My mother had worried about me through much of my adult life (and continues to do so even to this day), a lot. For a number of years she saw me move from job to job, thinking that this erratic changing was detrimental to my career and thought that it gave a bad perception to future employers. Little did she know, but I was not quitting jobs or being fired, I had simply worked myself out of a job. What? How? Why?
How do you work yourself out of a job?
Easy. Take the main functions of your job and automate the hell out of it. Make it so streamlined and efficient that it would be ridiculous for the employer to want to keep you in your current position since you would be twiddling your thumbs most of the time. How long does it take, in my case after doing this many times, it seems to take 18 months or so. This is the amount of time that it takes to understand all functions in depth in a new environment and become a semi-expert. As well, the amount of time allows a social connection to be made with co-workers and superiors. They know who you are and see what you are capable of.
Why do this?
Naturally, when efficiency and productivity increases, less manpower is required to maintain or run the system. Your job is effectively done. But isn’t a job supposed to last forever? Well, no. Not the same one. There is a start and end point. You are only still in your existing job since you have not finished it or made it obsolete.
What happens now?
Thanks, I no longer have a f#$%ing job. Well, remember those co-workers and superiors that saw you dedicate yourself and put in all that hard work? Guess what, a new project has suddenly been created, and who is going to take part or lead it. Yup, you. Oh, what`s that, no project is in the pipeline? That`s OK. You can now decide on what project that you want to tackle next, and create your own job description with goals. You have earned that right, and who is going to want to stop you from making your company work better, earn more revenue, decrease costs, etc.?
It can’t be that easy, can it?
Well, yes. This shift in thinking is the greatest power you can have. You are in the driver’s seat in your career. Being proactive, rather than passively carried in it day to day, will take you far.
Be the change that you want. Start today!
