Skills
provide real job security
Johnny Paycheck, a well-known country singer had a hit song
many years ago titled, “Take this job and shove it.”
That song is still popular today, nicely expressing the frustration
that many people have concerning their job. Other similar
expressions of frustration are, “There has to be more
to life than this job,” and “I don’t have
any job security” or “I’ve sweated bullets
for this company but that means nothing in today’s world
of cost cutting and downsizing.”
It’s as if there is a whole group of ‘working
wounded’ out there, people who have lost confidence
in themselves, and their company, who are frustrated, afraid,
nervous and insecure when it comes to trying to find a good,
stable position upon which to build their life.
For
many people, the frustration will continue until retirement. The
rationalization seems to be, “well, at least I have a job.
It may not be the best job in the world but it is a job.”
It’s the idea of hanging on to what you have while watching
others who have been laid off or downsized, struggle to find alternative
employment. It’s a tough world out there for the unprepared
and the desperate so it’s better to put up with a bad lot
in life than take a risk that there isn’t another job out
there.
What’s wrong with this picture? Well, it is a prescription
for an unrewarding experience in the working world. So let’s
examine a couple of myths about work and then develop a couple of
rules for creating a successful and rewarding career.
Cradle
To the Grave
A sure way to lose out in the working world is to assume that you
have a job-for-life. No one has a job for life anymore. A job that
provides cradle-to-the-grave security just doesn’t exist.
Further, the career ladder is not what it used to be. It has a few
broken rungs, it’s flatter and broader than it used to be,
and doesn’t offer as much scope for climbing as in the past.
Entitlement: The Past is the Past
A second way of losing in the workplace is to assume that you are
entitled to a job or a benefit or a bonus or a plumb assignment.
Entitlement was useful in the past when things were relatively stable,
when profit margins were fat and companies weren’t too worried
about the competition. How things have changed. Just look at Bell
Canada, a company that ran as a bureaucracy for so many years. Telus,
Sprint, Allstream, these companies did not come into existence until
a few years ago and now they are all giving Bell a good run for
its money. Entitlement, in reality is a thing of the past and should
stay there.
What
makes for a great career?
Frustrations aside, more and more people are finding that working
life can be very interesting, challenging and rewarding. In fact,
many people are exploring ways of integrating their work with the
rest of their life. Their goals, values, needs and wants are all
extended into every corner of their lives. Doing something that
you like to do and doing it well makes a great career.
Real Job Security
If you are looking for real job security then look no further. Real
job security comes from a number of simple sources. For example,
keeping your skills up to date ensures that you will not be left
behind in the competitive world of work. It will provide you with
more security and more work satisfaction. If you have ever been
passed over for a promotion or have never gotten anywhere in your
career, the reason might just be that your skills have become obsolete
and not in line with the present-day demands of the job.
So the first rule in taking charge of your own career is to always
keep your skills training up. Don’t just depend on your employer
to provide training for you. Seek out opportunities to learn a broader
range of skills. Make yourself more valuable to your employer by
being capable of doing more than you are doing right now.
Your Career is Your Responsibility
The second rule is similar to the first rule but needs to be stated
in a different way. No one, not the company, not your supervisor,
no one is responsible for your career. Your career is your responsibility
to make of what you will. Taking charge of your career means things
like getting more training, not complaining that someone else is
to blame for your lack of progress. It means that you should seek
out feedback on your performance, listening hard for clues as to
where you might improve and then doing something about it.
A Career Is A Lifelong Commitment
It’s axiomatic to say that most people will spend a great
portion of their time on this earth working for a living. So why
not enjoy what you do. Careers, like everything else in life, are
constantly changing. So don’t fight change, embrace it and
thrive on seeing how to do things differently, how to add value
to your employer and to feel better in the process.
And yes, sometimes life isn’t fair and despite your best efforts
things don’t work out with one employer – it’s
not the end of the world as you know it. Remember the old saying,
when one door closes, another opens. Or, to put it another way,
one person’s crises is another person’s opportunity.
Gain confidence in remembering the equation that Skills = Career
= Security and you will have a long and rewarding career at anything
you choose to do in life.
