This week, I found a TED Talk with Sarah Ellis and Helen Tupper.
They were talking about concepts from their book – The Squiggly Career.
They say the challenge in moving to squiggly careers stems from the “legacy of the ladder”.
Climbing the ladder is engrained in the companies we work in and the conversations that we have.
Ladders are limited for both our learning and our opportunities.
We now have the chance to curate our learning at work.
Learning is personal to each of us via books, podcasts, videos, and formal education.
Exploring career opportunities gives us resilience and possibility.
They suggest we need a radical redo to move away from the traditional career ladder.
Lean in and learn in new areas.
Create our squiggles.
This will create benefits for both companies and individuals.
My Perspective
This concept is just another demonstration of how we need to shift our perspective on careers.
I like how their thinking expands into our individual learning plans.
This was something that Saturn fostered back when I was there in the early 2000s.
As part of our personal development plan, we needed to achieve 50 hours of learning each year.
The mix could be books, webinars, conferences, or formal classes.
The only rule was that you needed to focus on learning new skills.
Or deepening skills you had started to grow.
While 50 hours seems daunting the first year, quickly you realize this is nothing.
One hour a week provides a long list of newfound knowledge at the end of the year.
This is a practice I’ve continued throughout my career.
My bookshelves are like a scrapbook of my career – the reads that fit my needs at the moment.
I see the depth and breadth of the impact it has had on my skills and knowledge.
I tried to map it once…see the learning squiggles in the photo for this post.
Your Turn
Do you have your personal learning plan for the year?
If not, could you create one with a goal of 50 hours?
What is the first area your curiosity would have you diving into?