About a decade ago, the world was a
different place and so also the way we do our work. Some jobs that are high
paying now were not in existence.
According to reports by the World Economic Forum, 35% of the skills that are considered important in today’s
workforce will have changed in five years from now and 65% of children entering primary school today will end up
in new jobs not yet on the radar (circa 16 years from now).
New jobs requiring new skill set will be created; some existing jobs will disappear while others will grow in
relevance.
The rise of the internet, smartphones, increasing connectivity, and innovation are among the factors that make the
lives we lived 10 – 15 years ago seem like a distant history, yet, experts have argued that the changes we are
seeing now will pale in significance to what will come in the new phase of innovation. FastTrack to another 10
years into the future, we are guaranteed more changes that will not only impact how we do our work but also how
we live our lives.
This force of change is equally making the survival instincts of organisations becoming sharper than it used to be
as not only are the rules of the game changing, the games are also changing. Business models are being reinvented
and now tending towards lean and technology driven organisations. As technology is advancing, skills are falling
behind making the dark side of technology becoming more prominent.
Business environment becomes harsh every day in the face of competition, globalisation, outsourcing government
policies, exchange rates and more job are lost compared to the number created.
At the centre of these shifts is the individual employee and while these changes will bring gain to many people,
many more will be displaced. The side of the divide individual falls into will be a matter of choice.
H.G Wells says it well, “Adapt or perish, now as ever, is nature’s inexorable imperative” It is expedient for us
in the midst of these shifts to begin to rethink our career and take ownership.
The Career Rethink Conference is a virtual conference organized by Career Edge Limited to bring up discussions
around the factors affecting our career progress and development
The purpose is to get employees, those in between jobs and the potential employees to take real ownership of their
career in a changing world and be the driver rather than their organizations or other external factors.
It is expected that after attending this conference, participants would be motivated to have a rethink and stop
reinforcing views that have stunted their career growth and progress.
In addition, individuals will begin to approach their career growth and development differently in a way that they
can use economic situations, technological and global change to their advantage rather than consider them a
hindrance.
Akindele Afolabi
Convener, Career Rethink Conference