I was asked by a journalist if there was an “ALERT” that the Learning and Talent field needed at this time. “Career Disruption” is the “ALERT” that we need to be tracking. Employees are reporting a significant shift in the certainty of their career pathways - or even of the wisdom of their current career choice.
Feb 13, 2023·edited Feb 13, 2023Liked by Elliott Masie
Elliott, your triggers are on target and the time is definitely NOW. For over 17 years, I led technology training and leadership development at a large media company. In 2015, I made the pivot from corporate education to fulltime formal career coaching and education. I say formal because for years I often knew when people were requesting learning and development, many times, they were really requesting career development. Career disruption does not have to be “life disrupting” if we are continually learning 3 key things: Who we are (including our current and future interests and skills), Where we are in today and tomorrow’s world of work, and How we will reach our goals (including upskilling and reskilling as needed)…then rinse and repeat. At the end of the day, I believe it’s still about learning, but with a much more personal and effective outcome. There’s much to be embraced for the leader and the learner.
Over my career, which has mostly been in technical training and documentation operations over 40 years, I have experienced "career interruptions" on so many occasions, that I have lost count. Our industry is always the first to experience layoffs when times get tough for companies. I learned a long time ago that you need to roll with the punches. Instead of trying to test my longevity in organizations as an employee, I have found that contracting suits me best and has given me a broader exposure to a variety of domains in industries in which I had no prior experience. There is always demand for what we do; you just need to uncover the opportunity. Leveraging your basic skill set is all you need for entree into any domain you desire.
Great overview as always Elliott. You've been nudging us towards agility for years now. NOW is the time to adopt that way of thinking, AND to be sure L&D's measurably is as aligned to business outcomes as ever! A lot is on the line and everyone is under the microscope!
Elliott, your triggers are on target and the time is definitely NOW. For over 17 years, I led technology training and leadership development at a large media company. In 2015, I made the pivot from corporate education to fulltime formal career coaching and education. I say formal because for years I often knew when people were requesting learning and development, many times, they were really requesting career development. Career disruption does not have to be “life disrupting” if we are continually learning 3 key things: Who we are (including our current and future interests and skills), Where we are in today and tomorrow’s world of work, and How we will reach our goals (including upskilling and reskilling as needed)…then rinse and repeat. At the end of the day, I believe it’s still about learning, but with a much more personal and effective outcome. There’s much to be embraced for the leader and the learner.
Over my career, which has mostly been in technical training and documentation operations over 40 years, I have experienced "career interruptions" on so many occasions, that I have lost count. Our industry is always the first to experience layoffs when times get tough for companies. I learned a long time ago that you need to roll with the punches. Instead of trying to test my longevity in organizations as an employee, I have found that contracting suits me best and has given me a broader exposure to a variety of domains in industries in which I had no prior experience. There is always demand for what we do; you just need to uncover the opportunity. Leveraging your basic skill set is all you need for entree into any domain you desire.
Great overview as always Elliott. You've been nudging us towards agility for years now. NOW is the time to adopt that way of thinking, AND to be sure L&D's measurably is as aligned to business outcomes as ever! A lot is on the line and everyone is under the microscope!
I agree that even if you let them know you are listening, it can have a large impact!