The book explains that, with
unemployment rampant, job competition fierce, the career escalator jammed at
every level, and creative disruption shaking every industry, traditional job
security is a thing of the past.
Instead, the tasks of job hunting and career development-whether for
seasoned professionals or for recent graduates--have become perpetual works in
progress, requiring an agile mental state and skills fostering a state of permanent beta or continuous personal
growth.
Chapter 3 of The Start-Up
Of You explains why the bestselling career
book of all time, What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles, is asking the wrong question for today:
“When it comes to charting a
career plan, what you should be asking yourself is whether your parachute can
keep you aloft in changing conditions.
The unfortunate truth is that in today’s career landscape, your
parachute—no matter its color—may be shredded and tattered. And if it isn’t that way already, it
could get that way at any time.”
Additionally, Mr. Hoffman and
Mr. Casnocha point out that:
“In his first chapter, Parachute
author Richard Bolles writes, ‘It is
important, before you enter the job hunt, to decide exactly what you are
looking for—whether you call it your passion, or your purpose in life, or your
mission. … Passion first, job-hunt
later.’ After four decades in print, this is still the accepted
wisdom today. You see similar
advice all over. Habit number two
of Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People is, ‘Begin with the end in mind’: you should produce a personal mission
statement that puts your goals in focus.'”
“The primary message of these
books (of which there are more than 50 million copies in circulation) and
countless others is to listen to your heart and follow your passion. Find your true north by filling out
worksheets or engaging in deep, thoughtful introspection. Once you’ve got a mission in mind,
these books urge, you’re supposed to develop a long-term plan for fulfilling
it. You’re supposed to craft
detailed, specific goals. You’re
urged to figure out who you are and where you want to be in ten years, and then
work backward to develop a roadmap for getting there.”
While Mr. Hoffman and Mr.
Casnocha concede that for various reasons it’s important to have worthy
aspirations, to be passionate about something, and to invest for the long term,
their criticism of Mr. Bolles’s, Dr. Covey’s, and similar approaches is that
they presume the world is static, whereas in today’s job market exactly the
opposite is true:
“Conventional career planning
can work under conditions of relative stability, but in times of uncertainty
and rapid change, it is severely limiting, if not dangerous,” they warn. “You will change. The environment around you will
change. Your allies and competitors
will change.”
Especially in an environment
of such shifting uncertainty, Mr. Hoffman and Mr. Casnocha doubt the
feasibility of the type of fixed, accurate self-knowledge that Mr. Bolles and
Dr. Covey promote: “It’s unwise,
no matter your stage of life, to try to pinpoint a single dream around which
your existence revolves.”
Additionally, the co-authors
point out the harsh reality that “just because your heart comes alive at a
calling doesn’t mean someone will pay you to do it. If you can’t find someone who wants to employ you to pursue
your dream job, or if you can’t financially sustain yourself—that is, earn a
salary that allows you to live the lifestyle you prefer—then trying to turn
your passion into a career doesn’t really get you very far.”
Their book not only represents a significant shift in conventional thinking. It also goes on to describe
the alternative practical strategies they believe are necessary for success in today’s
job market, using Silicon Valley entrepreneurs as role models.
