The word “career” originated in the 16th century to denote a short gallop by a horse at a racecourse. Interestingly, this reminds me of my first venture - Startup Safari and our initial set of team members who we had hired straight out of campus. At Startup Safari we were building a seamless network of global entrepreneurs who could accelerate across borders through our community platform and experiential programs. We were driven to build a purposeful travel organization with a deep belief in the power of people and collective learning methodologies.

Our core team’s trust in our cause and mission was one of the reasons we were able to build globally at a bootstrapped budget. As we moved into our growth phase 18 months later - something interesting happened. All three of them quit.

Initially, Vidushi (my Co-Founder) and I thought we lost them somewhere due to weak culture or stagnated growth. But during one of the exit interviews, something surprising took place. One of the team members shared this  - “I am at the Hop on Hop Off stage of my career.” (For those who have traveled across Europe/America, you would be very familiar with this bus ride) “I don’t have a strong reason to quit but I want to try the world outside. I am not ready for a destination yet.”

This has been a growing trend and one of the biggest evolutions if you look at careers in the last 5 years - more and more of us today look at our professional life as a Hop On Hop Off bus till we figure out a worthwhile destination. We are ready to risk not having a job and being settled is almost seen as being stagnant in our professional journey!

Let’s come back to the word itself - “career”.
As society evolved, ‘career’ was further defined as any continuous course of action or progress before in the 20th century, settling down its current definition i.e. one’s professional life. Now this is very interesting and actually at some level aligns with the mindset of the young professional generation. They look for action and progress and most times connect that to constant change. Hence, at some philosophical level the new age professionals have cracked the true meaning of the word “Career”

Let’s do another deep dive into the past (this is feeling like an episode of This is Us) and explore a bit on a concept called “Multipotentiality”. Unlike our careers today that are so focused on specializing in one or the other field, Multipotentiality is a psychological term referring to the ability and preference of a person, to excel in two or more different fields. In simple terms, it's the antidote to being a specialist.

Multipotentiality was the way of the past where we followed multiple interests and built a “profession” around them. There was no linear career path that was defined or destined for us. Let’s explore this a bit more: Multipotentialites had no “one true calling” the way specialists do.

Being a multipotentialite became your destiny itself. You ended up accessing many paths and pursuing them all, either sequentially or simultaneously (or both). Those professionals thrived on learning, exploring, and mastering new skills. Does this sound like something you have heard recently? This is exactly what the World Economic Forum defines as the number one skill to thrive in the 21st century - “Learnability”. Because the technology and professional eco-system is evolving at a faster speed than ever before, you are bound to get stuck at a railway station to catch a flight by becoming an Expert.

So if we are going back to how we were as professionals but the education system is still preparing us to become good at one thing/domain/stream and then how do we truly set ourselves for a successful career? This is where the focus needs to shift to one’s ownership of their own learning. Our HQ in Delhi has this beautiful artwork near the entrance that says: “Not all classrooms have four walls.” I believe that is the ethos to you building a successful career and staying relevant to the ever changing times. You need to find ways to learn and grow on the move through bite sized content as well as deep immersive experiences. The world is smaller and accessible than ever before and though hurdles of bias and economic access still exist, you can truly build a journey that is global and ever evolving in nature.

Summary:

Through this book, we try and answer these questions and lots more from the lens of our own experiences and adventures:
- Is formal education the only way to build a career? Or even the right way?
- What is the future of being a professional?
- How do you pivot and how often?
- Do we ever retire anymore or just keep evolving?
- How do I build a career in a world where skills eat knowledge?
- Do we do everything or one thing or nothing at all?

So how did I end up becoming a gig worker?The pandemic hit-how I accidentally became visible on LinkedIn, the ultimate pivot

Body:

Phase 1-Use "Networking" Phase-I was always the one reaching out to prospects and pitching my expertise. Sending customised messages on LinkedIn, sharing my portfolio on emails. My first project was with a student with Asperger's syndrome (my lucky charm). "I have identified the services I can sell." Researched and upskilled to sustain.

