The days of a single-track career are clearly waning.
With only 49% of the Singaporean workforce satisfied with their current jobs, the opportunities for professional reinvention are rapidly gaining ground. Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs), alternative learning centres, and adult learning institutions are increasingly becoming popular and yielding considerable results. What has caused this shift to take place?
There are three main "push" factors for a reimagined conceptualisation of a career:
1. Technology. Increasing digitisation and automation
2. Customer Preferences. Changing demands in new economy
3. New Knowledge. Shorter life cycle for skills
We have all heard of "disruptions" in the industry before - think of Uber and Airbnb - and increasingly, self-disruption is becoming not only popular, but also feasible and increasingly desirable.
In a Harvard Business Review article entitled "Why You Should Have (at least) Two Careers", award-winning author Kabir Sehgal suggests that by tapping into and following multiple curiosities, people are able to deliver better results into their work. This may seem counterintuitive, but Sehgal's point is to find the mutually beneficial point between your passions.
From his personal experience, Sehgal pursued four different lines of work in varying intensities: he is a corporate strategist, author, Navy veteran, and music producer. What he found was that he was able to subsidize his skill development, make friends in other circles, and discover real innovations. The synergies between his interests allowed him to flourish and develop better ideas in each role.
Whether you are a seasoned professional, a mid-level manager, or just entering the workforce, your own learning and development journey is your own story to write. It is time to start smartly developing inroads into your interests, and make a living from what truly gives you life!
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