written by Career Coach, Nick Roud, New Zealand March 2026
Let’s talk about careers for a moment. There is a great deal of change and uncertainty going on today. More than I can ever recall. Career development is not a “nice to have” its is the work. In a world where skills expire faster and roles are constantly redesigned, relying on your job title or employer to carry your career is a very risky strategy. Surveys show that three in four HR leaders report employees now place more importance on opportunities to develop, learn and grow than on compensation alone, with more that half saying their people are increasingly focused on meaning and purpose at work. The signal is clear to me: If you want a resilient, rewarding career, you need to treat your development as a deliberate, ongoing practice. Not an annual conversation with your boss.
Recent research suggests that close to 40 percent of workers’ existing skills will be transformed and or outdated between now and 2030. And, that around 60 percent of workers will require additional training between now and 2027 just to keep up with and inline with new tools, workflows and potential new job designs. With that said there is no better time than now to throw yourself at development. Careers are expanding and contracting daily, people are being hired and unfortunately losing jobs. It has become the norm.
For many professionals career planning still sounds like something you do when you lose your job, a one-off exercise, a colourful document that you fill in, a ladder to climb and or a neat five year plan. The reality is see in my career coaching practice is a lot messier. Modern career planning is about setting a clear direction, understanding the skills and experience that will matter to companies, reviewing and adjusting as the world continues to shift around us all. Leading companies are using structured career pathing, mapping employees’ goals, passions, and skill (gaps) against future business needs. You can do something similar yourself away from your day job: clarify where you want to have the greatest impact, identify the capabilities that will be in demand or in vogue within your field, and then look to design learnings, projects, secondments, relationships that move you in that direction.
When and if circumstances change you will be better positioned to move as opposed to going oh …. what am I going to do now. My invitation is get started on that work today, not tomorrow, today.
Maintaining a strong professional network is in my view super helpful, evidence shows that those who keep close genuinely close to their network can and do find work should things change. This should not be a once a year connect. Less is more but gather a close network of good people you want to remain close to and be purposeful in your interactions. I know as an introvert this can be hard and it is but getting out side your own bubble does make a world of difference and opens up new learnings and experiences.
So what does “Career Development 101″ look like in real life?
First, get clear on what you are solving for not just the role you want to do next.
Second, audit your current skills against where your industry is heading, not just where it has been but the future. Look at what gaps you may have and then fill the void, see this as an opportunity to upskill yourself.
Third, cultivate relationships across and beyond your current company, maintain a living and breathing document, review it monthly and ensure every plan b still connects to your longer term aspirations. It reminds me of gardening, don’t forget to water the new seeds and slowly allow them to grow.
If you are considering your future and fancy an external sounding board then feel free to connect in with me here at Nick Roud Coaching. In the meantime take care and look after yourself, Nick
Nick Roud, helping professionals in their careers since 2016.
