The 100-Year Career: Reimagine Your Professional Journey | Apeksha Gupta | TEDxDFBEDU

Summary

The speaker reflects on the traditional notion of success and retirement, questioning its relevance in an era where people may live to 100. They propose a future of work that includes multiple career phases and a shift in priorities from money to personal growth and community. The concept of a 'portfolio career' is introduced, allowing individuals to pursue various vocations simultaneously. The speaker encourages envisioning three life scenarios to gain perspective and explore what truly motivates them, advocating for a non-linear, fulfilling life path.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker started their career at 22 with a single-minded goal of achieving success, fearing that success was a finite resource that had to be attained by a certain age.
• 🏆 They became a CEO before turning 30, aligning with the societal notion of 'retiring by fortune' at a young age.
• 🌟 The reality of potentially living up to 100 years old has challenged the traditional concept of retirement and the linear career path.
• 🔄 The idea of a 'multi-phase career' is introduced, suggesting that people may have multiple careers throughout their extended lives.
• 💡 Money will remain important but won't be the primary motivator in a world where life spans are significantly longer.
• 🌱 The emphasis will shift towards community, mental and emotional well-being, and personal growth as life's motivators.
• 🎨 The speaker encourages envisioning life as a 'multiverse' with three different scenarios to consider: perfect life, life flipped by AI and automation, and a life where money and reputation are not the measure of success.
• 🛠 The concept of a 'portfolio career' is presented as a way to pursue multiple vocations, interests, and roles simultaneously.
• 🔮 The importance of prototyping and trying out different life paths, even at an older age, is highlighted to explore new passions and skills.
• 🔄 The speaker advocates for a non-linear approach to life and career, allowing for continuous learning, reflection, and change.
• 🌐 The script concludes by celebrating the unique opportunity of living in a time of unprecedented longevity and the potential for a fulfilling and varied life.

Q & A

What was the speaker's initial mindset about success and retirement before their career started?

The speaker initially believed in the notion of celebrating success as a finite resource, feeling the pressure to achieve it before a specific time period, and was ready to retire by 30.

At what age did the speaker become a CEO and how did it align with their earlier beliefs about success?

The speaker became a CEO before their 30th birthday, which seemed to align with their earlier belief of achieving success by a certain age.

What realization about life expectancy prompted the speaker to reconsider their views on retirement?

The realization that people in the current generation may live up to 100 years old made the speaker reconsider the concept of retirement and the future of work.

What does the speaker suggest the future of work might look like given the potential for longer life spans?

The speaker suggests that the future of work might involve multiple career phases, with money not being the primary motivator and a focus on community, mental and emotional well-being.

What is the concept of a 'portfolio career' as introduced by the speaker?

A 'portfolio career' is the idea of having multiple vocations, careers, roles, and responsibilities that one can pursue simultaneously, leveraging all of one's interests, talents, and education.

How does the speaker propose to think about life in the context of the future of work?

The speaker proposes thinking about life as a 'Multiverse' with three scenarios: the perfect life, life if everything goes awry, and a life without the constraints of money and reputation.

What are the three scenarios the speaker suggests envisioning for one's life?

The three scenarios are: 1) Life going perfectly as desired, 2) Life being disrupted by AI, robotics, and automation, and 3) A life without the concern for money and reputation.

What does the speaker mean by 'stealing the script' from the future?

The speaker means adopting and integrating new skills, interests, or careers into one's life from emerging fields or trends, essentially 'stealing' the script of someone else's reality to diversify one's own life experiences.

How does the speaker view the role of money in one's life as they age and have a longer life span?

The speaker views money as an important motivator but not the primary one as life spans increase. They suggest that other factors such as community, mental and emotional well-being, and personal growth will become more significant.

What is the speaker's perspective on the concept of aging and how it should be approached in the future?

The speaker believes that aging should be approached as a fulfilling process, where the excess of life is not a burden but an opportunity for continuous learning, growth, and meaningful living.

How does the speaker encourage individuals to think about their career and life choices?

The speaker encourages individuals to think about their life as a designer, using design thinking principles to prototype and test different life scenarios, and to reflect and change their plans as they grow older.