Time to embrace STEM AND Non-STEM (Humanities) disciplines?

credit: nisaul khoiriyal

A for Apple, B for Bing, C for Chrome, and D for Drive.

credit: masterSergeant

Time to revise the English primer?

The world we live in has been shrinking down over the years, and the process has gained more mileage lately. With voice assistants controlling home appliances as well as AIs that help you write the best college essay in a few seconds, the human race has come a long way. All thanks to the advancements in STEM research and development over the last few decades.

With technology becoming omnipresent, there appears to be a sudden demand from parents to provide STEM exposure to their children right from their preschool years. There has been a significant rise in the number of playschools and activity centers across India that offer STEM-oriented coaching for children as young as 25-30 months. Besides, major EdTech platforms have been peddling tuition packages for Engineering and Medical aspirants alike. So, what exactly is going on? How did STEM become one of the most popular career choices since the 90s?

Wait. The 90s?

Yes. To be precise, 1991 was a major milestone in the history of Indian Politics and Economy. It opened the floodgates of Globalization (with the Liberalization policy) to welcome international brands to compete in the Indian market. At the same time, it also witnessed several tides of changes, as far as career options were concerned. As Michael Cournoyer writes,

“Employment in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) occupations has grown 79% since 1990, from 9.7 million to 17.3 million, outpacing overall U.S. job growth...These include computer, math, engineering and architecture occupations, physical scientists, life scientists and health-related occupations such as health care practitioners and technicians, but not health care support workers such as nursing aides and medical assistants.” (Cournoyer, 2018)

The employment situation in India was quite similar to the US. As India stepped up as a promising young market in the spheres of IT, Medicine and Engineering Sciences, the job opportunities in STEM related fields grew exponentially. With affordable education and greater scope to pursue professional science degrees such as MBBS and BTech the STEM jobs promised decent salary packages while also

offering the youth a different option to consider - an arena hitherto unexplored by their previous generations, distinct from government employment, one where they could make a mark of their own.

Since the 90’s, the surge of STEM-related jobs are still going strong, even after three decades. As most of the Gen X shifted their focus towards STEM, it was expected of the next generations (Millennials, Gen Z, Gen Alpha..) to consider the same path.

Among many, the three major factors which positioned the STEM careers as the 1st choice for parents and children are: 

Economy: Career choice are often influenced by the dynamics of supply of jobs and earning potential. For a country that has newly joined the league of liberalized economies, the Indian job market promises more opportunities in the STEM sector, making it the preferred career choice among parents and most students.

Socio-cultural: Social learning may have played it’s role as Gen X partook in the bandwagon to opt for STEM jobs, the succeeding generations were eventually brought up with the same expectation in mind. The transgenerational passage of social learnings  to pursue STEM careers from parent to child became a widespread phenomenon. 

Politics: The advancement of a nation is measured on certain parameters, one of which includes innovations in STEM-based endeavors. Be it medical research, nuclear capability, sending a rocket into space, governments across the world provide more support for STEM, as part of their nation building policies.

So in today’s 21st century, does Humanities (non-STEM disciplines) deserve a chance for resurrection?

credit: Poster for college of humanities at the university of Utah (2015)

Remember the famous sci-fi Hollywood movies - The Terminator (1984), Jurassic Park (1993), Her (2013), Ex Machina (2014) and M3GAN (2022). While their respective plots are vastly different, there exists a single thread of commonality that binds these four films - they all focus on the harrowing nature of Science and Technology in the absence of checks and balances. This Jurassic Park meme makes a fantastic point on the ominous side of scientific development in isolation.

There is a growing recognition that 21st century ecological, social, economic, energy, health, wellbeing and geopolitical problems are of global, complex and nonlinear nature. In his book 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (Penguin, 2018), Yuval Noah Harari lists out topics of grave importance such as: Technological challenge to human beings concepts of work, liberty, equality, Political challenge to community, nationalism, religion and immigration, Dangers from terrorism/war and Blurring of truth with misinformation aided by Deep Tech. Solving such complex global problems calls for joint multi-disciplinary efforts and non-linear - critical thinking as the preferred problem-solving approach, as non one particular discipline holds the key to unlock the solutions.

