Whilst completing the Resilient People Program these past few weeks, there were many interesting discussions, of which a couple covered the themes of children often going on to work in the same fields as their parents. Another was ‘smart’ high school students often selecting study and careers in fields that hold a high level of ‘status’ such as medicine or law. The general consensus was however that this does not translate into a satisfying career. Understanding more about what drives these decisions could certainly assist both children and adults in achieving a more meaningful worklife.

In relation to children following in their parents career paths, there are probably a few reasons for this; being most kids admire their parents and so want to please and perhaps think selecting the same or a good ‘high status’ career to be a way of achieving this.

Others like me select study and career path by default. Not sure what I wanted to do after school, I followed in my father and eldest brother’s footsteps in studying economics. I did not have enough information about other careers or any understanding of who I was – my skills, values, personal attributes and so on.  I did not last long in my economics degree before happily finding humanities – which was the perfect fit for me.

Interestingly as one of four children, three of us studied economics (two going on to have careers similar to my father’s) while the other selected law. This leads into the second discussion around ‘smart kids’.  This discussion was prompted by the research by Dr. Carol Dweck on Fixed and Growth Mindsets This topic provides a whole new interesting discussion in itself – again very pertinent to our own careers and that of our children.

I and no doubt others would be interested to hear your views or research on Smart Kids, selecting high status fields of study and work. Also, around study and career selection of children that follows in their parents career paths.

According to research by a leading outplacement firm, of those retrenched (the role is made redundant, the person is retrenched) your chances of being retrenched increase if you are an introvert. The reason being that introverts are less likely to tell their managers about their achievements and all the great work they have been doing. These days managers are less aware of what their staff are doing – therefore the need to constantly show and tell them is very important.

Interestingly, those that generally get retrenched are not retrenched because of their professional or technical skills.  It has more to do with their personal skills or lack thereof.Or, as highlighted above the misperception that an introverted employee can present.

Contrary to what people think, age is not a reason for people being retrenched.  Lots of great people get retrenched each year of all ages.

While some of us are likely to be retrenched more than others due to the factors previously covered, the likelihood of all of us being retrenched multiple times in our careers is very high.  It is a part of working in the modern world. It is why it is more important than ever to be in control of your career as much as you can. You can do this by always remainining current in your profession in terms of skills and knowledge, having career goals and strategies, and keeping your personal brand and networking activities active.

Remember, the only person who is going to manage your career is you!  Invest in your career and the returns will be plentiful personally and financially.