightenment, Insight and Futuring Manager, and Chief Academic Officer (of a business). Social media consultant Randy Schrum offers
the following: Social Media Consultant and Services, Google Listings and Mobile Web
Ranking Services, and Online Reputation Management Services.
Of course, most positions will not be as
unusual as these, but there are some interesting new positions in fields we
encounter daily that are created as various disciplines intersect. For example,
in health care there are positions that link statistics with health, biological studies, and pharmaceutical research. There are career counselors that work
especially with people who have disabilities.
Physicians, physicists, and engineers are working together in new ways
that are sure to produce new job specialties.
Even in the church, we can expect to see some
creative expressions of ministry both within and outside the local church. Many ministers with an entrepreneurial spirit
are developing new combinations that link social service, worship, counseling
and Christian formation.
How does one prepare for this dynamic future? No matter what happens, I believe that there
are certain skills that will serve a person well as they adapt to career change.
First, each of us should cultivate our communication
skills, both written and oral. Granted
that much of the Internet culture is based on images and texting has set
accurate spelling back a hundred years, the ability to put together
understandable sentences and paragraphs to convey ideas is still
important.
Second, the greatest challenge that many face today
is to develop and practice good relational skills. This should be attributed entirely to the
Internet and the online gaming culture.
Too often organizations have adopted a “silo” approach that has isolated
people and made them experts in their own areas with little need for
others. Even introverts can and must
learn to work well with others.
Third, a person needs to be able not only to read
but to comprehend, analyze, and apply.
Books are plentiful and written material is readily available on the
Internet, but one must be able not only to read the material but to determine
its accuracy and usefulness. Just
because it is in print does not make it a fact.
No matter what your job, the ability to understand and critique written
material will be vital in an age of information overload.
Fourth, everyone needs some basic organizational
skills. I will admit that this does not
come naturally to some people, but being able to pay one’s bills, find important
papers and keep appointments makes life easier!
Perhaps the most important of these organizational skills is personal
time management—learning to put time into those things that are really
important to our overall health and happiness.
Fifth, although some will not want to hear this, a
person will find it difficult to function in today’s society without some
digital skills. Using computers, Smartphones,
and Internet-connected devices comes easier to some of us than to others, but
if one fails to learn at least some basic skills in using these tools, he or
she will have a difficult time pursuing any profession.
Although the job situation will continue to evolve, the
person who identifies his or her abilities, develops appropriate skills, and
persists in the search will be able to find useful and remunerative work . . .
or create their own!
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