Be strategic in our skills acquisition
Some individual job switches within the same cluster of work will only require the acquisition of a few new skills.
Research tells us that for someone who has already been trained for or worked in one job, there are up to 44 other different jobs they could do within the same job cluster.
For example, an aircraft baggage handler may already possess most of the top skills required to become a customs and inspection officer except for the knowledge on legal compliance and inspection.
By understanding that jobs are related within the same job cluster and that our skills are more portable between different jobs within the same job cluster, we have the opportunity to be more strategic in the navigation of our dynamic working lives.
This means that rather than seeing learning, training, and personal development as a one-off learning activity, we must continuously upgrade ourselves and strategically build our portfolio of portable skills within a specific job cluster.
This may mean that we should not have any ‘skills mismatch’ if that person has relevant portfolio of skills.
We also have to strategically target our key learning areas to secure our work and open up work and career opportunities throughout our lifetime.
To do so, we need to develop a mindset that thinks about how our existing skills are valuable for multiple different job roles rather than being limited to only one job.
But here’s the caveat.
Low-wage workers can get trapped in largely manual jobs because of the difficulty of acquiring better-paid skills. Some may say that workers whose manual jobs are becoming more automated could learn new skills to stay employed.
But the difficulty of jumping from physical work to a job that requires mainly social and cognitive skills should not be underestimated even if it is within the same job cluster.
Knowledge is only potential power
We often fear what we don’t understand.
Educate yourself about how automation is or could impact your industry, job, and skills. Use this to better understand and shape your future, to be job-ready and future-ready.
The more knowledgeable you are about the challenges and opportunities, the more you will be able to adapt and make automation work for you, rather than against.
There is room to continuously up-skill and re-skill ourselves throughout your career because the future of work will be all about lifelong learning.
You don’t necessarily have to spend a lot of money or use up company time and budget. There are many timely, cost-effective, and even free ways to upskill in your own time, whether it’s at home, during your commute or on holiday.
They include learning a new language or two due to globalisation and automation, volunteering in unfamiliar environments, learning from someone who is already where you want to be, training or mentoring others, talking to others inside and outside your industry, listening to webinars, podcasts, and live events, starting a blog, reading, and teaching yourself to be social media savvy,
How to shift your mindset to craft the skills you need
Why is it important for you to acquire new skills?
It is essential to rely on your “why” or your motives. A sense of purpose will do magic in the darkest moments as you push through the process of acquiring new skills.
Try not to overcomplicate stuff. Don’t over-think this. Just do it.
Consistency and perseverance trump any other character trait when it comes to achieving your goals and future-proofing yourself.