The Industrial Age workplace has been replaced by the Protean workplace.
* No jobs or careers for life anymore; no job security
* No guaranteed benefits, vacation days, sick days, pensions, or even paychecks
* Companies, industries, and jobs that are here today but gone tomorrow
* High unemployment and no new significant “labor intensive” industries on the horizon
A Shift to a New Transformational Workplace
The workplace has experienced a monumental shift, where employers no longer take care of employees. Today, individuals must assume full responsibility for the management of their own careers and livelihood.
The 2 key factors that have contributed to creating this new workplace are 1) technology and 2) globalization. Technology, automation, and robotics are eliminating jobs as is globalization. Freed from the shackles of communism in the early 1990’s, 1.8 billion new inductees have entered the free market system from countries once dominated by the Soviet Union. It’s not just India and China that businesses are outsourcing work to.
Protean careers
The Protean Career is a concept that requires everyone to 1) monitor and assess the job market; 2) anticipate future
developments, trends, and industry shifts, 3) gain the necessary skills, qualifications, relationships, and assets to meet the shifts, and 4) adapt quickly to thrive in an ever-changing workplace. The word “Protean” comes from the Mythical Greek Sea God“Proteus,” who was best known for 1) predicting and foretelling the future and 2) his versatility and adaptability to acclimate himself to successfully meet and thrive in the future he envisioned.
In today’s transformational, constantly changing workplace, everyone must master the strengths of Proteus!
Unlimited Opportunities!
There may be limited jobs, but there are unlimited opportunities.
Today, anyone can reach out and touch 7 billion people around the globe for jobs, business opportunities, new markets.
For almost anything — and for FREE! But each of us must take personal responsibility for our futures. We can no longer depend on employers or government. We now have to depend on our own creativity and resourcefulness.
Job Seekers must Become Opportunity Seekers
The entrepreneurial spirit must be reignited throughout our society, our educational system… everywhere! The new career coach will teach Protean Careers. Authors, educational career center staff, and One-Stop trainers must acknowledge that we live in the post Industrial Age workplace – and thus, prepare students and opportunity seekers to thrive in the new Protean workplace.
6 tips to thrive in the new Protean workplace:
- Reduce television time and spend an hour a day contemplating the future and where you fit in. You can’t change anything tomorrow with the same thoughts you have today.
- Don’t put all your financial eggs in one basket; consider multiple sources of income.
- Bring more value to the marketplace tomorrow than you did today; invest in lifelong education and increase your worth, so you are compensated accordingly.
- Create your own job. You don’t have to invest big bucks to start a business. Just seek out opportunities and go for it! Become a painter, a cook, an electrician, a subcontractor, or form a web-based business. Be resourceful and identify ways to self-generate income.
- Downsize your life and live within your means. The federal government is broke and most states are as well. All of society must become fiscally responsible.
- Invest in good health. No one can build a thriving future with poor health, no energy, and a negative mindset. We all must work as hard on ourselves as we do on our careers.