Preparation for Your Career in the Rapidly Changing World

By Barigye Doreen

 

Technology and globalization have become an undeniable force affecting work in the modern world. Jobseekers must therefore devise new cutting-edge techniques to match the dynamic job environment. Workplace developments are a sure deal but remember they don't happen in isolation. They are inspired and engineered by humans with the help of technology which makes them very predictable. What then does one need to do to prepare for these predictable workplace developments? With the changing job market place, you must both anticipate these changes as well as prepare for them in an organized yet flexible manner. 

I wish to quote my friend who contributed a wonderful commentary to this article which I believe would be useful for you. He said and I quote, "The only thing that is constant is change. When change is coming, we have two options, get on board or get off the tracks. We must never be comfortable where we are planted, we have to keep growing, keep updating our skills, branching out in new areas of doing things we arent accustomed to." I found this important for our current environment and so I put it here for you to benefit from it. 

Growing up in a small village in western Uganda, the glimpse of this dynamic world was minimal. Yet, for me to succeed, I had to engage and thrive like anybody else. It doesn't matter where you are from, the changing world will treat each one the same. In this case you must gauge the amount of effort you need to put in considering your current skills, knowledge and privilege. Good luck and good luck indeed, anyone can make it. Nobody is there yet where they need to be but hard work is prime.

But wait, even though there is no rule of thumb that, flexibility, training, education as well as good attitudes are the most important for career preparation and success, I'd rather you give them a try. Well, the changes are occurring so fast, you must then observe and anticipate your own current preparedness. Assess your dream job and dream career, how is it changing? What are these changes that are occurring? How can you also get prepared? In the first paced world information is everything. Let's first take a quick glimpse of what I am trying to mean by fast paced world.

Technology continues to steadily advance and will in turn affect how, when, where business is done, the pace of work as well as how people communicate. The global economy will continue to shift whims. Resourcefulness, adaptability, flexibility and efficiency will be essential for workers to succeed. Currently, there have been limited international flights, and therefore multinational corporations and other international business partners had to cope with online-work. Automatically, international time differences demanded flexible hours and possibly extra hours to communicate to conduct business. Do you realize that this will require workers to be flexible, respect differences, and work together to increase productivity?

Tim Hall, Chief Technology Officer at Blue Logic Computers, talks about something that we have observed vividly during these unprecedented times of COVID-19. That the introduction of Virtual offices essentially allows people to work anywhere across the globe and flexible working is becoming increasingly accepted by employers.  My fellow people raised from a small village like me, expect that this change is for you too. So then, grab it and change along with it. 

Skills-based small businesses are becoming more desirable.  Vocational and entrepreneurial skills are becoming more important. In fact, most of the fastest growing occupations are starting to require specific skills from post-secondary education, on-the-job training, vocational education on top of that mainstream degree, diploma or certificate.  Skills training and development will be especially critical. 

How then can today's job seekers obtain a competitive edge? They must accept, take on the challenge and demonstrate a positive attitude that shows they are ready, willing, and able to pace alongside the dynamic conditions. The question remains: What are strategies to follow to help you and I achieve full career potential in such an unpredictable terrain? We will explore further in the next article.

Kindly leave your thoughts in the comment section. They will help build the next article.