Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Finding A Career In Technology Driven Market

In the age of Information Technology and global economy, every phenomenon is getting changed with alacrity. Technology progresses and challenges everyone to adapt to new ways of living and working. The phrase “24/7” has entered the psyche of everyone right from the CEOs to executives at the lower rung of an organisation. Yes, the world has changed, and changed substantially. What is in vogue today becomes a passing fad tomorrow. New concepts, new technologies, new pursuits, have been churning out in the global economy.
What needs to be done in such a highly competitive field of business? There are a few people, who want to survive rather thrive at any cost and do anything to change the tides flowing against them, are often very competitive by nature, viewing everything as a challenge or competition, well-equipped to survive in today's dog-eat-dog world. But for those of us who are not by nature quite so competitive need to imbibe certain well drawn strategies to be successful in their career pursuits.
What type of career do you dream about? The days of working for the same company for a lifetime are long gone and in some industries having one job for a significant period of time is frowned upon rather than considered an asset. There's no easy answer, but here are some of the key rules that can help us succeed:
Rule 1: Motivation is the sutra of success.
The sutra to understanding personal motivation is to recognize what actually energizes you, what kinds of career, activities, people, and situations are personally stimulating and fulfilling. For Avaneesh Mathur, a business analyst, teamwork and a spirit of innovation are the keys to sustaining motivation. Avaneesh changes careers every three or four years when he feels that his environment is resistant to change. After each job change, he finds himself re-energised by a new set of challenges and teammates.
Surekha Sikri, on the other hand, is energized and motivated by the need to make a contribution. She needs to feel like her work matters and makes a difference. This need convinced Surekha to switch from banking to insurance. Both professions involve a bottom-line mentality, but now she enjoys using her ingenuity and people skills to convince people to go for an insured life.
Rule 2: Success is 90% perspiration and 10% inspiration.
Any spectacular rise takes preparation and hard work. Thomas Edison once remarked that “a genius is a talented person who does his homework.” It’s not enough to be ambitious. The world is filled with ambition. And the path to success is littered with discarded dreams and disillusioned people who never achieved the recognition or success they felt they deserved.
It is a wise saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” There’s a learning curve -- the so-called “journey.” The lessons and skills you learn on the path to accomplishment can be as rewarding as the goal itself.
Indeed, it’s wiser to think in terms of “everyday successes” or little wins, rather than focus on the giant jackpot. Little wins add up to big wins and are more easily achievable. These little victories are the building blocks of a good reputation, the name you acquire for yourself through your work.
Rule 3: Go after your dream
Missions are the values or dreams that drive super achievers to pursue excellence. Even dream jobs can be hard work, but, it does make life much easier when you are doing something you love.
Rule 4: Honour your talents
The more we are able to develop our many intelligences that include linguistic, musical, spatial, kinesthetic, emotional, interpersonal, and interpersonal intelligences, the more capable and evolved we will become. Understanding yourself as a multifaceted individual with many talents and possibilities also enables you to expand your vision of your own career potential.
Many ambitious people don’t invest fully in their own talents. When you commit yourself to developing your full potential, you’ll enjoy the career-building process more because you won’t be focusing exclusively on external rewards. The process of growing and developing all your abilities can be inherently satisfying and allow you to create a unique and meaningful career path.
Rule 5: Manage yourself
You can win the rat race and still be a rat. But if you manage your self well, you can win the rat race without turning into a rat. This involves developing a good working relationship with your thoughts, feelings and actions.
Your feelings can be your ally. Use them to create and accomplish meaningful goals, rather than engage in self-sabotage. Between feeling and productive action lies rational thought. Before acting spontaneously on negative feelings, calm down and then develop and implement an effective action plan.
Rule 6: Take calculated risks
When building a career in the competitive world, you must be willing to take risks to reap the rewards of risks taken. Obviously, this requires knowing how to differentiate real danger from fantasy. Not every stranger is dangerous, nor is every job or career change a high-wire act.
A solution to successful risk-taking is knowing your risk tolerance level. To do that, you must be able to evaluate the possible repercussions of your decisions and live with the worst-case scenario. Let me tell you that what many otherwise ambitious careerists fail to understand is that not taking a risk is also a risk. There’s a risk involved in not trying and along with the risk of failing, there’s the risk of regret. Instead of having risk of regret, better you should take a well calculated risk.
Professionally speaking, your place to stand is where you settle on to plant your feet in the world of work—whether in the courtroom, laboratory, classroom, on stage, or in front of a computer. It’s where you feel comfortable enough to practice your craft, exercise your skill or demonstrate your leadership.
So, imbibe these rules in your perception and day to day activities, if you want to make a niche for yourself in the competitive world. Be alert and flexible in your approach let you find a career of your choice.