Job Search Update

I connected with a career service offered by my company and gathered information to prepare for my job search strategy. Before jumping to updating my online profile or my resume to reflect my most current skills, I need to craft an elevator pitch in the form of an exit statement.

Making a Statement

My exit statement provides me and my network the context of my search, why I am looking for a new job/role, and what my future plan is. This assignment is not complete yet and I will work on this statement in the next two weeks. 

1. State what happened in my current role and what was the business rationale given to me regarding the impending termination. For example, I will be transitioning off from my role as a Scrum Master by the end of the year due to a workforce relocation plan.

2. State the positive experience that I have gained and benefited from my last role. For example, I enjoyed building self-organizing teams and achieving business success through transformational projects.

3. Share my plan about the future: what I am doing right now and how I feel about the future. For example, I am currently reflecting on my strengths and interests and networking with professionals in the healthcare field.

Thinking about the future compelled me to consider how I see the different phases of life. Traditional thinking is that I should be retiring soon after working for so many years. Is that what I want?

Life in Three Boxes or Four Ages

In his book, The Three Boxes of Life and How to Get Out of Them, author Richard N. Bolles demonstrated the negative implications of defining our lifespan into three rigid periods. These periods involve education, work, and retirement. Many people experience each box-like stage, said Bolles, and therefore do little other than the primary activities of schooling, employment, and stepping down from paid work into leisure (1). Today, these three boxes tend to overlap as we adapt to the different demands of life due to the rapid change in society accelerated through technological advancement and innovation. To stay competitive or to cope with changes, lifelong learning becomes essential. In today's workplace, many companies incorporate personal development as part of the job requirements of their employees.

What is the Third Age

Peter Laslett (1915-2001) was a demographic historian, sociologist, and authoritative activist on aging in Great Britain. In his book, A Fresh Map of Life: The Emergence of the Third Age, Laslett redefined the traditional view of life stages from three to four, coining it the Four Ages of Life (2). Each age is marked by characteristics as follows: 

• The First Age marks the period of childhood dependency and socialization.

• The Second Age marks the period of responsibility and work life.

• The Third Age marks the period of personal fulfillment and achievement - this age marks the culmination of all life stages.

• The Fourth Age marks the period of dependency and frailty.

   

When I map out the life stages of today's middle-aged adults that are expected to live actively and independently well into their 90s, this is what it looks like:

I enjoy learning new things as I am a naturally curious person. My approach to life is to embrace lifelong learning, stay productive through contribution to society, and allocate time for leisure activities in my Third Age. In order to do that, I need to take special care of myself physically, psychologically, and spiritually.

What Did I Learn to Self-Care this Week?

I learned that walking speed may be a helpful indicator of our mobility and overall health as we age. More importantly, I practice lifestyle changes to improve my walking speed and mobility. This 15-minute online lesson on Walking Speed is accessible through the McMaster Optimal Aging Portal.

I study an online lesson on improving walking speed as a way to challenge myself to keep healthy. Take care of myself by combating walking speed decline with lifestyle changes and increased physical activity. I continue with a daily 50-minute outdoor, vigorous walk at a minimum.

How did you care for yourself last week?

Did you schedule a time to do something enjoyable?

References

 (1) Bolles, Richard N. The Three Boxes of Life and How to Get Out of Them (California, USA: Ten Speed Press, 1981).

 (2) Laslett, Peter. A Fresh Map of Life, 2nd Edition (Suffolk, Great Britain: Macmillan Press Ltd. 1996) 177– 202.