Facing The Rise Of The Microcareer

8 ways to disrupt your career and take back control

The ever-changing nature of the digital economy has further revolutionized how work is done. No longer confined to traditional corporate structures, many find themselves navigating microcareers— short-term projects and engagements that allow them to build a wide portfolio of experience and knowledge. This new landscape presents both opportunities and challenges for career momentum. As organizations have become increasingly agile and open to experimenting with new methods and approaches to work, those charting intentional careers can benefit by adopting a similar level of agility. The ability to adapt quickly while cultivating a new set of skills can help expand your capabilities, expose you to new ways of problem-solving, and introduce you to new and valuable contacts from diverse industries. 

One of the primary drawbacks of microcareers is that they often lack the job security and stability that come with more traditional careers. This means you can find yourself in a precarious position if your project or engagement fails to pan out as expected or ends prematurely. You may have to be satisfied with less or sporadic pay due to the shorter terms and lack of commitment on behalf of employers, not to mention not qualifying for benefits such as health insurance or retirement plans typically offered through more traditional employment.

So while this growing era of microcareers can offer increased flexibility and career opportunities, it also requires a great deal of dedication to ensure success. You’ll need to develop a level of mental, emotional, and skill agility previously unheard of. Not impossible, just not the norm for previous generations. But the real question is, Who is doing the disruption? The disrupter should be you. 

The first discipline of self-disruption is guarding yourself against other disruptions. If you can’t marshal the discipline to control how you react to the world around you, you won’t be able to reach deep at those critical inflection points in your career and have the presence and fortitude to disrupt yourself.

Embrace the fact that other people disrupting you are coming your way, and the more you expect it, the less you need to be unsettled by it. It never ceases to amaze me the shock some people experience when their job is eliminated, and I saw it coming for months. I’m not clairvoyant—I just have my head out of the sand and, because I’m expecting change, I can quickly catch the telltale signs. The more you anticipate and embrace that change and disruption are happening all the time and that your turn is coming, the less it will shock you and the more you’ll be prepared for it.

You must constantly self-disrupt to be a “must-retain” associate or be prepared when you’re not seen as such to not take it personally. Self-disruption isn’t only about quitting your current job to move forward. I’m not advocating that at all. Instead, learning to disrupt yourself involves a rejection of the status quo in which you’re comfortably nestled in many areas: 
 

Let’s sum it up like this: if you want to take intentional control over your career, determine what’s holding you back. Then have the courage to self-disrupt yourself before the outside world does it for you. Because it will. It’s coming. 

Scott Jeffrey Miller is a highly sought-after speaker, author, and podcast host. He is a Wall Street Journal bestselling author and currently serves as FranklinCovey’s senior advisor on thought leadership. Before his advisor role, Scott was a twenty-five-year FranklinCovey associate, serving as the chief marketing officer and executive vice president. He hosts On Leadership with Scott Miller, the world’s largest weekly leadership podcast. Scott is a partner in Gray + Miller, a speaking, literary, and talent agency.

Book:  Career on Course