Hence STEM and Non-STEM (Humanities) disciplines has to co-exist together to give humanity a fighting chance to successfully navigate it’s many unknown and thrive into the future.  

credit: Gerd Altmann (Pixabay)

A recent news of Pause Giant AI Experiments: An Open Letter published on 22nd March 2023 by 'Future of Life Institute', calling on all AI Labs to immediately pause for at least 6 months the training of AI systems more powerful than GPT-4.

"Contemporary AI systems are now becoming human-competitive at general tasks, and we must ask ourselves: Should we let machines flood our information channels with propaganda and untruth? Should we automate away all the jobs, including the fulfilling ones? Should we develop nonhuman minds that might eventually outnumber, outsmart, obsolete and replace us? Should we risk loss of control of our civilization? Such decisions must not be delegated to unelected tech leaders. Powerful AI systems should be developed only once we are confident that their effects will be positive and their risks will be manageable. This confidence must be well justified and increase with the magnitude of a system's potential effects.” (“Pause Giant AI Experiments: An Open Letter”)

Elon Musk (founder of SpaceX, Tesla, Neuralink, OpenAI), Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple), Gary Marcus (Cognitive Scientist) and engineers from Amazon, DeepMind, Google, Meta and Microsoft are signatories to this open letter. This speaks volumes of the perils of pursuing only STEM, without acknowledging the fact, human society is a cloth which is woven by the threads of both non-STEM and STEM disciplines.


These cookie crumbs, therefore, can be wiped away with only one option - maintaining a system of checks and balances by co-existence of STEM and Non-STEM (Humanities) disciplines. It is important to involve economists, psychologists, political theorists, philosophical thinkers, history scholars and several other experts from disciplines of Social Sciences and Humanities to add more value in the policy-making process of the scientific and technological innovations that are at work or in progress. 

The need to have a non-STEM perspective (multiple, in this case) is of absolute necessity, as it provides with innumerable perspectives that would go unseen or never even considered under circumstances exclusive to STEM.

In conclusion…

credit: Gerd Altmann (Pixabay)

The Nature vs Nurture debate serves as a relevant metaphor, in the context of STEM vs Non-STEM.

How much a person’s characteristics are formed by either “nature” (genetics) or “nurture” (environment/upbringing/life experience)?

Over-time this long-standing debate of Nature vs Nurture, is being put to rest with “Epigenetics” an emerging area of scientific research that shows how Nurture (environmental influences) affects the expression of their Nature (genes). The new emerging paradigm is “Nature and Nurture”.

Picking cue from this, isn’t it also time for us to move on from STEM vs Non-STEM to ‘STEM and Non-STEM (Humanities)’, for finding answers to the chaotic and complex questions and solve the problems which humanity faces in the 21st century?

I have dropped ‘vs’ and embraced ‘and’.

What About You?

References:

https://jobmarketmonitor.com/2018/01/13/stem-workforce-in-us-has-grown-79-since-1990/

https://futureoflife.org/open-letter/pause-giant-ai-experiments/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38820046-21-lessons-for-the-21st-century

Blog Collaborator:

Apurba Ganguly (she/her) is an English Literature student, pursuing B.Ed. She has been eager to understand the intricacies of Memory Studies and Visual Narratives.

It's OKAY not to have a PLAN!

Photo by Rachel McDermott on Unsplash

The society expects us to plan our life as per a standard template and follow a prescribed path of milestones at various stages of life. 

The moment a girl or a boy enters high school, most of them are confronted with the following questions: 

• Which stream are you planning to take in 11th?
• What do you want to be when you grow up?
• Aur beta, bade hogar kya banoge?

In other words, the society expects you to have a Career PLAN.

As a career counsellor, I come across so many teenagers and young adults who haven't made up their mind yet, on what they would like to pursue in their lives. Very few of them are comfortable being in this lack of clarity. On contrary, the majority of them express being in a state of confusion, feeling inadequate and they are desperately seeking for guidance. 

