The concepts of work and career have changed significantly over the past 100 years. The 20th century was characterized by rapid industrialization, but there were still many agricultural jobs (Djankov & Saliola, 2018). In addition, women were not allowed to work in the majority of spheres until the 1950s (Djankov & Saliola, 2018). At the same time, technology was beginning to be used in offices. Unlike today, during the decades between the 1970s and 1990s, employees were encouraged to work independently in cubicles, focusing on specific tasks assigned to them (Djankov & Saliola, 2018). Now, technology has become much more advanced; it has entered almost all work environments.
Because of the all-pervading nature of technology, many people have an opportunity to develop their careers right at their homes. Remote work has been accelerated by the pandemic, and many industries have adopted this trend on a regular basis (Yang et al., 2021). Agricultural jobs have become significantly smaller, and the focus on the job market has mainly been on providing services rather than products (Djankov & Saliola, 2018). Finally, the focus on collaboration has replaced independent working, and the majority of companies today focus on the importance of teamwork and qualities that allow candidates to be effective team players.
Therefore, major factors that have influenced changes in the concepts of work and career are the development of technology and increasing trends in remote working. Another important factor is the trend of inclusivity that was promoted in the 20th century and still takes place in many workplaces (Brimhall & Mor Barak, 2018). Policies aimed at increasing diversity and acceptance have brought significant results, but there are still issues connected to these topics.
All the changes mentioned above will influence my decisions and choices about my future career. For example, I will need to develop the skills necessary to work with technologies that will be a part of my daily activities at the workplace. Additional knowledge of various programs will also allow me to gain an advantage over other candidates. In addition, I will need to search for job opportunities that can provide a remote work option in case it is needed. Finally, I will need to improve some of my teamwork skills, such as problem-solving and active listening, as they are currently important requirements in many companies.
References
Brimhall, K. C., & Mor Barak, M. E. (2018). The critical role of workplace inclusion in fostering innovation, job satisfaction, and quality of care in a diverse human service organization.Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 42(5), 474-492.
Djankov, S., & Saliola, F. (2018).The changing nature of work. VOX, CEPR Policy Portal.
Yang, L., Holtz, D., Jaffe, S., Suri, S., Sinha, S., Weston, J., Joyce, C., Shah, N., Sherman, K., Hecht, B., & Teevan, J. (2021). The effects of remote work on collaboration among information workers.Nature Human Behaviour, 6(1), 43-54.