T.V.’s weird because it’s both the greatest gig as an actor potentially because it can be all this work for all this time, but there are so many question marks at every stage of the process.
Caitlin Fitzgerald – Actress & Filmmaker
Work, careers, and jobs shift like quicksand. The destruction of traditional jobs, the emergence of new careers, the role of new work rules, and the fundamental disruption of work can’t be ignored or dismissed. It’s happening! It’s real! It’s scary! It’s crazy.
Prior to COVID, the U.S. economy was creating millions of jobs for which there are few qualified applicants. However, many new jobs were fundamentally different from what many of us were trained or expected to do. The new jobs required new tech smarts. They required value-adding capabilities. They were contingent on continued great performance. They were continuously monitored. They were often short term. All of these things challenged and contradicted lifetime or even long-term employment.
The assumption of lifetime employment implied you had a stable wage that would predictably increase and if you performed well, you’d receive a bonus. Otherwise, your wages grew based on performance, attitude, and cost of living. Lifetime security and employment are myths because of marketplace changes. Free agency is coming to all professions and all VUCANs.
William Bridges, a profound thinker of work, called this in Job Shift ‘de-jobbing.’ He made the critical distinction between a job and work. A job was something you did for a short time. Jobs to be filled would disappear over the long-term while work would always need to be done.
A recent study indicated that up to one-third of the companies reported using professional temporaries as managerial, professional, and technical specialists. In hi-tech companies, it’s not unusual to find 40% of the workers are high-paid temps or contractors. VUCANs with specialized knowledge and skills could earn a lot of money. COVID again changed many work rules.
Work Lesson Earned: How do you feel about the concept of ‘gig-work’? Are you resentful? Do you feel entitled? Are you privileged? Do you have to reimagine your work and yourself. It’s important to explore these feelings and understand how they may hinder and/or promote your work, career, and job success.