From my experience, the teenagers who are comfortable with not having a plan yet, usually have a safety net of supportive and understanding parents and guardians. However, the significant proportion of young adults who express confusion, dilemma and inadequacy are dealing with family pressure, peer pressure, pressure from teachers and society's expectations from them to have plan sooner than later.

If I draw upon my 20+ years of working experience I have come across so many bright professionals women and men, who did not have a concretized plan but they are doing extremely well and leading a successful career. They took up things as it came along, went with the flow and capitalized upon the opportunities life presented to them. 

A self-confession, I too never had not have a concrete plan. By temperament, I have believed in the importance of life's journey, to stay on course with the life's ups and down, than being overtly focused on a plan and the destination.

At this juncture, it would be appropriate to shift gears from my view point to real world evidences (case studies) to that I can bring in objectivity and not request you to just subscribe to my world view just out of good faith.

I was reading The Week Magazine (edition, May 29, 2022). The cover story 'Lessons Life Has Taught Me'. featured several prominent, successful men and women. The narration is in an interview style format, where they walk us (readers) through their professional life's journey. Behind their illustrious careers and achievements, if you pay attention, you will discover they too didn't have a plan in their life. They went through the journey of life, meandering, going with the flow, stumbling upon changes and opportunities and making their own luck. 

Let me mention two illustrious examples from this cover story:

• Bibek Debroy (Economist and chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister):

As a graduate student Mr Debroy wanted to study Physics in Presidency College, Kolkata. This was during the mid 1960s, when Kolkata was in the midst of considerable left-wing turbulence. Presidency College and especially the Science dept was perceived to be the hotbed of turbulence. Hence, his parents denied him the permission to study Physics at Presidency. They arrived at a compromise, by allowing Mr Debroy to study Economics and not Physics at Presidency college. 

Just thing about it! Someone like Mr Bibek Debroy who has had such an illustrious career as an Economist, didn't even have the plan to study Economics as a graduate student. Life's circumstances, thrusted upon Economics on him.  

Mr Debroy mentions in the interview, his venturing into 'Application based Economics' from Theory, was purely by chance. When he wasn't able to secure a permanent teaching position at Presidency College, he applied to Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune. Gokhale Institute provided Mr Bibek the exposure to application based Economics, which shaped his career as an Economist in the years to follow. 

Fast forward into several decades later, Mr Debroy turned into an author and when NITI Aayog was formed in 2015, he was one of it's first members. Since 2017, he has been the chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the prime minister. 

His brush with writing emerged out of a near death experience and not out of a well laid out plan. In 2004, he was in ICU dealing with a life and death situation. In the interview Mr Bibek says, "When you are there in the ICU, and you realise that you are at that point when you are not sure whether you are going to live or not, it's almost as if your entire life flashes before you. And you begin to ask: Who am I? What am I doing here? I decided that, if I survived, in that calender year 2004 I was going to bring out 12 books. That year, I actuallly published 15 books. Since then, I only write what I feel like writing, not because it is going to add to my resume."

Mr Bibek Debroy summarises the life's lessons in his own words: 

"I think that life's lesson really is that each one of us has a destiny. The fortunate few may realise this destiny.  

• Ramachandra Guha (Historian, Writer):

In the interview, Mr Guha says, "In my day, at the age of 16, you chose your college subject. And I wanted to play cricket. So, I had to choose a humanities subject which would give me time in the afternoons to go for practice."

Just think about it! one of the most renowned historian and scholar Mr Guha didn't plan to take up Humanities for becoming a historian. He took up humanities, so that he could continue to play cricket along with his studies. 

Infact, his first choice of subject was English Literature. In the interview he goes on to say, "I would have liked to have studied English literature; back in the 1970s it was regarded as a girl's subject, so I studied economics. I was intellectually directionless in college, but I was doing many other things. I was playing bridge, was in the college quiz team and was editing the college magazine. I got focus in life only after I read about [the British-Indian anthropologist] Verrier Elwin at the age of 21, then got interested in sociology and anthropology."

