Embracing the Normality of Change: Pursuing New, Different and Varied Interests

When I was very young, future jobs, careers and career progression were seen as something you started and continued in, as you were, for life.  

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You chose your profession or your life direction and it was set in stone. A job for life until you retire with your pension. That very quickly and dramatically changed as job security became more precarious and a job was no longer 'a job for life'. It became something more fluid and changeable and something quite alien. I would say it was easier as an 80s child because the huge shifts happened parallel to our childhood, so by the time we entered it as adults, it was the norm.

The History of the UK Job Market

In the UK, under Thatcher, there were mass factories closures and policies that weakened trade unions. It's been 40 years since the coal miner strikes, ending in the majority of coal mines closing. There were 20,000 jobs losses and coal-mining communities were left decimated and in poverty. The 1980s economy shifted dramatically from manufacturing to service. This all led to less stable and long-term employment. So while the job market became more flexible, this led to reduced job security and long-term employment contracts.1

There has been massive technological advancements during this time, which has changed needed skill sets and the type of jobs available. Quite frankly, this is a huge understatement. 

• The 1980s saw the introduction of personal computers, such as the IBM PC and Apple Macintosh, and the appearance of the first mobile phones.23
• In the 1990s there was widespread adoption of the internet and email and the development of software applications such as Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).4
• The 2000s saw the launch of smartphones, mobile internet and cloud computing — where you can use Cloud services like Google Drive and Dropbox to easily store and share documents.4
• In the 2010s social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter became tools for networking, recruitment and marketing.
• In the 2020s the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly increased the use of remote work technologies like video conferencing tools e.g. Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Automation technologies, including robotic process automation (RPA) and AI-driven tools have taken over repetitive tasks, increased efficiency and reduced human error.5

Social mobility has allowed easier access to education, opportunities and globalisation makes it easier to move around and pursue different careers. Also, our mindset has changed especially amongst Millennials (such as myself) and Generation Z. Pursuing career growth, work-life balance and personal fulfilment is much more important than any long term commitment to a single employer. We basically have less loyalty as both employees and employers. 

Lastly, the COVID-19 pandemic has really quickened the pace of everything. It's forced new ways of working and thinking. People have had to be creative and seek new opportunities, by changing careers, upskilling, reskilling and taking on multiple forms of employment — some of which can be extremely varied.6

Personally...

I have a science degree in Biochemistry and ended up working in the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry for 9 years, in a role that is best described as Technical Marketing. I worked on many well-known skincare, personal care and makeup products. Here, the traditional culture ruled. You worked your way from the bottom, up and for some you'd end up in the management positions at the very pinnacle of the company. It was a career I fell into, without any understanding of what it was. Overall, it was a wonderful experience with a great deal of opportunity for growth, learning and international travel. Most importantly, I got to work with people from all parts of the world. 

I then decided to take the plunge and move on to work for a media company doing qualitative consumer research. A very different, fast moving company, with a less traditional approach, that allowed me to branch out in other ways.

After 2 years, I took an extended career break to look after my 3 kids. Once my eldest began school, I took on lots of PTA committee roles and spent time in school as a parent volunteer. I am now a school governor and I've recently started tutoring. 

I start my part-time STEM primary PGCE in September 2025. By the time I finish and become an Early Career Teacher (ECT), I'll be 46 years old. 

How times have changed? 

I'm embarking on this knowing that I'll still have a good 20 years to progress in this new career choice. I for one, don't know if I'll ever retire. 

Why? 

Because, the world is changing. Pensions and pensionable age will cease to exist, if not in our lifetimes then in our children's. That might seem like a bold statement but one I truly believe. Who knows where I'll end up, before the end, truly is the end. Because I don't think this will be the end of my career journey. As a typical Millennial, I think it's a further stepping stone to somewhere else, unexpected and surprising. There is fear and hesitancy in this unknown but there is also a huge sense of freedom in the non-conformity of how we work and define ourselves. 

For instance, at the beginning of the year I undertook two free online level 2 courses studying Neuroscience in Early Years and Mental Health in Children and Young People because they were areas of interest. Yes they support all the work I currently do in school and will do in future, which is a bonus, but I really did them for myself. To stretch myself and to learn. 

The world is forever changing and the future is anyone's guess but what's amazing right now is that we can make changes and pursue different avenues. While it can feel extremely daunting, with so many choices, the resources and knowledge out there is at an all time high. I find so much shared knowledge in talking to the people around me. It's the way I learnt about tutoring and became a tutor.

What's interesting is, that I have no idea what new job creation will look like in the future. I have absolutely no clue what the job market will look like for my kids when they get to that stage in life. So much has changed since I was a child and lots of it were unpredictable. 

So how do you advise the next generation? 

I guess you support them in their interests and their learning and, through the chaos of it all, they'll find, not only their own unique path but a greater sense of themselves along the way. Also, the one route and the one way of doing things doesn't really exist in a lot of careers now and change is ever more easier to do at any age. So whatever the next generation decide to jump into, they'll be safe in the knowledge that it's unlikely to be set in stone, if their circumstances and aspirations change. I hope they embrace it and find it as liberating as I do, thinking about it.

1The History of Employee Relation

²The 10 biggest tech breakthroughs of the 1980s | TechRadar

³A brief history of work, innovation and skills in the UK - Wazoku

⁴The 20 biggest tech advances of the past 20 years — Institute of Economic Affairs

⁵Technology and the Future of Work | Factsheets | CIPD

6Global report suggests 'job for life' a thing of the past - FutureLearn

Fortnightly Update

I'm still busy writing my fiction book. I'm a quarter of the way through! A whopping 22,320 words. I still haven't inserted chapters and my information cheat sheet is way out of date. I don't have time to take a pause and do what feels like the admin stuff. My goal is to carry on writing my 421 words a day, without much thought, until the kids break-up for Christmas. Then in amongst all the food, drink and general celebration, I will carve out a bit of time to get my information cheat sheet up-to-date.

I'm still going to the gym 3 times per week, unless something gets in the way, like the kids being off school sick. As I keep saying it's helped my stress levels, stamina and I feel so much stronger. No swimming, I just can't make the times anymore which is sad but we can't have it all, unfortunately. Meditation is also a wonderful concept that I'm still not getting round to doing consistently.

I'm still tutoring but I have taken on more work. I know I said I wouldn't but I did because I couldn't say no. I must learn to say no. My additional 2 hours, takes me up to 12 hours of tutoring while the children are at school. It's challenging and a huge learning curve which will put me in good stead for my PGCE.

I'm trying to think about what else is going on but those are the broad strokes. I'm reading Ghost Story by Peter Straub. It's a long book! I'm part of a local book club and we meet monthly, though this book is just one I'm reading alongside book club books. 

Again, thanks for reading. I'm at a new level of organisation, in order to fit this all in, with the other stuff that we all need to get done. It's really not easy but it hopefully keeps me out of trouble (mostly).