Career Development....why even?

Hi Folks,

This post is all about dealing with those who don't understand the importance of career development. I hope it is helpful for those who work in career development (either directly with clients or indirectly if you are a teacher or parent and just want your student / kid to start thinking about their future!).

Let's imagine my most favourite career development nay sayer - the person who says they have life by the tail and got it ALLL figured out. 

To them I say this: 
Life is going to throw you some curve balls - all of us get a chance to manage them or be managed by them. The smoothness of how you handle challenges in life can be boiled right down to a few key areas:

- self-awareness,
- knowing your opportunities and how to research them,
- identifying your support network,
- having a goal setting strategy,
- stress management and resilience building opportunities.
​
​If you think you have life all figured, oh boy, that's when a surprise will come along and bam, you are on your butt.

Thinking about life's curve balls made me consider a few scenarios I have coached clients though:

Body breakdown
You think you got it sorted out that you will be on the farm or on the boat for the next 30 years? Guess what? I have worked with so many trades people who have either had an accident or their bodies have just not been able to maintain the same level of stress after 10 years. If you are relying on your body to work, know that it will only serve you for so long. Working in the trades is an awesome option, but know that there will be an evolution for your work as well over time. You might think you will be hiring someone to do the heavy lifting down the road...that leads me to the next point:

You need to keep building your knowledge and skills
If you think you will be moving into some sort of higher position in the future then be prepared to compete for it and demonstrate how you have the goods to deliver. For those who are thinking they will be self employed - look out - the transferable skills you will need are far too numerous to mention and might scare you off of self-employment all together. 

In a nutshell, our global economy has resulted in each of us needing to become strategic in what skills to hone and add to our toolbox - and all of us are impacted by our global economy. To ignore life-long learning is leaving your career to chance.

Home-life circumstances
Some of my clients had to make education / career decisions based on what was going on with their family. Staying home to help a sick relative, take care of children, elder care, etc. Other people in our lives can have an impact on our decisions, delay our own career direction or take us right off track. 

We change
Our goals that we have right now will change, our needs will change, our interests will change and our values will shift depending on our life circumstances. The goals you have as a teenager will not be the same after you have a few kids of your own. Our life will evolve over time - this is the essence of career development - managing life, learning, leisure, and transitions to lead us toward our evolving preferred future. Oh and guess what, once you reach a goal then a new one will be created. Funny thing, those goals!

We all need a plan B
Nothing in life is guaranteed. The labour market, our skills, interests, and values are all moving targets. But with career development knowledge, help from your support network and perhaps a career development practitioner you can craft your plan B, C and D with confidence. 

Oh and by the way, realize that there are no wrong turns in your career journey!

Money, Money, Money
I once worked in a data entry job for peanuts. The turnover was crazy. The employer couldn't keep staff because it was drudgery. I stuck it out for a little while and was looking for work elsewhere. Then the employer decided to increase our pay - like double it. It was crazy and those of us who stayed to see the increase were so pumped! And that lasted about 3 weeks. Then we were back to feeling bored and resumed our job searches. Money can be a great incentive but it will wear off.

​So there you have it - all my comebacks for dealing with those who don't understand the importance of career development. They are all based on my own personal experience and from working with clients who have had these very experiences in their lives and reached out for help. I think they reached out for help because they had not considered their career development until they really needed it.

I firmly believe that career development awareness at an early age has the ability to prevent personal crisis later in life. There is no doubt in my mind that career development is a wellness strategy each of us have a right to this field of practice goes far beyond job search strategies.