Today we all know Mr Guha for his magnum opus 'India After Gandhi'. But once again, this project was not an outcome of his own plan. This project was suggested to Mr Guha by a publisher. "In the year 1998, India had just celebrated it's 50th year of independence. Publisher, Peter Straus suggested me to write a book on what happened after 1947. When I was commissioned to write it, I was 40. It came out when I was nearly 50, after almost a decade of researching and writing."

Mr Ramachandra Guha summarises the life lessons in his own words: 

"You must always go by your own instinct. Success is incidental. It is really the quality of work that must give you satisfaction. You must feel that you have done something that you are happy with and that has utilised your energies and talents fully."

It's OKAY not to have a PLAN!, has this approach been part of any serious scientific study? 

Apparently yes. 

Stanford Professor John D. Krumboltz along with his colleagues Levin and Kathleen Mitchell developed the 'Planned Happenstance Theory'. 

John Krumboltz, right, with a simulation game for choosing careers. (Image credit: Jose Mercado)
Copyright: Image provided by the Standford University News Services

"Arbitrary events have important influence on people's lives. All these events that happen in life are unpredictable and let's be grateful that they're unpredictable." - John D. Krumboltz

The main tenet of Planned Happenstance theory is "things in life will happen", whether we like them or not, and you can or need to prepare to see and take up these opportunities in your life.

Krumboltz et al recognizes that career planning didn't depend on one off career decisions taken as a teenager or as a working professional. Rather career planning is ongoing, often unplanned or influenced by unplanned and unpredictable events. 

So next time, when you find yourself in dilemma and in self-doubt and feeling miserable for lack of clarity about your next career steps, tell yourself "It's OKAY not to have a Plan!"

After this comforting self-talk, take the key points of Krumboltz et al 'Planned Happenstance Theory' and apply them in your career journey:

1. Be aware of your surroundings - it's important to see opportunities and to keep your options open
2. Take a risk, even with rejection as possible outcome - trying is better than not trying at all. Not trying leads to lost opportunities
3. Be adaptable and open-minded - accept changes and engage with them. Say 'yes' when you can, not when there's no other option 
4. Qualities that helps to make the most of the chanced opportunities are:

• Curiosity
• Persistence
• Flexibility
• Optimism
• Risk taking

     5. Attributes to help turn chance opportunities into career opportunities are:

• Commitment to ongoing learning
• Ongoing self-assessment
• Feedback from others
• Effective networking
• Work life balance
• Financial planning for unemployment 

 In our culture, we are expected to be decisive about our careers goals and to have a plan. This cultural value attribution puts those who are uncertain under pressure and makes them feel inadequate. 

I hope it's now evident to you, that an undecided person who is actively exploring and learning about career opportunities may very well carve out an unexpected, but fulfilling career. 

Even those who have clearly defined career goals now, it may not remain fixed forever. They may find their goals changing over a period of time, as life progresses and situation changes. 

So remember, it's also OKAY not to have a plan. Just keep yourself open to chance events, be curious, be optimistic, take risk, be flexible, stay persistent, keep learning and explore new opportunities. Who knows what you'll end up doing!

#career #learning #success #opportunity #luck #life #careerguidance #careerplanning #careercoach #counselling #careergoals #destiny #wisdom #hope #believe #trust #journey #lifejourney #inspiration #plannedhappenstance #krumboltz

References:

1. The Week magazine cover story 'Lessons Life Has Taught Me' also features Harsha Bhogle, Ritu Kumar, Sushmita Sen, Narayan Murthy and Tarun Tahiliani. https://www.theweek.in/tag.theweek~package@Lessonslifehastaughtme.html
2. https://ed.stanford.edu/news/stanford-professor-john-d-krumboltz-who-developed-theory-planned-happenstance-dies
3. https://marcr.net/marcr-for-career-professionals/career-theory/career-theories-and-theorists/planned-happenstance-theory-krumboltz-levin/

Book Insights 1/3- THE SQUIGGLY CAREER by Helen Tupper & Sarah Ellis

It has been a while I have been contemplating with the idea of writing book summaries. Given the time constraints we all have, book summaries serve as a valuable resource as you can pick the key takeaways and learnings in couple of minutes of your reading. 

