Is this safe?

Sarah Vermunt: [00:00:00] Is this. Safe. Is this thing I'm considering doing with my career. Safe. That is the question underneath many of the other questions I get as a career coach. I get this one, especially from people who want to explore a career change. And they understandably want to know. How do I make good career decisions for myself? In a world that keeps changing in a world that's changing faster than it used to in a role that is in a lot of ways, more volatile than it used to be. How do I choose something that feels safe? 

Valid question. Complicated question. In a lot of ways. It's a loaded question too. So, if you are asking, what's the safest way to move forward. My dear, you are in the right place. Let's go.

Sarah Vermunt: Welcome to careergasm. This is a place to help you find your way to feel good work. I'm Sarah Vermont and I help people navigate their careers. I'm a career coach, bestselling author, and my work has been featured at places like Forbes, fortune Inc entrepreneur and fast company. On this show, we talk about career navigation and career change, and specifically the human side of work. Where the professional is personal. We have heartfelt nuanced conversations about navigating your career. Including all of the squishy feelings and thoughts and questions that come along with being a human at work. Thanks for listening. 

I'm glad you're here. 

Who. It's only episode four and your girl is coming out of the gate with a doozy of a question. [00:01:00] Is this safe. So, if you're thinking about your career, You thinking about your options, maybe making some moves. And you're asking yourself, is this safe? Usually what most people are looking for when they're asking that question, is you looking for some sort of forecast, right? 

Some kind of. Uh, long range career weather report, and preferably one that spans the next several decades. If you don't mind, thank you very much. You're probably wondering, is this thing a safe bet? Is this a good industry? Is this secure? Will this keep me safe financially? And the first thing I will say is you are not wrong for wanting that. 

So let's just put that out there. 

I want that you want that? I can, I think we can agree. Most of us want that. We want to go through life feeling. Safe. [00:02:00] And. Here we go. Nothing is guaranteed. You know that right. On some level, you know, that. Even long range economists will tell you that there is no crystal ball when it comes to. Industries careers. 

All of it. This is a no one. Most people want to hear. It's scary. It's infuriating. And here's why we were, you know, if you're old enough to be listening to a podcast about careers, Regardless of your 25 55 65. We were all raised by generations of people who told us that the safe thing to do. Was to choose something sensible. And to lock in until retirement. Of course, there are exceptions out there. 

There are some people who did not receive this messaging, but by and large, Most of us have received some sort of conditioning [00:03:00] like this. If it wasn't from a parent, it was from society at large, we got it from all directions. Right. We got this idea that careers are supposed to be kind of like, like conveyor belts. 

What I call the conveyor belt career, which is. You choose something at the tender age of 18 years old, you go to school for that thing. And you're on the conveyor belt of school, four or five layers later. It spits out the other side. And then you're on track for this career for the rest of your life. Another analogy. Is kind of like the highway analogy. 

It's like you choose something you get in your lane and then you just keep on going. You're not looking to change lanes. You're not looking for an exit. There's definitely no, you turns aloud. This is a lot of the messaging we got. When we were young people first forming our ideas about what [00:04:00] careers should be, and certainly when forming our ideas around what is safe. 

By the way our parents and previous generations, weren't wrong for telling us this. There were sort of sharing what worked for them. And, you know, for the most part, they were trying to keep us safe in sharing this right. So for most people, they received this sort of messaging from a place of love. And if not from a place of love, at least from a place of concern, based on someone else's own experience. 

Right. So. Let's go ahead and give any previous generations and influences. A free pass around. Any sort of rigid conditioning that we had around careers. You know, they're doing the best they can. Based on the information they had. But. And [00:05:00] perhaps you've noticed the world of work has changed and continues to change. And it for the most part is not changing in the direction. Of more quote, unquote, safe, longterm careers. Right. People are changing jobs more frequently than they ever used to. A lot of work is now contract-based instead of full-time. Don't even get me started on the gig economy. 

I don't really think we're going to loop back to the way things were before with people having. Those conveyor belt careers that I was describing the picholine and lock-in kind of career. So. There it is. That's the elephant in the room that nobody wants to talk about. You know, like it's sucks. It's scary, but we can't just pretend that things are going to go back to the way they [00:06:00] were just because we want them to. 

And I have a potentially. Unpopular. Take on the question. Of how to make safe career decisions. In this new world of work. And that is that. Agility. Is actually the new stability. Our ability to adapt and be flexible with our decisions, I think is going to be a big part of what carries us forward. And unfortunately that goes directly against the conditioning that we had pretty much up until very recently, a better careers. 

Right. It is in direct opposition against what we've been told will keep us safe in the world of work. Which is to pick a thing. And lock in for life. 

So. This idea [00:07:00] that agility is the new stability. I'll be real honest with you. I kind of hate it. I think it is the new way forward. But I just want to sort of come out as. Probably hating it as much as you do. Okay. And here's why. I don't like change. You probably don't like change either. And this world of work, changing on us. Halfway through, I mean, how rude. We were, we were prepared for an entirely. Different. Story a different career story. And someone went and rewrote things part way through. 

And so. We are myself included. Frustratingly adapting to all of this.

And it's frustrating because safety and security do matter, right? We, we need a way to pay our [00:08:00] bills and live life. And locking into a sure thing that would carry us all the way through. Is a really nice idea. Like I like that idea too. But it is not the way that the world of work is moving for the most part. And I think we would be pretty naive to keep. 

