Future of work for Generation X

As a gen x, I think because our parents are baby boomers we are influenced by their beliefs….work hard, stick with what you know, be loyal, think of your family…. When in fact we haven’t in fact been offered such security from our employers. We have been through restructures, mergers, redundancies, centralization, decentralization and the introduction of technology that we were not prepared for in a school and had to teach ourselves to use. Many of us are on our 5th career change and are highly qualified. I myself have 2 degrees and another qualification but what I want is freedom and flexibility from the 9 to 5. I am tired of juggling family and work. Why?

This generation has the highest rate of broken relationships than previous generations. Not everyone it seems is willing to work on a relationship in order to provide their children with a balance that comes from a two parent household. It seems people of my generation (gen x) think they “don’t have to put up with anything they don’t want to”.

What has been the cost?

Gen Y and the Millennials (some of us waited to have kids)are our children. We have shown them they have lots of choices and don’t have to do anything they don’t want t and there are always choices. I think it became apparent to me when I heard myself say..” it’s up to you Alex, you can carry on with that behavior or loose you iPad time”. The choice is about winners and losers in this case. He can’t win but he has a choice. So now he is 11 he gives me choices…” If I do this can I have iPad time?”

So how does this affect the future of work?

We have bred a generation of self-centered individuals who know about trade offs. They love technology, because we gave it to them, and they know what it means to be anywhere and be able to do anything if you are connected to the Internet. You can find anything, talk to anyone and get information about anything from anywhere. This is how they will experience work. They have spent years discussing what the Internet is teaching them, forming opinions, finding out what is possible, and like us they will be determined not to be like their parents. They are tired to the trade offs. They are in charge now… or will be.

What can we do?

As a gen x, I am exhausted, I have been raising my son on my own for 12 years. Trying to work around him and have changed careers so many times I have no sense of what a career is. I have spent time pursuing careers that have been unforgiving to people of my age with no experience and a qualification.

So now, I have unskilled myself in the latest digital landscape, joined a community of people online who are in the same boat and are there for each other. I have spent a long time working from home, alone, but I don’t like working alone so I have a business partner now. We work remotely as we don’t live in the same town. We have online meetings, email, text, skype, Facebook….. whatever it takes. We each have our strengths. It works well. I won’t be left behind in this ever changing digital world. I won’t bury my head in the sand and say “ I don’t understand it, I am afraid of it, so I won’t use it” .

So, what you can do Gen X is pick yourself up and do what you know how to do and learn to survive change again. Change your mindset and collaborate with others, some will be just like you. You may need to meditate, you may need the help of a life coach or you may need to consider a new study option.

Whatever you do, make sure it is a positive step forward. No one will do it for you but it’s time to find out how you can fit into the changing future of work.

Get started today

What can you do that can be outsourced to businesses, and not just where you live? What skill gap can you fill?
What digital skills do you need, that are holding you back?
Do you need help and who can do this?
Are you mentally ready for change?

At Anywhere Business Network we can help with heaps of free resources on our website. We have motivational tips for you, business tools and recommendations, we are just like you. We would love to share your journey.

Kerri

One Half of Anyhwere Business Network

www.anywherebusinessnetwork.co.nz – lots of great tips for getting started with business

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