This blog is a only a summary note of the book and does not capture the full content and all the details. 

This blog is written for academic purpose, please do provide citation to the book The Squiggly Career, Authors - Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis, Publisher - Penguin Random House, UK.

I encourage the readers to buy the book for a detailed reading. 

It's available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/Squiggly-Career-Ladder-Discover-Opportunity/dp/0241385849 

This book summary is of THE SQUIGGLY CAREER, authors – Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis, published by Penguin Random House UK, which I read (rather listened to it on Audible).

There are total of eight chapters in the book.

·       Welcome to Your Squiggly Career

·       Chapter 1: The Squiggly Career

·       Chapter 2: Super Strengths

·       Chapter 3: Values

·       Chapter 4: Confidence

·       Chapter 5: Networks

·       Squiggly Careers Summaries

·       Chapter 6: Future Possibilities

·       Chapter 7: Squiggly Career Conundrums

·       Chapter 8: 100 Pieces of Career Advices

Welcome to Your Squiggly Career Summary

Today’s careers are no more like Staircase/Ladders, rather they are Spaghetti like Squiggly Careers.

The five career skills required in this modern world of work are:

1.      Super strengths (things you are great at and applying these at work)

2.      Values (What motivates and drives you?)

3.      Confidence (Belief in yourself, build your resilience and support system)

4.      Networks (People help people, build a network based on giving)

5.      Future possibilities (Career plans are things of the past, explore the possibilities and take control)

Chapter1: The Squiggly Career (Summary)

1.      The career ladder analogy has lost it’s usefulness for describing today’s career.

2.      The Who, What, When, Why and Where of Work are all changing simultaneously.

3.      No size fits all approach to career development has become irrelevant and impossible.

4.      No one cares about your career as much as you do. Self-reflection, Self-awareness and Continuous Learning is a must-do and not nice thing to do.

5.      JD (job description) is no more stagnant in today’s VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) work environment.

6.      Rethink on your relationship with learning. Identify yourself  as a learner than being a knower.   

7.      9 am to 5 pm schedule is fast disappearing.

8.      Design your own operating system.

9.      Understanding your Why of work will improve your decision making at work and make you feel fulfilled at work.

10.   Five skills which will make you succeed: Super strengths, Values, Confidence, Networks and Future possibilities.

 

Chapter 2: Super strengths (Summary)

1.      Strengths are the things you are good at. Super strengths are the things you are brilliant at.

2.      Spent 80% of your time focusing on your strengths stronger and 20% of your time in mitigating any specific weaknesses relevant to your job.

3.      Strengths are the combination of your natural talents and learned experiences.

4.      Natural talents are what you are good at. We often underestimate them and the positive impact it has on work.

5.      Ask your colleague/friends/family for three words that describe you (feedback).

6.      Your learned strengths are combination of your work, knowledge, expertise and behaviour.

7.      You can find and evaluate your own super strengths vs strengths by four criteria success, frequency, openness and happiness.

8.      Know what you want people to say about you when you are not in the room.

9.      Ask for strength based feedback – e.g. can you tell me when I was in my best this week?

10.   Take practical action to ensure your strengths are visible and stands out. E.g. Job crafting, taking special projects, team-based strength identification, online presence.

 

Chapter 3: Values (Summary)

1.      Values makes you YOU. It motivates and drives you.

2.      Values are formed in three phases: spongy, copycat and rebel. They are fully established by the time you reach your early 20’s.

3.      Knowing your values helps you in three ways: a. Knowing your values at work, b. Using empathy and c. Using values as a career compass to make better decisions.

4.      You have 3 to 5 core values which are your strongest motivator, which are ultimately most important to you.

5.      You have a set of value which effects your work and personal life. Values are not for value judgement.

6.      Values can positively and negatively affect you. Hence knowing and making use of values positively will have a productive impact in your career.

