Personal x Professional

Over the last decades, we have seen the evolution to the meaning of work, and how much it has transcended. Its purpose means so much more than putting a roof over our heads, food on the table and safe from animal predators. The world has industrialized to where our physiological and safety needs have been met. It is now a matter of finding a home within our primary one that we seek, meaning, our workplace. This community is filled with people divided into departments some being on-site while others remotely. As the world inevitable advances and businesses finds ways to innovate, we are put this urgency to keep up because of competition (aka the new predator!) 

“One’s only rival is one’s own potentialities. One’s only failure is failing to live up to one’s own possibilities. In this sense, every man can be a king, and must therefore be treated like a king.”

Abraham Maslow

Especially with baby boomers finally retiring and us millennials/gen z’s becoming the new players onto pivotal roles, what does that mean? The competition just gets harder with how much more jobs, options, and people that are in the market now. Life as we know it has gotten more complex with all these tech innovations, a surplus in gig economies, outsourcing, you name it. 

How do we survive all of this? Darwinism.

“It is not the strongest species that survives, not most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

Charles Darwin

Everything is obsolete and it is for us to learn and adapt to the change. Depending on the field you’re trying to get into, if we won’t understand the clout about AWS, or how to retain your best employees, lean, SEO optimization, etc., then what makes you think a company will hire you? 

Sure, you might have some more work experience than someone who just finished college. But are you aware of how much more current their knowledge is in comparison to your work experience of 2 years ago? Yes, I know most of what you’ve done can still apply to the next role. Have you taken the initiative to stay current and to keep reading up on your industry, the latest trends, news, buzzwords, hype? If so, then keep it up and you can stop reading here. 

Work means so much more now than your 8-hour shift and whatever the description is. To do well in your job and to stay competitive before a robot or someone offshore replaces you is to go above and beyond (duh). How do you stay competitive with others? That means taking on opportunities to work on projects with your senior, more experienced colleagues, maybe even other teams, or tackling a project on yourself. What can be improved, what needs help, or overall, what can I do to keep yourself invaluable to the company, or any company. 

It all starts with doing more. Job descriptions scratch the surface of what you should really be doing. To become successful and invaluable takes time and dedication. This means staying after hours, working weekends, or somewhere in between. And with the #covid19 pandemic, our personal lives are becoming even more intertwined with remote work being emphasized. How has this affected, or even changed your life? 

Employed or not, it is essential for us to keep up in order to stay relevant. However, please remind yourself to establish your work boundaries to prevent burnout. I will discuss that in my next talk, stay tuned!