Your Career Selfie – For Love Or Money?

Why do you go to work every day? What is it that makes you get out of bed in the morning? A simple question with a surprisingly complex answer that can unnerve the best of us.

In the past 20 years, the world of work has changed beyond recognition. Gone are the days of the permanent pensionable job with the prospect of a gold watch and a pension at the end.

The certainty and stability once associated with linear progression through one job for life are now’distant memories. Replaced by the notion of multiple employments across your working life with an average tenure of 3 – 5 years. The language of the 21st-century workplace has deleted the idea of permanent and pensionable. Instead, workers do gig’s, work as freelancers, are employed as consultants or have zero contract hours. Skype, FaceTime and Instant Messaging have taken the world of global business to your phone.

Approximately 7.1 million jobs in 2020 will be lost to automation (aka the Robots), according to the World Economic Forum. While 65% of children starting school in 2016 will do jobs that have not yet been created. Today’s norm is 12 job changes before age 42 and six career changes before retirement. Yes, six career changes.

Dynamic engagement with your career in a fast-paced world is not alone expected but demanded. To add to that upheaval, a recent Gallup study showed that almost 90% of employees were either ‘not engaged’ or ‘totally disengaged’ from their work!! As we emerge from a worldwide recession, we do so into a career space that is further disrupted by daily technological advances.

Change is the new permanent, and you have to embrace it if you want to progress your career.

So, why do you go to work?

Do you go to work for money and not for love? Do you go to work because you love your job and the money isn’t that important? Or do you sit somewhere in the middle, not sure what to think or what to do? Are you somewhat disorientated by what you want personally, what you need financially and where you (and society) think you should be in your career by a certain age? When was the last time you sat down and took stock of your career and its progression? No matter what your professional position taking a career selfie is vital if you consciously want to grow your career.

As November opens the door to winter, traditionally a month of thoughtful hibernation before the madness of December begins, what better time to look to your future and consider how you might grow your career.

Make November the month of your career selfie. No filters, no angling or double takes, instead commit to making this selfie matter.

Whether in a role, career or professional space that you loathe or love the focus of the Grow Your Career Series during November is on career self-evaluation. By focusing on your current situation, you uncover the knowledge necessary to help you consider how to progress, change or develop in your future career.

To get started, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do you work only to make a living?
2. Do you feel fulfilled in your work?
3. What non-monetary reasons do you have for doing your work?
4. Do you feel challenged in your role?
5. Is your work personally meaningful?
6. Have you the opportunity to do new things and feel a sense of autonomy?
7. Does time at work, usually, pass quickly?
8. When people ask you about your job do you smile?
9. Are you proud of what you do?
10. Do you feel engaged by your work most of the time?

By Sinead Brady

@CareertoLove