7.      Careers must have and must not give clues to your values.

8.      Defining what your values means to you, will help you share them with other people at work.

9.      Understanding others values helps in creating teams with high trust, empathy and where everyone feels comfortable being themselves.

10.   Knowing your values and living them is a work for life. So do revisit them regularly.

 

Chapter 4: Confidence (Summary)

1.      Confidence is a skill. It can be learned, practiced and improved.

2.      Confidence gremlins holds you back at work and everyone has them.

3.      Work out  to identify the triggers of your confidence gremlins and when it holds you back.

4.      To test and overcome your confidence gremlins, take small actions.

5.      Reward yourself for taking actions towards your confidence gremlins.

6.      Confidence and success goes hand in hand. More successes you get, the more confidence you build.

7.      The three R of building a success mindset: Recognise, Record and Run your own race.

8.      Build your support system around with people who love you, understand you, challenge you and inspire you.

9.      Use confidence boosters to calm yourself down in tense moments.

10.   Our top three confidence boosters are: Watch your words, Be in your body and Practice makes perfect. 

 

Chapter 5: Networks (Summary)

1.      Networking is people helping people.

2.      In a Squiggly career, your network helps you to develop meaningful relationship, gain access to diverse perspective and build your brand.

3.      Everyone can build a network, whether you are an introvert or an extrovert. Best relationships are build with authenticity and which is right for you.

4.      To build a brilliant network you need three Ds: to be Discerning, to be Deliberate  and to be Diverse in your approach.

5.      Access the strengths and gaps in your networks by identifying the network you have which supports your current role, future possibilities and personal development.

6.      The best network is build on what you can give, without expectations of immediate gain.

7.      To identify what you can give to a network, start with your strengths and passion and how these can be helpful to other people.

8.      Not everyone will say yes to networking request. So don’t get disheartened and take it personally.

9.      Know what role you are playing in a network: Consumer, Connector, Contributor or Creator.

10.   Developing a network takes time, energy and it is a work in progress.

 

Chapter 6: Future Possibilities (Summary)

1.      The stage life of education, work and retirement is getting replaced by multi-stage, multi-transitional squiggly career.

2.      Ditch your career plan in favour of exploring future possibilities.

3.      Define your obvious, ambitious, dreams and pivot possibilities.

4.      For discovering a future possibility, be specific what you need to know and who can help you.

5.      Future possibilities focus on your What and career vision focuses on your Why.

6.      Use a vision board (manifesto) to point out what is important for you.

7.      Treat yourself as work in progress to future proof your future career.

8.      People with high CQ (Curiosity Quotient) are better placed to work effectively in ambiguity and uncertainty.

9.      Feedback should be regular.

10.   Grit is more important than talent as an indicator for success.

 

Chapter 7: Squiggly Career Conundrums (Summary)

Seven common career conundrums:

1.      Should I start a side project?

2.      How do I find a mentor.

3.      What should I do if my organization does not invest in training?

4.      How do I achieve work-life balance?

5.      Should I stay? Or should I go?

6.      How do I build my personal brand?

7.      How can I be a leader, when I don’t have a team?

Should I start a side project?

Starting side projects is becoming mainstream.

Side projects can be related to your passion (hobby), problem solving (unmet needs), or idea testing side project (pilot).

Tips for starting your side projects:

·        Start your side project and don’t wait for perfection.

·        Collaborate with others on your side project.

·        Share your side projects with many others.

·        Learn and leap-frog.

·        Have fun.

One book to read: Do Fly: Find Your Way. Make a Living. Be Your Best Self – Gavin Strange. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26782674-do-fly

One video to watch: Don’t Complain, Create – Tina Roth Eisenberg. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk9sUoqiutQ

How do I find a mentor?

Don’t limit yourself to one type of mentor (e.g. seniority). Find mentors based on their expertise and not on their age.

Mentoring relationship can be short term or long term, depending on the career needs.

Become a mentor yourself.

