The art of futureproofing your career

Here’s the thing - a lot of us realise that the key to a good life - at work, at home, our whole life - is more about enjoying each moment and living according to our own values rather than by other people’s views of what success looks like ...

But how does this enlightening insight stack up in an everchanging world designed and built by lightning quick technology? 

Do you remember back in the day how teachers, parents, career counsellors would offer their guidance to help you make "the right career choice." Well look around, with the speed of technological change, it’s easy to see that this "right career choice" is a myth: the idea that time spent on the "wrong" ladder or studying the "wrong" course is a waste of time if we don’t then complete the course or climb the ladder. Let’s face it, in today’s world, even the walls we have propped our career ladders against are themselves moving

The great news is, even in this evermoving world, skills and insight acquired in a previous career may be precisely what makes us shine in our next career. Similarly, if a false career move shows us that the story we have been telling ourselves about our dream job isn’t true, it can free us from regret, from thinking "what if" or "if only", as we explore other possibilities with fresh eyes. In discovering our dream career was not actually our dream at all, or that as the world has changed, our dream career no longer stimulates and challenges us, we learn something new about what we enjoy, what we’re good at or not, what we value or don’t value doing each day

In reality; we can fail to find our "right" career but love a job because the people are wonderful. Or find a job we love but loathe it because the work culture is totally toxic. Or have a soul-destroying job, but keep at it, even be thankful for it, because any job that pays the rent is the "right" job, right now

In a world designed by and made by data driven technology, it’s all about adapting, creating new avenues, new options. Being open, curious, human and creative is our edge

Not knowing exactly what we want to do in our next job gives us the freedom to try new things, look beyond the obvious and more easily adapt to the working world around us

Futureproofing is retaining an open mind. Working hard, trying to make good choices, and remembering we might have to, or want to, change our mind - perhaps more than once - and that’s OK - that’s about keeping our options open - that’s Futureproofing. That’s living our life on our own terms, adapting to the world around us. That’s avoiding feeling stuck and trapped. That’s moving with the times

When we futureproof something, we design or change it so that it will continue to be useful or successful in the future if the situation changes

How about today you do something to ensure you are actively opening avenues and options for your future

The biggest mind-set shift is to realise that futureproofing your career is not a science but an art. It is creative rather than purely data driven. You might be surprised to know that most people don’t have their future figured out and aren’t aware of where they want to “end up” in their career. The ones who have sussed this mind-set shift focus on expanding their repertoire, expanding their skill-set and expanding their knowledge without anyone prompting them to do so and as importantly without having a destination in mind. It truly is about taking full advantage of the journey, making the journey one of adventure and exploration. If we could all adopt this approach in our working life then we wouldn’t have to wait until HR tapped us on our shoulder, or our line manager offered us some company training. Not taking this approach is being reactive - it is like a mouse entrusting its life to only one hole. That’s a big part of why so many people feel despondent, under fulfilled, and lacking a sense of purpose at work - they are relying on someone else to create their future - their boss or HR

We are passionate about people regaining a sense of adventure about learning and growing, creating an adventure, exploring options and taking their development into their own hands. That’s why we have created the lifestyle brand of Progressfull, so people can make learning a lifestyle and enjoy the experience

Futureproofing is not just about giving you the skills required to accelerate and move forward, futureproofing your work-life. It includes recalibrating, recasting, reinventing, and resetting. If ever there was a time for recalibrating, recasting and reinventing ourselves it is now

Futureproofing - the art of taking full advantage of your working life. Today decide where you want to upskill and create new avenues - a skill, some knowledge, an experience, or your mind-set – to start futureproofing you

To help you recalibrate, reinvent and reset we decided to create an Upskill to help you futureproof yourself...

Our Futureproof muscles Upskill combines bite-sized videos, private podcasts, 121 Mentor sessions, bespoke Journals and purposeful self-reflection exercises for you to apply - at home, at work, in your whole life

Building Futureproof muscles focusses on your career and what it takes to win today and tomorrow in the world of work - building the mind-sets of winning well, standing out, connecting courageously and futureproofing me. You will grow your influence, your reputation and your future options, increasing your impact in your organisation and beyond

Discover our Futureproof muscles Upskill here