How To Prepare For the Future of Work In The Year of COVID
COVID has pulled back the covers on a lot of industries that had been booming for years with leaner times leading to layoffs and record unemployment. It has also accelerated other long term trends such as;
- Digitization (Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said there has been two years of digital transformation in 2 months)
- Employer flexibility on working from home
- Pushing individuals to consider whether they are on a path they want to continue down (this BBC article has some interesting examples including a receptionist who has turned to embroidery and a marketing professional who is now mixing painting and interior design).
Where does this leave you?
There is wide consensus that the world we live and work in is only going to continue changing and the security of a job with one company for a large portion or all of your career will be rare in the future.
The good news?
This new world will favour anyone who is willing to continue learning and adapt to the new roles that arise. A recent article by Natasha Boddy in the AFR highlights this as well as the importance of skills that robots may be slower to learn including leadership, negotiation and empathy. She is in good company here, with famed historian / author Yuval Noah Harari frequently highlighting these two factors as vital to the future employee.
You want proof? Here are some examples.
Funnily enough the AFR published an article by Sally Patten only a few weeks earlier outlining the role of Customer Journey Expert through an interview with someone who works at a large bank. This is somewhat similar to one of our interviews at Ikigai Network, which showed the path of Demetria, previously a lawyer who had moved to a bank to help the group focus more closely on customer experience and manage issues in a more seamless way than banks were historically known for. In both cases the individual’s background was not in “tech” but they found their skills were highly relevant to new roles that will continue to grow.
Ikigai Network features stories of young Australians who are finding purpose in their careers and breaking new ground in lesser known or more recently developing industries. Sign up at ikigainetwork.io to see our interview with Demetria and many other young Aussies.