Phase 2: The "celebrity" phase- I started a YouTube channel and I resigned from a full-time job. I was getting recognised for my work, and people started approaching me on their own—I felt like a superstar until I heard about the payment. I often ended up agreeing to more than I could handle and working till late at night, no weekends, no holidays, because I didn’t want my only client to leave me. I did a couple of pro-bono projects for big brands too, to add to my portfolio. "I started selling my services."

Phase 3: The "On my own terms" phase, where you get one-in-a-million luck and establish yourself as a brand. I became LinkedIn Top Voice Next Gen 2022, started getting individual projects from people outside my existing network, this book writing project too and can now negotiate like a pro. I even turned down a lot of projects that did not fascinate me, or due to unavailability of time or the quotes not matching the brand value I created for myself. Currently, I am in the phase where I earn more for fewer hours of my invested time. "I sell my expertise rather than a service now."

Wrap Up: Suggestions
Identify your niche, customise your services, don't compromise on quality, always use empathy, never stop upskilling.

People born between 1975- 1990 are called a ‘Sandwich’ generation. 

We were brought up a certain way. While we saw our parents having very traditional and defined roles at home, we weren't exactly being raised with that mindset. We were also getting exposed to the world outside.

We didn't exactly grow up with computers but most of us were using it by the time we started work. Though MS Excel had only 10000 rows, we still never really worked with big registers and files!

The workplace was also different. As a youngster who joined work in the mid 90s, early 2000s, you had to earn your right to speak in a meeting. The roles in office were also traditional and well defined.

So as we started to work our way up the corporate ladder, there was a clearly defined way to grow. You stay in the same domain, you move up vertically, you don’t take career breaks and stay the course.

Unfortunately, mid way into our career, the workplace changed and shifted drastically. MS Excel got a million rows and there was more than one way to grow your career!

As a professional in my late 30s and early 40s, I no longer command the only voice in the room, I may become redundant if I stay in the same domain and I need to move laterally as well to grow my career further.

It is like we were preparing for a maths exam and someone gave us questions on history!

We are stuck between what we were brought up with (at home and at work) and what we wanted to see as a change but are not fully equipped to handle!

The question I hear from most of my coaching clients is - Am I too old to rethink my career?

A lot of them have spent decades in a domain which may not be relevant any more.

Let's start with a few reality checks today:

1. Workplace is different

2. Work is shifting

3. There is nothing called ‘Retirement’

4. Definition of relevance has changed

So how does one prepare to rethink their career at a later stage? What should I do? What skills do I need? What strengths do I need to leverage? What experiments should I be willing to take? What financial confidence should I have?

This chapter will delve deeper into each of these aspects with stories and examples of people who have realized that they need to shift their mindset from what they grew up with to what the world needs today.

What do you see when you open Linkedin? Many people in your network have either resigned and joined a new organisation or have started their entrepreneurial journey. This makes you wonder if it’s time for you to take the plunge too. This is a dilemma which is on the minds of millions of professionals around the world.

In the Indian context itself as per a recent article by business standard (September 29, 2022) attrition in the Indian IT industry touched 25% in FY22 and considering the size of big IT organisations (3 lakh- 5 lakh) one can imagine over a 100,000+ employees leaving a single organisation in a year. 

That brings us to a crucial question: Are we undervaluing what we already have? 

If you are in an established organisation and are not satisfied with your current role because it doesn’t fit with your strengths or values, chances are that you are leaving a lot on the table if you are resigning without exploring an internal transfer.

Having experienced the career pivot myself moving from the role of a software developer to a business analyst to changing function from IT to HR to Research & Innovation over the last 15 years I realised that taking a plunge like this is often a leap of faith. Utilising your transferable skills and using your personal brand through the power of your network can enable this transition smoothly within your organisation.

 Even in an established organisation there is often information asymmetry which means on one set there are a number of lucrative job opportunities which are open on other hand there are a number of employees who are frustrated with their current profile and are looking for similar profiles often outside.