While reaching out for mentoring, don’t make it too formal. You can request for informal conversation time on specific areas where you are looking for advice.

It’s not necessary to know all your mentors personally. You can learn from distant learning mentors.

Three self-reflection questions before seeking for a mentor: What do I want to learn and why? Whom I already know who can help me learn what I want to learn or can get me connected to someone? How can I ask for mentoring in a way which is interesting and meaningful to me.

One book to read: Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor: The New Way to Fast Track Your Career. – Sylvia Ann Hewlett

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/17290914-forget-a-mentor-find-a-sponsor

One video to watch: The secret to great opportunities? Tanya Menon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFgtI7nt6Q4

What should I do if my organization does not invest in training?

Take ownership of your own career development.

Apply for grants for funding your own learning, Seek support from your manager/organization (flexibility in time for pursuing learning).

Create your own curriculum from MOOCs.

Create your own learning style and learning community.

Be a learning advocate.

 One book to read: Mindset: Changing The Way You Think – Carol S. Dweck

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54328136-mindset---updated-edition

One video (YouTube channel) to watch: https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse

How do I achieve work-life balance?

What balance means to you, requires self-reflection.

Consider Work Life Integration.

Focus on two inter-related aspects: Feelings and Choices.

Strive to have some control on the time you spend and make conscious choices and decisions.

Choices to make: Get good sleep (7-8 hours), Do exercise, Take a break (have a downtime), Turn off notifications and stop overuse of technology, Make a friend, Don’t be apologetic/guilty.

One book to read: Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom and Wonder – Arianna Huffington.

One video to watch: How to Gain Control of Your Free Time? Laura Vanderkam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3kNlFMXslo

 Should I stay? Or should I go?

Are you Happy? And Are you Learning? (your answer should be yes)

What’s the job after the next job? (think new possibilities, take your time and don’t feel pressurized to take up a role if it does not suit you).

Apply your strengths and your values at work.

Enjoy the journey rather than the destination. (in squiggly career destination is unclear)

Work on improving your working relationship with your manager.

Consider are you running from something in your old role? (if you are running away from something it will impact your quality of decision) Or Are you drawn towards something in your new role? (positive drive will have a long term positive impact).

One book to read: The Start of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career – Reid Hoffman https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12030438-the-start-up-of-you

One video to watch: Why You Will Fail to Have a Great Career Larry Smith Ted Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKHTawgyKWQ

How do I build my personal brand?

Build your authentic personal brand so that interesting opportunities and possibilities come to you.

Make your brand visible.

Five personal brand principles: Start with your strengths and values, Being mindful your personal brand is everywhere, Make a positive Impact, Win-win: your personal brand should benefit you and your organization, Invest your time and energy in building your personal brand.

One book to read: The Story Factor: Inspiration, Influence, and Persuasion through the Art of Story Telling – Annette Simmons https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/575386.The_Story_Factor

One video to watch: How to Build Your Personal Brand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q-AlAG8a2Q

How can I be a leader, when I don’t have a team?

Time is changing. Organizations are adopting more agile ways of working and are looking outcomes rather than functioning out of organizational chart.

Many organizations are experimenting with Holacracy (a method of decentralized management and organizational governance. Self-governance by team themselves).  (Look up

Successful Leaders have the following qualities in common: Good listener, Self-aware, Stay Curious, Ability to Influence and Persuade others, Invest in self-learning and developing others.

Think laterally.

Lateral leadership ideas – Volunteer yourself, Take up a problem to solve, Become a Mentor, Look for opportunities for gaining exposure to leadership activities, Focus on your strengths and lateral leadership experiences.

One book to read: Why Should Anyone Be Led By You? Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/91832-why-should-anyone-be-led-by-you

Chapter 8: 100 Pieces of Career Advice (Summary)

This chapter has 100 career advices from people who have inspired the authors in their career journey.

Learning Resources from Squiggly Careers authors:

Visit Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis website: Amazing If

https://www.amazingif.com/

Tune into Squiggly Careers Podcast

                  https://www.amazingif.com/listen/ 

Happy Learning by reading, watching and listening! 

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