Creating a Gem of a Career

Fast Company offers a very realistic view of the best habits to expand your career opportunities.

They suggest that you use the power of social networking and free flowing nature of personal information to your advantage. Build a network of really great friends and keep up regular contact.

Understand that anyone can find out the intimate details of your life that you or anyone else posted online. What does this mean? You should deeply understand who you are what you want from your life. In the future, employers and partners will be directly targeting potential hires, instead of posting and waiting (the Web 1.0 way).

Labor trends point to the increasing importance of adaptability. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average worker currently holds 10 different jobs before hitting age 40. Job tenures now hover around four years.

Employees are more willing to pursue the next opportunity because they know that different responsibilities, people and situations will energize them in new ways. People are no longer looking for the holy grail of jobs; they want new experiences and new learning opportunities. They want to experiment with their careers. Society promotes career experimentation as highly desirable.

Interesting people care. Everyone has a few passions in their life, which they pursue relentlessly and love to talk about incessantly. In an ever growing sea of famous people not only do you need to be interesting, you need to be remarkable.

Obama @ Google

Obama presents his platform for Innovation. He suggests increasing focus on supporting risk in the marketplace. A very noble goal, indeed. Considering the US census says that about 2/3 of Americans hope to own their own business at some point in their life, and nearly 40% plan to do so within the next year.

One of Obama’s promises is to build Government 2.0, and make the decisions of White House more accessible. I agree that opening up access to decisions by the governments, and the results of those decisions, can only make those decisions clearer. Even if a broader range of opinion inputs are not collected, at least it keeps people more sympathetic towards the government that Americans historically distrust.

All of the words that leave his mouth sound fantastic, but I would not have posted this commentary if there wasn’t a deeper message. His approach inspired me. It is Obama’s solid character that was the inspiration. Notice that the reason he wants to post the federal budget online is to make those in power more accountable for their decisions. I get the sense that he is present and clear in his understanding of real life. He presents himself with a strong sense of responsibility and honesty.

He says it himself; I bring judgment, vision, and character. To speak up forcefully for what I believe in. To stand up for what I believe in, even when it’s unpopular. These are the qualities I look for in a leader, and that’s why he inspired me.

Note: I am Canadian, and am not suggesting that any presidential candidate is any more worthy than any other.