When Jean-Philippe Michel, a career coach, works with secondary school students, he doesn’t use the word “profession”. Rather than encouraging his young clients to choose a profession, say, architect or engineer, he works backwards from the skills that each student wants to acquire.
Deciding the skills you want to use leads to a career that’s more targeted — and thus more likely to bring you satisfaction. “They need to shift from thinking about jobs and careers to thinking about challenges and problems,” Michel says.
“The purpose is to help teenagers plan for a “portfolio career”, which is made up of numerous micro-jobs and will be better received in the next decade, ”says Michel. “Instead of identifying your job role or description, you will be constantly adding skills based on what is going to make you more employable,” says Jeanne Meister.co-author of The Future Workplace Experience.
More traditional companies are offering various project opportunities to their own employees. Workers are encouraged to choose their next projects based on their skills, or skills they want to develop, which can mean working in different parts of the company. For companies, the payoff for experimenting with internal project-based opportunities means workers are less likely to jump from one company to the next. Micro-jobs can inspire a sense of belonging and autonomy within a company, which in turn might keep staff from job-hopping (跳槽) to the competition
“But when it comes to building a long-term career, there are disadvantages to creating a portfolio of work,” say experts. If you constantly hop from one project to the next, the change can be jarring and leave you without a clear path to success. “With fewer promotions and changes to job titles, it can be more difficult to feel like you’re succeeding even if you’re regularly completing projects,” says career coach Michel.
Of course, it can take companies years to change from traditional mentality to what boosts professional growth.
4. Why does Michel avoid using the word “profession” with his students?
A.To help them realize what they want to be. |
B.To encourage them to choose a dream job. |
C.To enable them to master survival skills. |
D.To guide them to focus more on challenges |
5. What is the advantage of portfolio career to employees?
A.It will make them more popular with colleagues. |
B.It will equip them with more competitive skills. |
C.It will discourage them from switching jobs. |
D, It will help them enjoy a stable working state.
6. What does the underlined word “‘jarring” in paragraph 6 mean?
A.Unpleasant. | B.Significant. | C.Permanent. | D.Unavoidable. |
7. What’s the author’s attitude towards portfolio career?
A.Supportive. | B.Objective. | C.Doubtful. | D.Intolerant. |