 Rigidly, clinging on to that old story. With the knowledge that, that it's it's changed. Right. So what if the way to move forward? In this ever-changing world of work. Isn't to tighten our grip. But to practice being more open and flexible in the way we make career decisions

now as I say. I don't think that's a particularly popular opinion. In fact, there are some people who are naturally an understandably drawn to the idea. Of [00:09:00] quote. Uh, future proof career. You may have heard of this term, future-proofing your career? A future-proof career. And that is the idea, the story. Of some sort of fail, safe option. You know, colleges and universities are really, uh, popular users of this phrase, the future-proof career. And. I got to tell you, I don't. 

I do not love. When I hear people talking about future proof, careers. Because here's what I noticed. 95% of the time. It may not be overt, but I do believe that when people are talking about future-proof careers, They're really. 

They're really preying on people's fears when you really boil it down. There is an air of manipulation about it as if. These institutions or individuals. Our [00:10:00] encouraging people to treat their career decisions like armor. Like armor up. 

You guys, if you choose this thing over here, this shiny thing that we're telling you. Is something you can lock in and be set with for life. 

 It's preying on people's fears, whether those fears are conscious or unconscious. That's also not life. We can't just choose something. At the tender age of 18. And lock in for life. You don't get to just do that and then, you know, get through school. Get get into your career track. And then put your feet up on the desk. Satisfied with your hard decisions being over with because you've chosen your lane.

But it's understandable that we want to be able to do that, right. 

Because most of us were fed the story. If you just choose the right thing, you'll be fine.

And so [00:11:00] it is no wonder. That there are so many people who are disenchanted in their twenties. Well, not just their twenties into their thirties, forties and onward as well, but so many. Specifically young people. Disenchanted early in their careers because they followed the rules. They jumped through the hoops, they worked hard. And they're on that track now. They're on that conveyor belt. 

They're on their lane in their highway. And it doesn't feel the way they thought it would.

The thing that they were promised, they're not. Getting it.

So. How's that for a heavy take for a podcast that's supposed to be about feel good work. 

Here's why I think it's not so heavy. It's scary, but I don't think it's bad. This is about adapting. And I [00:12:00] do think that we make. Uh, stronger decisions that feel better. When we keep it real. When we are willing to. 

Look at. And work with things that are true. I like the way things actually are. And so. Because the world of work. Is changing has changed and will always change. I do think that practicing agility and flexibility is the safest way forward. For us to sort of, shed or unlearn some of that conditioning around what we thought it was supposed to look like. 

And so. Choosing something. Quote unquote safe. 

We have to, we have to just notice how much baggage we're [00:13:00] bringing into that question. Right? And. We still have to make a decision that feels right for us. Right. And so. I think it can be helpful to remember. That there's a certain story that we were told. And as we're sort of loosening the, the bindings that that story had on us. And losing really the fairy tale of that story. It's uh, it's helpful for us to remember that. No choice is perfect. 

Like there are benefits and concessions with every career option. But you can choose something. That if not perfect, at least feels. Aligned for you. And what feels aligned. Or has the right element degrees, types of safety for you is going to feel different for different people. [00:14:00] 

It also might feel different for you at different times in your life. Like what feels aligned for you now might not feel like it's in alignment anymore. For you let's say 10 years from now. 

And isn't that tricky. There's that dance with agility again and again, and again. Over and over returning to agility and flexibility. When we need to, when we come to that. Stuck place. Which isn't predictable when that's going to happen, right. There might be a change in your industry. You might grow in a different direction that necessitates a change of some kind, your life circumstances might change at some point. And so a return to agility. I think is going to make the way forward. 

Easier.

So I want to give you a question to carry forward with you this week. And that is simply. [00:15:00] Where do you notice? You're gripping a little too. Tightly. 

Is it, you white knuckling through your current career, even though, you know, it's not working for you. There's some sort of misalignment there. Whether it's the industry, whether it's the organization you work for, whether it's the type of work, whether it's the constraints and needs you have for your life right now.

Is your gripping white knuckling through something that isn't working for? 

You. Is your gripping, maybe. Parenting or guiding your kid with some advice that you notice is maybe coming from a place of fear. Where you might be projecting some of your own stuff on your kids decisions, by the way. No judgment. Everybody does that.

But it's good to look at it. 

Where are you gripping a little too tightly. And. [00:16:00] What do you think you can do to practice loosening your grip a little bit?

Is it maybe simply noticing some of your thoughts and assumptions around work. Is it having a more honest conversation with some of the people. In your life. Who you trust? Is it. 

Maybe doing a small experiment. Around flexibility. In a work decision. You know, And make it a small one at first, unless you're ready for a big one. But I do think these small. Experiments. Can be helpful. So if you're wanting to. Try to make more flexible decisions. You can simply start noticing. What feels a little too tight. And if the next time a decision around that comes around, if maybe you can. Do [00:17:00] something that feels a little more free. I treat it like an experiment.

But this idea of leaning into agility. Leaning into flexibility. I do think it's the safest way forward. Even if that notion. Goes against part of the story that we've been told.

So let's all see where we've been clinging. A little too tightly. And try to if just for this week. Practice. Loosening our grip.

Thanks for listening. I'll see you next week. 

Hey, Hey. I'm still here. I wanted to let you know, I am hosting some free career [00:18:00] workshops this month. The first one is about. Exploring your options for your career. And the second is all about the personal development side of career change. And both of them are really wonderful. If you are someone who feels stuck around some career decisions. So I will put the links in the show notes and I hope to see you there. And while you're poking around in the show notes. I would love for you to just pop over and give Careergasm a review. And perhaps share this episode. With someone you think would really love it. Maybe someone who really grapples with this question of safety around big decisions. Thanks for listening. I'll see you next time.