When you look for a job, you are looking for something that is fading from the socioeconomic picture because it is past its evolutionary prime.
William Bridges
Work, careers, and jobs now shift like quicksand. The destruction of traditional jobs, the emergence of new careers, the role of new work rules, and the fundamental changes of work can’t be ignored or dismissed. It’s happening! It’s real! In addition, it’s scary! The US economy is losing millions of jobs as some new jobs are being created. However, many of the new jobs are fundamentally different from what many of us were trained or expected to do.
The assumption of lifetime employment implied we’d have a stable wage that would predictably increase and if we performed well, we’d receive a bonus. Otherwise, our wage grew based on performance, attitude, and cost of living. Now, lifetime security and employment are myths because of marketplace changes. Free agency is coming to all professions and to all of us.
William Bridges, a profound thinker of work, calls this in Job Shift ‘de-jobbing.’ He makes the critical distinction between a job and work. A job was something a person did for life. Jobs to be filled will disappear over the long term while work will always need to be done.
Life Lesson Earned: How do you feel about the concept of ‘free agent nation?’ Are your resentful? Do you feel entitled? It’s important to explore these feelings and understand how they may hinder your job search and job success.