Productivity

Job not futureproof? Here’s why it doesn’t matter

Reading time:  3 Minutes

The only constant in life is change. So does it matter if your job’s not futureproof? According to Charlie Hoehn’s TEDx talk ‘A New Way to Work’, not at all

 

Like the Greek philosopher Heraclitus famously proclaimed, the only constant in life is change – a statement never truer than when applied to the current working landscape. 

As the world’s economy flutters and fluctuates with relative uncertainty, it seems the days of a job for life with a nice gold carriage clock at the end of 40 years’ service are now a dark and distant memory. But perhaps not having a job for life isn’t all the doom and gloom it first suggests. 

In recent years, the way we work has changed dramatically. This is largely thanks to the advances of technology, and now with cloud computing, super-fast Wi-Fi and smart phones we can work from anywhere and at any time.

Of course, this flexible way of working benefits both companies and their employees, who can scale up or down as their business or workload dictates. It’s through this innovation in the workplace that people have found numerous ways to work smarter, not harder. Embracing this movement is Charlie Hoehn, an American author, entrepreneur and public speaker.

Hoehn graduated from Colorado State University in 2008, during the Great Recession. He spent three months applying for dozens of jobs and traineeships but, despite being a grade-A student, and with an internship under his belt, he didn’t get so much as a toe in the door of any of the companies he approached. But rather than fall under the mantra of “you’ve got to take what you can get” that all his graduate peers were adopting, Hoehn set about finding work in a completely different way. 

It’s this journey that forms the basis of his TEDx talk, which is all about changing your mindset on how the world works. First, think about the areas you want to work in. Find something you like or are passionate, about and set about acquiring the skills to make you indispensable. Become your own boss and be proactive in finding the work you want, even if you initially have to offer your time and effort for free.

The three main points that really shine out of Hoehn’s TEDx talk are: do what you love, learn the right skills – particularly look for the skills that are in high demand and difficult to learn, and learn them – and make your own rules. And while it sounds rather evangelical, according to Hoehn this new way of thinking could really futureproof your career.

One work hack often adopted by millennial entrepreneurs is to rent a coworking space, not least for the likeminded, creative people encountered. Regus’s vast network of bright, modern coworking offices are all designed to enable people to do their very best work – and to network. And as the world adapts to the many different ways of working in this day and age, the flexible workspace-provider is the perfect answer with its modern blend of hotdesking, coworking areas, drop-in business lounges, meeting rooms and private offices. It supplies the kind of places where people can work where they want, when they want and how they want in order to meet their business needs.

In addition to this, the Regus community of 2.5 million people around the world enables more connections, more collaboration and plenty of new and exciting opportunities for you and your career, whether you meet in a local business lounge or in a rented coworking space on your travels.

 

If you’re looking for professional and flexible workspace, visit Regus and find the right solution for your burgeoning career or your growing business