The first step to capitalizing on the uncertainty of today’s career landscape is simply knowing about it. At first glance, this may appear to be but a small step, but in fact this knowledge legitimizes the struggles that individuals experience, redirecting some of the pressure and blame that people put on themselves onto the realities of the world around them. Let’s use a few examples to illustrate this experience.

Take an individual, ‘Person A’. Person A has always believed in a linear career process, which can express itself in different ways:

go to college >> get a job in a field directly related to the major >> work in that organization for 30+ years >> retire;

or

start working in an organization in an entry-level position from a young age >> ‘work their way up’ >> retire from the same organization or from another where they maintained roughly the same job title. (For more in-depth description about the non-linearity of careers, please read my previous blog post The Current Landscape of Work).

Unfortunately, at this time, Person A is at a difficult crossroads in their career. They may be having trouble finding work, they are unsure about what to do after they graduate from college, or they feel stuck in their career. To address the considerable difficulty they are experiencing, they first turn to their own personal understanding of the world of work – the linear career path. Person A quickly realizes that their current dilemmas do not fit with their idea of how careers develop. Specifically, based on Person A’s concerns: they may attribute their trouble finding work to themselves, not being good or qualified enough; they may relate the uncertainty regarding what to pursue post-graduation to their own indecisiveness; they may force themselves to ‘suck it up’ and/or ‘stick it out’ in their current field even though they may feel stagnant in it, because they believe that people should and do stay within their own area of specialty. The linear belief system may be reinforced by messages received from family, friends, the media – all of which are powerfully influential – and Person A may think to themselves: “That many people can’t all be wrong. So the structure is sound, which can only mean that I am the one who does not fit, and there must be something wrong with me”. Enter worry. Enter self-doubt. Enter anxiety. All of which contribute negatively by removing the focus and energy away from finding work, to instead focussing firmly on the self: how one is a failure, does not fit, can’t find work, will not be successful, etc. Add to the fact that it is not uncommon for work-related stress to spill over onto areas of life unrelated to work (family, friends, relationships, hobbies), and Person A has a perfect storm on their hands, firmly rooted in self-doubt, and insecurity. Hardly the ideal state in which to be when one needs to dedicate time and energy to an already-challenging career situation.

Now, let’s turn to our attention to ‘Person B’. Person B is at a similar crossroads then Person A, and still feels unstable as a result of it. The only difference is that Person B perceives the world of work as it truly is – not linear but rather unpredictable and uncertain and recognizes and anticipates that the road ahead may be a turbulent one. Just like Person A, Person B may experience difficulty finding work, may struggle with the difficult decision of whether or not to re-career or re-train, or question the value or worth of seeking work in a field they enjoy but at a lower pay grade than they are used to. Again, just like with Person A, all of these scenarios are likely to cause distress for Person B. The main difference is that Person B, because they know that it’s “tough going out there”, may have a tendency to attribute these difficulties to the realities in the world of work as opposed to attributing them to themselves. In time, Person B may become more comfortable with these realities, and recognize that they are not alone in experiencing these challenges. This is not to say that belief in an unpredictable, non-linear career path automatically immunizes against self-doubt, anxiety, and insecurity. But it may slow them all down, helping Person B to re-direct their angst onto the system and away from themselves, allowing them to gather the energy required to attempt to overcome their current career-related struggles.

Naturally, the scenarios described above are caricaturized representations of reality, simplified for the purpose of illustration. The lives of individuals are more complex and a myriad of factors can and do influence one’s career and belief about how careers work. However, the basic message underscoring the benefit of adopting the right mindset remains vital.

Belief in the linear career path is ‘sticky’ and hard to shake for a few reasons. First, it has history on its side. In the not-too-distant past and for centuries before it, careers were considerably more linear. And even if we understand – either intellectually or ‘on paper’ – that the norm is shifting away from linearity, we as humans tend to integrate change rather slowly. Second, some very high-profile career paths remain linear to this day, such as being a doctor or a lawyer – ‘linear’ in that there is generally one prescribed method for gaining licensure to practice, in this case attending medical school or passing the bar exam, respectively. (Having said this, in true non-linear fashion, the paths that individuals follow to get to medical school or to the bar exam vary from individual to individual.) Finally, a linear career path is teasingly enticing, for its simplicity and its predictability that says “if you go this way, you will get here.” Who wouldn’t want such a promise? Part of the difficulty of accepting non-linear careers is that many of us want to believe in career linearity, because it simplifies an increasingly complex process. Summing up: it used to be the norm, in (few) occurrences it remains the norm, and if it were applied to our lives, it would make our lives a whole lot easier.

Despite its lure, we need to accept that the landscape of work has changed, look it straight in the face and unapologetically say: “it’s not me, it’s you”.

Written by Julien Elia, M.A.