Note: This article is based on the work of author and professional coach Mark Shaed, who tells us about his experience in renewing skills to improve the future.
The owner of McDonald's owns another restaurant in a nearby town, and he did something similar there a few years ago. Still, it seems like a brave move. Stop your successful business and revenue stream for a few months so that you can provide better services and attract more customers in the future.
When the iPod Mini was at the height of its popularity, Apple stopped making it and instead turned to the flash-based iPod Nano, which relies on storage. data on high speed memory.
On the one hand, it didn't make sense, because they had a successful product that was in high demand; But they stopped making it and decided to make something else. On the one hand, this allowed them to get the scale needed to lower the price of Flash memory so they could use it in more devices. Today, many of their laptops use flash memory instead of mechanical hard drives.
Sometimes, this is just what it takes to succeed; That is, you have to stop what is working well now in order to prepare for what you have to do in the future.
Michigan has a relatively low percentage of people who have attended college. For I didn't understand why until I had lived there for a while and realized how well people were able to work in the car factories. Pursuing education after high school doesn't seem quite as attractive when you can start a high-paying job without having to invest a lot of time in education.
However, as time has gone by and many companies are cutting out or automating high-paying jobs, many people have found themselves with a skill set that is no longer in demand.
As I was driving past McDonald's today, I thought of the people I know in Michigan who were struggling to find work. They were once very comfortable with the ease of finding a job, but when the winds of change came, they were not ready to keep up.
Effective tips for making a change in your career
So this is the question; Need to make a career change like McDonald's is doing on its premises? You may not need to leave your job for 6 months to "start" a new career, but you should definitely prepare for the changes you expect. Here are four tips on how to do this:
1. Don't be idle
You should be careful not to feel completely comfortable with your current job. If you haven't done anything new in the past 3 months, you should really start by re-evaluating where you'll be in 5 years. Things may be fine for you as long as the job lasts, but it may be different when you need to look for a different job.
2. Follow the new trends
I heard the story of a millionaire who died and left his fortune to his family, but with a deed allowing it to be invested in streetcars only, and with the decline in the use of streetcars, his family's income decreased until they were finally living in poverty; So you should be careful not to do the same thing in your career; Sticking to a specific skill set for which there may be less demand is no longer a good long-term strategy.
3. Keep learning
For some people, this might mean quitting your job and going back to school to pick up new skills, but there are ways to continue your education without leaving your current job. Many colleges have online degree programs, so you can make time for classes on your own schedule in the evenings and on weekends. The average American spends about 28 hours a week watching television, which is more than enough time to go back to school and keep your current job.
Also look for educational opportunities outside of formal education; Company training and experience in taking on new responsibilities are valuable ways to gain new skills and strengthen the foundation of your career.
4. Think of something more valuable than a raise
It's easy to become so focused on the amount of dollars in your payroll that you forget about the other benefits your job can provide; A job without the highest starting salary may be the one that allows you to gain the skills and friends you need to advance your career.
I once accepted a 40% pay cut in order to go to a different job because it would have given me managerial experience, a great educational salary, and a flexible schedule to work on my second master's degree. Over the past 10 years, the value of these things has far outstripped the pay cut I faced to acquire and learn them.
You now have four things to consider when it comes to the long-term sustainability of your career. You probably don't need to be like McDonald's or Apple and destroy something profitable to make way for something new, but everyone can benefit from remembering the story of the streetcar millionaire and making sure your career isn't tied to skills that will be in less demand in the future.
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