Career Trends

Is there a trade-off between meaning and money? According to the author of this article there definitely is. It is up to the individual to create a life where there is no trade-off and where meaning plays a role in a life well lived.

The Shift to Alberta

After finishing up my shift paper this week I thought I'd find a resource that focuses on the future of work and what it holds. This two page article is available in PDF and looks at some issues that Gratton discussed. How technology, demographics and globalization will all impact the working world.

As I was reading through some of The Shift textbook for the case study assignment, I was reminded of the importance of simplicity- of not following all the latest technology trends, trying to live more sustainably, lessening spending/ consumerism/ money driven focus. I came across this post about ideas for living life more simply and thought I'd share.

It's not what you physically look at that matters in life, it's what you see in it. This article was interesting to me in how it relates to the concepts in The Shift and The Flatteners. Both authors emphasize the need to stand out and be the best that you can be and this article explains how a person's perception (or a change in perception) can help attain this.

This is from the same websites as the "Importance of Technology in the Workplace", but it focuses on the negative impacts rather than the positive

This article shows how technology has improved various aspects of the workplace.

"For career skills, the focus is on performing well enough to produce a result that's meaningful to you. For personal skills and hobbies, the focus is on enjoying the process and having fun. In these instances, the "10,000 hour rule" and the idea of "mastery" can actually serve as barriers to sitting down to practice - if you believe it takes that long to see results, you're less likely to start in the first place. The real priority is to practice enough to get the results you're looking for, not to attain a certain level of status or competitive performance."

A global Randstad study found that a third of Canadians feel their jobs are threatened by advances in technology, and one in four believes the job they currently hold could vanish entirely if the trend continues. Advancements in technology have always threatened certain industries, and now is no different.

This also looks like a great site which is aimed at business professionals. This site covers how to create a good online presence for new/growing businesses.

Very interesting site, with many articles, videos and tutorials for people interested in running their own business.

Posted: In this era of chronically tight government budgets, consider this: every year while Canadians spend billions of dollars on jails, courts, and police to prevent criminal inmates from re-offending -- with mixed results at best -- a prison outside London, England, has a strategic program to prevent recidivism that costs government almost nothing. On page 214, Lynda Gratton talks about social entrepreneurship and that it will continue to develop and become more important in decades to come. Craig and Marc Keilburger discuss some of the reasons why Canada is falling behind in the area of social entrepreneurism. They suggest that the government needs to set up structures to create these entreprises and allow easier access to start-up capital or loans.

An interesting list of many things we can all do to increase social capital. Some seem really easy and straightforward, but the reality is that you never know how/ when a network will come in handy for your career. A good reminder of how very important our social connections are.

I found this article very interesting, even though it is just statistics. One stat that stayed with me is the ratio of guidance counsellors to students in Canadian high schools is 371:1. I was surprised at this ratio, considering that the decisions a student makes in high school will have a great affect on their postsecondary education, training, or occupation options.

A short article on how to think in terms of a career carillon instead of a single career curve.

On page 216 of the Shift, Gratton mentions that the internet is increasingly being used to help entrepreneurs find funding for their projects. This made me think of something I had seen in passing a couple of times, called 'crowdfunding'. Crowdfunding refers to sites that allow you to raise money for a certain idea, company, start-up etc. These sites charge a fee (usually percentage of money raised) and provide certain services to customers (PR, coaching etc). Some sites allow only certain types of ventures (creative ventures, Bands only, T-shirts only, non-profit/charity only), while others are open to everyone. Sites typically offer a "Keep-Everything" policy (where you keep the money regardless of getting the goal), or an "All-or-nothing" policy (where you only get to keep the money if you reach the goal). This article provides some of the top platforms for crowdfunding, however in my preliminary research I was able to find sites that were not on this list such as "GoGetFunding" and "Patreon" and "GiveForwards". It seems that these sites are popping up all over the internet! Definitely something to keep an eye on!

Gen Yers who hold a Ph.D. report being underemployed at a rate of 34 percent, compared to 27 percent for Gen Xers and 25 percent for Boomers.

This article discusses the quality of Canada's education and skills training. It also focuses on looking at how Germany delivers education to its citizen. The two education systems are compared.

In "The Virgin Guadalupe" of The World is Flat 3.0, Freidman talks about how in Ireland public college education is basically free. This allows them to develop a more educated workforce which has been beneficial for them economically. This article from Oct 2014 explains how Germany has moved in the same direction.

This is not a test! Looking ahead to 2020, the U.S. proportion of the global talent pool will shrink even further as China and India, with their enormous populations, rapidly expand their secondary and higher education systems.