PRIMARY CAREER, SECONDARY CAREER, NEW CAREER – WHERE ARE YOU?
Recently, the Australian Government announced changes to the costs of university courses. We have seen in the past that enrolments in higher education and professional development have increased following disruptions such as the GFC. Forbes (April 2020), reports that it is likely that enrolments in higher education will increase as unemployment remains high with people in low-paying jobs seeking to also advance their skills through further education.
Many people who contact us are asking about building a secondary career, a part-time career, building skills in resilience and strategic thinking, and self-development options. Whatever the enquiries, what really impresses us right now is the interest in self-development.
Is this interest a consequence of what has happened in our world? Is the interest a result of people reflecting on what it is they want to do next? Is the interest an example that people want to learn new skills? Whatever the motivation, it is fair to say that individuals and organisations are wanting to self-improve.
What really are the benefits of self-improvement? I am curious about this topic and continue to research the benefits so I consulted a number of scientific journals. Woerkom and Meyers *(2019) report that ‘personal growth is not only a central individual need but also a key requirement for organisational success’.
The question many people will be asking is: Are organisational staff development programs really serving the needs of organisations for the future? When I say for the future, I mean organisations that are ‘future-ready’, agile, prosperity-rounded. And yes, right now, it’s fair to think that many organisations around the world are experiencing rapid change of some type. At the basis of their ability to transform is strategic thinking – and that is in the minds of the people. The type of strategic thinking, lateral thinking, solutions thinking , re-invent thinking are not going to be found in a self-help manual. Thinking at the higher level comes with experience, learning, experience and more learning. It is found in the human mind.
As an individual do you have the skills to think differently and do so with positive impact? Do you have resilience skills that help you remain level-headed and agile? Do you have the skills to create a secondary career or a new career?
Question: what if you did have the skills to manoeuvre yourself in a way that led to your life of success? Do you know how to apply your skills?
It’s time we all reflected on our skillset and how we are using those skills to make a difference. And if you know that there is gap in our skillset – what action will you take right now – because by tomorrow, someone else is going to be ahead of the game.
Grow your mind, grow your success, grow your future.
