How does the nature of work affect the planning process?

• Understand and accept the fact that the future will be fast-paced, ever changing, and high-tech. Those who can’t adapt will be left behind!

• Careers used to be clear cut, obvious, understandable, accessible. Choices were limited but straightforward and clear cut. Our children face a very different set of circumstances (Johnston). They need to understand that there are literally thousands of jobs out there, and that they should prepare themselves for a cluster of jobs in order to be versatile and “light on their feet” once they enter the job market.

• Our children must prepare for a fluid, often unstable job market by acquiring technical skills as well as the “soft skills”: skills like problem solving, team work, communications, critical thinking, leadership and management, allocating resources, using information and technology, etc.

• No matter how many jobs are out there, your child will not be happy if she is in a job that is not interesting to her or appropriate for her personality. So don’t let your child choose a “hot job” or “trendy” job, just because the pay is high or there will be a lot of them. Help your child choose the best career path for her but also make sure she understands today’s job market and where she will fit in.

• Remember that the future belongs to the technologically prepared. Courses in math, science, technical reading and writing, and the technologies will be vital to being prepared! Help your child choose courses that will prepare him for the future!

• Think differently – “People can no longer think about simply ‘finding a job.’ Instead, we must learn to ‘create a livelihood’” (Quattrociocchi)

previous

top

next

A look back…into the workplace of the past
The workplace of today
A look into the future
How does the nature of work affect the planning process?
Links relating to the world of work