The New Career Playbook: Be as Uniquely Human as Possible
By Jess Lane, Founder of The Full Cup Co. [Career Design for the Future of Work] | 20+ Years Fortune 500 and High-Growth Tech | MA Psychology, Pepperdine University
The biggest shift in how we think about work is where we start. Traditionally, that’s been with a title, a place/company or brand we admire. But now with AI disruption, more non-linear careers will take shape, making our unique human capabilities even more important in the future of work.
So let’s get into the new career playbook, because what’s worked for us in the past isn’t going to work for us in the future.
How is The Future of Work Changing?
In 1926, Ford Motor Company helped popularize the five-day, 40-hour workweek. A century later, we're still organizing much of professional life around that model, even as technology transforms how work gets done.
In the future, companies will run more lean. Human/AI teams and fluency will be integral to the way we work. This means we also have to change the way we work.
The traditional corporate ladder isn’t a guarantee anymore. Career ROI and risk look a lot different now. Therefore, we need to think about new strategies for what lies ahead. The next 100 years aren’t going to look like the next 100 years.
Why Traditional Career Planning Won’t Work In The Future
The responsibility of career planning has typically fallen to the typical career ladder and a more linear career path. But when those are no longer guaranteed options, and we cannot count on a 9-5 to support us, we must think beyond defaulting to that system.
We have to think about proactively taking action and having a sense of agency over our own careers. So the responsibility of career planning has now shifted from institutions to the individual. The future of work will be more entrepreneurial, even if you do work for an organization at some point. It is not your boss or leadership’s job to manage your entire career. Yes, they can give you opportunities. But to maximize what’s possible for you, that is now your job. Because your career will likely span more than one 9-5, or even type of employment.
This is especially true now, since you can go create new opportunities for yourself, versus scroll job boards and hope something interesting pops up, then wait to hear back. Or not. Mark Zuckerberg just titled his latest manifesto, “The Future is for Everyone”, and while I don’t agree with all the things he says and does, I do agree with this sentiment.
Five Future-of-Work Trends You Need to Know
1. Work as we've known it is changing rapidly and at scale.
The next 100 years won’t look like the last, and that’s ok. If you’re anywhere near my age, you’ve survived the introduction of the computers, smartphones, the internet and modern day life as we know it. You will be fine, but life and work will also look different.
2. The future of work will be more entrepreneurial.
This is exciting, because more is possible for us than ever before. You don’t need to fit yourself into a small box and call that your career for the next 30 years anymore. You can think more about work that aligns with your purpose, your soul, your life and desired impact.
3. Success will require more agency from the individual.
However, the future of work will require more agency from the individual in the future, vs. relying on a job their entire life. This will become more difficult. A better approach is a proactive approach to designing and seeking the type of work you’re best at and that the market needs, vs. stifling yourself into whatever is available.
4. Careers will look more non-linear.
The career ladder is eliminating a lot of entry-level careers, will also exiting a lot of mid-lifers from corporate and tech altogether. This means someone who may have once been on a path to CMO might opt to start their own mission-based company, or become fractional, or have multiple sources of income including marketing projects and assignments
5. Human/AI teams will be the new way of working.
MIT, Meta and most future of work and AI experts agree that the future of work is Human/AI teams and fluency. Which means we need to be able to work with AI, but also understand how to capitalize our human skills to truly take advantage of it. Our years of judgement and intuition will be even more valuable in the future because it’s what AI cannot replicate.
What Human Skills Will Matter Most in the Age of AI?
Human skills will come at a premium, such as empathy, presence, opinion, creativity and hope. (These come from MIT's EPOCH framework: Read more here).
Your human capital (mastery skills, experience, judgement, relationships, network and impact) will also play a big role. You can read more about human capital here, and how to figure out what yours is.
And of course, you want to consider AI as you design a career for yourself. What AI skills will you need to succeed, based on where you’re going?
What Is Human-Centered Career Design?
Human-centered career design starts with you, the human. Not a job board, resume or interview in sight.
It identifies your unique blueprint and designs a career around you and the life you want to life, versus fitting you into a box (resume). The Full Cup Method™ is the only career design framework built on Master's-level psychology, decades of Fortune 500 and high-growth tech strategy and future of work intelligence.
Happier, healthier, more purposeful work starts here.
How to Start Designing Your Next Career Chapter
Start with identifying what your key priorities are, and what you consider success and well-being. Then, identify a unique way to create value that can only come from you, and design your work around the life you just said you want to live. It’s what I did, and it’s what I helped my clients do now.
The way you become defensible in the future of work is to create value that can only come from you. It’s time to get creative, and it’s time to have some fun. Because the future of work is you.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Future of Work
Is AI going to replace my job?
Likely not completely, although your exact role, title and company job may change. Some industries and roles are more affected than others. For instance, administrative tasks will be highly automated, but Human/AI teams will be the much more likely combination in the future of work, vs. teams full of agents only.
If you’re interested in how AI is replacing skills in the labor market, the MIT Iceberg Index is an interesting resource. The index measures technical capability and skills overlap vs. actual job projections.
How do you what skills and jobs will be available?
There are several resources that project what types of jobs will be available in the future of work, including the BLS AI Employment Projections which
Additional research from Harvard Business School and The Burning Glass Institute is covered in How Generative AI’s Impact on Learning Curves Will Reshape the Workplace. It suggests that both Growth (learned over time) and Mastery (skill-based learned upfront) roles in the future of work face their own challenges. Growth roles will face depreciated career ladders and Mastery roles face more competition.
What types of careers do people design that work with you?
Visit my client success stories to learn more about the unique career paths my clients have designed through The Full Cup Method.
Ready to start designing? See below to learn more and get started →
Jess Lane is the founder of The Full Cup Co., the career design company for the future of work, creator of the Full Cup Method and Strategic Executive Exit. She has 20+ years of marketing and business leadership across Fortune 500 and high-growth IPO and unicorn technology companies including Porsche, Visa, Michelob ULTRA, and TheRealReal, and a Masters in Psychology from Pepperdine University. She helps experienced professionals design their next chapter and the career meant for them.
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