If you had a million
dollars to invest, would you put it all in a single stock or venture? Most
probably not, you would diversify your investments, after all wisdom warns us
not to put all our eggs in one basket.
You’d however be surprised of how many of us manage our
careers with a single-stock
mindset. We toil away, year in year out, investing our talents in a narrow
field of interest. This has been a reasonable thing to do until recently,
however times have changed and we need to evolve with the times too.
Look at the employment scene, when looking for talent,
employers hunt for people with expertise in a certain field true; but what is
really needed and what most employers settle for is that person with a balanced
portfolio who is adaptable with a wide skill base that spirals over multiple
disciplines. This has become even more imperative as businesses opt for flat
structures (that dictate multitasking) to brave the tough economic times.
On a personal front, diversification could give you
alternative incomes and even liberate you entirely from the employment bondage.
It could give you that security you need in terms of income, get you to change
your hobbies into an income generation idea and help you develop yourself in
ways you could not have thought of if you were stuck in a single focus career
path.
So let’s start out with the simplest steps to
diversification:
Identify Your Opportunities
Basing on your specialization and
the trends around you, seek out openings to branch out to. It might call for a
bit of research and sacrifice on your time but it will be worth it in the end
Interest in Correlated Careers
If you are employed then you do
have a head-start! And in this case you really have to go an extra mile, am not
talking about a HR Manager grasping costing, (that is good but it is a
necessity, it is expected at a certain level) I am thinking a about an engineer
debating the virtues of a strategic alliance, you are an engineer, what
you do should not stop at innovating and manufacturing and maintaining..It
should go on to business development, raising profit margins. Let it be clear
that as much as you can engineer, you do know a whole lot more and that if
someone is hiring you they get more than just a technocrat or if you start your
own business you will not entirely depend on others to develop your business.
Use Your Hobbies
What is your hobby? Ever thought
of using it for career development and income generation? If you haven’t
considered it yet think of all the benefits of doing what you enjoy! Let your
hobby be that other mastery you are known for, make use of it in way that would make a recruiter select you or work it/enjoy it as the next step to
financial liberation.
Focused Networking
Who are you following on Twitter?
Do you have a LinkedIn Account? Are you aware of the meetings taking place in
your locality for the people in your profession or whatever field you are interested
in and do you go for them? By associating with the right people you will gather
more information and learn more about what you are interested in. Funny that I
am a member of several forums that are not very related to my profession but
the galore of information in those forums is what takes me there. If you want
to diversify your career, then focus on diversifying your network too.
Versatility is not only trendy; it has become a key component
in modern-day career development. Now, I’m not suggesting you spread yourself so thin
as to master nothing at all. But in order to make it to the competitive and
marketable status in today’s rugged job market; you’ll need an expanded armory
of skills to deploy.
No comments:
Post a Comment