 There is no single right answer to making a career pivot.One of my known colleagues joined a large IT services organisation as an entry level software engineer. After working for 2.5 years he realised that interacting and dealing with people excite him more than sitting and optimising lines of code. He did his own research on the way forward and realised that he can get the best of both worlds by opting for a sabbatical . By doing this he ensured that he has his job secured while he took Leave without pay to study for a 2 year MBA program specialising in HR from a prestigious B school after qualifying through CAT exam. He joined back in the organisation in an HR role as a Campus hiring lead with a revised compensation thus making a successful career pivot.This is a perfect example of people keeping their jobs and learning simultaneously. 

Another acquaintance got selected in a Masters program in Data Science through a WILP(Work integrated learning program) sponsored by his organisation. This offered him an opportunity to pursue a masters from a prestigious academic institute during weekends while continuing to earn his salary. Though there was no immediate revision in salary, intangible benefits more than made up for it by eventually leading to better role opportunities and faster promotion within the same organisation.

Quitting the job to move functions/industry/domains is one of the many options and can be taken up looking at one’s situation in life (Financial obligation, family responsibility etc)

People often wonder if moving across organisations is the only way to grow. Perhaps it's a fallacy as again I believe this is one of the many ways to grow . One of the biggest counterexamples is of Mr. Natrajan Chandrasekharan, currently Chairman of Tata Sons , holding company of Tata Group (Biggest conglomerate in India). He started his career as an intern at TCS in 1987 and grew up the ranks to become the CEO of TCS in 2009 and eventually chairman of Tata Sons in 2017. Staying in an organisation and using learning opportunities and experiences to build up your skills to move across functions/roles can be a great boon in the long term as one builds his equity over a long period.

Big question is how to assess if your organisation will allow such a pivot and accommodate you for new roles?

Couple of pointers can be considered to evaluate this objectively. 

• Look for existing examples where employees in your organisation have made such moves. If there are precedence than it makes your case stronger

• Reach out to your HR business partner to understand the organisation's policies around helping employees move across roles. Majority of progressive organisations have mechanism of internal job posting to enable this

• Explore ways in which your organisation can support you in filling the gap between your current role and aspired role.It can be through in house trainings, sponsored training, sponsored education program, sabbatical etc

• Look for people within your organisation who can be your mentor/coach/sponsor for this cause

In this chapter you will learn about what are different points people consider while doing a career pivot. What enables people to make a successful career pivot within their own organisation

How often do you wonder that your colleague’s role would have been a perfect career move for you? 

While many of us may wait for our supervisors to suggest the next role for our career progression, the choices offered, if any, may often not fit in with our career aspirations. For example if you aspire to move from IT delivery to a marketing role within your organisation it will be unfair to expect your supervisor to help you make that move. 

So how do you do it? The answer lies in the power of effectively leveraging your diverse network. As the famous saying goes “your network is your net worth”

For the above example,  a career conversation with a colleague who is already in a marketing role in your organisation may help you better discover valuable insights. Ranging from skills needed, qualification required, tools, expertise, current openings and even the insights on the key decision makers. Detailed information like this is often not published or not readily available to everyone in the organisation. But it can be your secret guide to making successful career transitions within your organisation.

I remember meeting a junior colleague a few years back, let's call him C, at my office library. We had a common interest in the local toastmasters club run by our organisation. C mentioned that they were looking to move from an IT programmer role in an internal organisation project to a business analyst role which can give them exposure to global customers. I immediately recalled my recent conversation with my previous project lead. She had a similar opening and was desperately looking for a suitable person. I made the connection with the Project manager and referred C who had  internal rounds of interview and was selected for this exciting Business Analyst role for a prestigious client project. Eventually a year later this led C to visit North America for the assignment at customer location and paved the path for C’s learning and future career growth. This role was not advertised internally and if C would not have leveraged a wider network than perhaps it would have been both difficult and longer for C to make this career transition.

Building your network is a slow and steady process but often the rewards of a diverse network are exponential. Post building your network comes the crucial phase of nurturing it. Nurturing a network is like managing a piggy bank. If you haven’t put any coins in it you would only draw a blank. Coin refers to the value you have added to your network, you cannot always ask for value from your network without first giving value to your network.

