Once upon a time, long long ago, there was a professional who had a great career path, lesser workplace politics, optimum work-life balance, and would smile as he left for work every day. Those were the good old days, right? Wrong! Even if we want to believe in a utopian past, to sulk over our current work environment more, the fact is that every generation has its own set of career challenges. Businesses have to work around a complex set of variables to ensure that they thrive and grow. Similarly, professionals need to battle their own demons and overcome the career obstacles to carve a successful career path for themselves. Today, we will look at the top 5 common career challenges that most people face and how you can overcome them in 2019.
The most common Career Challenges
Over the last few years, most organizations are moving to technological systems (including AI), multi-location operations, and remote working teams. Add to this the huge generation gap between the experienced baby boomers and the current millennial workforce, and you have a unique set of obstacles that both organizations and employees face. Here are the top five:
Spouse getting transferred to a different city or country
India has evolved from being a single-income household economy to a double-income one. Be it the increasing costs of living or the career-focus of the modern woman, most households have both man and woman working on their respective careers while creating a family by sharing responsibilities. While this sounds amazing, it also brings with it a hurdle.
What happens if one spouse receives an involuntary transfer to another city or country?
Also, it is an offer that will do his/her career a lot of good. What should the other partner do?
The harsh reality is that one of the two partners has to make a bigger sacrifice. However, it does not mean that you allow the relocation to disrupt your career. You can ask your spouse to get the new company to offer him/her benefits which can help you minimize the disruption.
Changing the course of your career
While looking at changing careers (not jobs), many people tend to have a very narrow approach. They apply to jobs only if their previous experience matches the requirement completely. In other words, they apply for jobs only if they think that they fit the profile 100%. However, with changing times, employers are looking at certain personality traits in employees more than their certificates or years of experience. Therefore, if you are planning a career change, then you need to start looking at opportunities with a different perspective. Focus on the non-technical skills you possess and try to look for careers that demand them.
Also read: Intimidated by Career Transition? 4 Ways to embrace yours!
Ageism
In the current times, there are baby boomers, generation Xers, generation Yers, and millennial professionals working together in most offices. In such a market, losing a job later in life can put you in a spot where you find it difficult to find work. Learn to work cohesively with people from different generations and understand what makes them tick. This will make your task of finding the next job much easier.
Also read: Are you working in a group or a team? Find out! Your success depends on it!
Spoilt for choice
Of all the career challenges, I think, having too many options is the biggest challenge. Think about it, there is so much information and so many options available, that it is practically impossible to assess them all and come to a decision. Hence, the key lies in discovering your own passion, strengths, and weaknesses before making any radical career decisions.
Keeping yourself updated and upgraded at all times
Be it a technical skill or new policies or even new software in the office, if you don’t update and upgrade yourself, then you take the risk of being left behind. As a rule of the thumb, remember, if you are not learning something new once every few months, then you will stagnate yourself in your career. Keep the student inside you alive all through your professional journey.
At Change Ur Story, identifying and overcoming career challenges is what we do every day. All you need to do is sign up for our Career Coaching Program and we will help you identify the obstacles that are holding you back in your career. Further, we will help you create a roadmap that will help you create a fulfilling professional journey. We will be waiting to hear from you.
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