As we have matured over the years, so too has the job market. Gone are days when premier positions came with giftwrapped, bowtied oaths of security in exchange for professional competence. Among today’s volatile and shifting market, even the most seemingly locked down jobs promise little more than a whispered suggestion of stability.
Maneuvering the modern jobscape means facing threats of submergence under a never waning tide of skillsets that need updating, and technologies which require mastering. The pressure might be breathtaking, but it is possible to float with the current. You can avoid becoming trapped in the tidepool of career stagnancy. You can do this and much more, by keeping in mind several key reasons as to why everyone should develop their professional lives upon the principles of movement and improvement.
Today’s Skills May Not Be Tomorrow’s
Our routine, often a source of comfort, can just as easily be a cage. We fall into this routine, ironically, to avoid facing the very change that shapes the the escape route out of stagnancy. We divert, because with the prospect of freedom comes the specter of potential recapture. And we all fear a smaller cage. But such restrictions won’t await those whose choices are guided by the drive not only to accept, but defy fear. Instead of dodging the requisite discomfort acknowledging the fact that our current skillsets could soon be– insufficient, we should embrace difficult change as a mechanism of prosperity.
Perspective is Everything
Anyone in a position to help you better your own will be more so inclined if you prove yourself worthy of their effort. Mentors, bosses, even potential employers; very few gain their place at the peak without dedicating time and sweat to getting there. From their perspective, to assist the climb of one who does not demonstrate similar initiative would contradict the worth of every challenge won, every dangerous slip overcome. To catch the notice of those above you, your actions must resonate loud enough to let them know you’re really there.
The Window for Advancement Shrinks
As time passes, our routines become more ingrained. It’s easy to revisit yesterday’s footsteps. Follow an identical path daily and you’ll never have to consider where you’re going, not really. Such a strategy of movement is convenient; numbingly so. Eventually, however, you may look up and find you’ve stayed course for so long that the circle you’ve been tracing daily has deepened into a ditch, its steep walls “sheltering” you from the possibility of future growth.