When I was making my career transition from IT to HR after completing my executive program in management, one of the colleagues I reached out to was the Campus hiring lead from our HR team, let's call him R. I had met R a few months back during a campus hiring drive. During this activity I spent a week helping R’s team by being part of an interview panel and delivering pre placement talk for employer branding at our key partner universities.This resulted in good bonding between us and R appreciated my passion towards helping young graduates become industry ready and strengthening the Industry-Academia partnership.

Through R I came to know of a strategic position of a regional lead in the HR team which was opening up in a few months. In the next few days I was introduced to the key decision making players for this role in my organisation and after going through multiple rounds of discussions and interviews I was offered my dream role in the HR function. Surprisingly I didn’t even know that such a role existed in the organisation just a month back.This for me was the perfect example of leveraging internal networks for successful career transition.

In this chapter you will read several real life stories and lessons which will help you in effective career transitions.You will also learn about tips and tricks which will help you in building a powerful network accelerating your career transition journey.

Job seekers today often mention "Company Culture" as a deciding factor for them while they scout for opportunities. Over the years we have seen this trend pick up where employees have changed companies mentioning they weren't a "Culture fit" in their current organization. Recruiters today have lost candidates despite beating every offer they had because the "company culture" wasn't something the candidate was sure of.

Well, the question still remains. What is workplace culture? How do you look at "Company Culture" from the outside? Are there patterns/metrics that can help you decide what your ideal next place would be? Who is responsible for workplace culture?

Introduction -

1.1 Culture is cultivated not created.

As someone who grew up in a family of teachers, books have always been the first thing you would spot when you enter the home. Reading was a culture at my house. Books were a symbol of that and while no one screamed it out loud, the actions were enough to make it feel evident. As we grew up in this culture, I kept absorbing the fact that being with books is a way of life around me. The 7-year-old me did not pick up a book just because it had a catchy cover, but somewhere I wanted to fit in. Reading made me feel more belonged.

Drawing parallels with a workplace - Imagine a company which believes in "obsession with customer experience" as a core cultural value. Day in and Day out every single leader speaks this language with their actions. Let that be taking a late-night call to solve a customer complaint, or going above and beyond to make sure a particular feature is shipped as promised, the value is instilled deeply in them. While this value may not really be written on a doc or called out on the workspace wall, it is something they all stand by. Has this happened overnight? No! This was a culture that has been cultivated with time. A new employee who has just made it to a company with high values may need not even go through a doc or presentation to look at the company values. Rather, if the value system is built right, the employee is able to witness it first-hand by just being there. Building a company culture is not a checklist item. It defines you as a company and what you stand by.

1.2 Defining culture.

Culture is how organisations do things. If humans are the hardware of an organisation, Culture is the software that keeps getting updated with time. Culture is what happens when no one is around.

2. Understanding Culture beyond fancy bean bags and high-end coffee machines.

While scouting your next opportunity, how would you look at a company culture? Sure platforms like glassdoor can give a sneak peek but what if you want to witness it first-hand?

Amazon believes in being a frugal company. Their actions speak that language. Leaders at AMZ come with a PnL-heavy mindset. If you are someone who likes to up the game by spending a little more, is this the right company? Maybe not. However, if you are someone who drives with a do more with less mindset, this could just be the place for you. What we are trying to draw here is to look at a company culture beyond traditional sources. Talk to people about how they implement values in their real-time work. More often than not, employees that come in from a company with high cultural values start talking the language outside of work.

A few more pointers to cover on culture indicators -

1. Company Values and how they live by them

2. How one treats their customers & employees

3. Benefits & Employee care in particular

4. Their CSR initiatives and the notion of giving back to society, and caring for the world.

5. Organisation's obsession with diversity in all respects

6. Freedom/confidence to say "No" and not be judged.

7. The tone of the leadership team.

If you are able to identify companies that have a culture which resonates with you and at the same time have a peer set that walks and talks that culture, wouldn't it be an ideal place to work?

The theme of the chapter is to talk in-depth about company culture, understand it beyond what is seen to the eyes, its importance from a business perspective and more importantly why culture evaluation should be the deciding factor for your next gig.