Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS
Education
Mental resilience can help you weather the pandemic storm
Excerpts from article by Vivian Huizenga, published in thedailystar.net
Resilience is the ability to stay strong during hard times. Inner strength is good because then you can handle whatever problems come your way next time.
There has been a lot of research about the benefits of building resilience in children and preparing them for a changing world.
Help your child build resilience
Often parents do not want to see their child being hurt or struggling, and feel better just ‘doing the needful for them.’ This has two ill consequences:
- The child is denied the feeling of accomplishment and loses the opportunity to build confidence in his/her abilities
- The child is not used to experiencing struggle, therefore enters adulthood with few tools to handle difficulties that are bound to come his/her way.
Wise parents allow just the right amount of struggle to let their children build resilience.
Effect of pandemic
Resilience is like a tree that has been beaten by strong winds year after year. Its roots grow stronger and hold the ground more firmly after every storm. It may be leaning and may have lost a few leaves and branches, but it is still holding onto the ground with a new set of lessons to cherish.
People are like that too. We experience and live through difficult times, and grow stronger.
The pandemic has been difficult. It has changed our daily lives, our way of interacting with family, friends, travelling, and our workplace.
Some of us withered at first, appalled at all the freedoms we had ‘lost’. However, many adapted quickly to the new routine, accepted limitations, and even found benefits within the ‘new normal.’ It was their deep, firm roots tied to the ground that gave them the confidence to hang on.
Keep yourself calm & productive
Focusing on being calm and productive is the key. Stay centered – enjoy a cup of tea, practise yoga, go for a walk, listen to music, etc. – and don’t let the gloom of everyday news get to you.
Only thinking about yourself can be stressful and create anxiety. Taking care of others is another good way to overcome self-obsession. Listen deeply to others. Realise that they too may be uncomfortable and afraid.
Neurologically if you pull yourself out of the thinking mode and stay in your body, this balances the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Things, like sensing physical feelings, listening to birds, enjoying flowers, feeling a warm breeze, and just being aware, are calming and centering.
As fast-paced changes in education, businesses and jobs transform our world, it is even more important to help our children build resilience and be ready for any challenge that comes their way.
Career
39% people think their jobs will be obsolete in 5 years: Global survey
Excerpts from article by Victoria Masterson, published in the World Economic Forum
After a year that has had a huge impact on the world of work, and in which people lost their jobs, half of workers still feel excited or confident about the future. But six out of 10 are worried that automation is putting many jobs at risk and 39% think their job will be obsolete within five years.
Majority of people are ready to learn new skills or completely retrain, and 40% of workers have improved their digital skills during the pandemic.
These are among the findings of a survey of more than 32,500 workers in 19 countries, which found workers want more digital skills, more inclusive workplaces, and greater flexibility.
Key findings
- The survey touched on how people feel about job security, diversity and inclusion, reskilling, remote work and working for a purpose-driven organisation.
- Half of workers surveyed said they’ve faced discrimination at work linked to ethnicity, gender, class or age, which led to them missing out on career advancement or training. If current patterns in access to training persist, upskilling will increase social inequality when it should be doing precisely the opposite.
- While not everyone has been able to work from home in the pandemic, the survey found that almost three-quarters of workers who can work remotely want a mix of remote and in-person working. Only 9% said they’d like to go back to their traditional work environment full-time.
Future of jobs
The survey found that automation, in tandem with the COVID-19 recession, was creating a ‘double-disruption’ scenario for workers, with technology adoption accelerating in some areas. It is predicted that by 2025, the time spent on current tasks at work by humans and machines will be equal.
The report estimates that 85 million jobs may be displaced by a shift in the division of labour between humans and machines, while 97 million new roles could emerge.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)
Like this post? For more such helpful articles, click on the button below and subscribe FREE to our blog.
Download our mobile app, ICS Career GPS, a one-stop career guidance platform.
