Is It Time To Pivot? – Part 5 of 5
A framework for an intentional pivot
So far, we have explored the need for career pivots and the four career archetypes in the AI economy: Creators, Caregivers, Custodians, and Curators. In the last part of the series, I will explore “How” to Pivot.
I know what some of you are thinking. At the pace AI is taking over tasks, my job will be obsolete soon. You are feeling FOBO, the fear of becoming obsolete. If you’re in your 40s or 50s, you feel intimidated. You feel like the clock is running out on you. But I want you to pause, breathe, and stop going into a desperation spiral.
In my decades in the tech industry, I’ve learned one thing: Reinvention isn’t about being young. It’s about timing and judgment. Many people reinvent themselves later in their lives. We simply haven’t been focusing on these transitions because we did not have to. It may also be the case that we do not see humble-brag social media posts that broadcast, “I am humbled to have received the world’s best career reinventor award by my family for pivoting from Electrical Engineer to a Master Electrician.”
Here are a couple of famous reinventions that achieved celebrity status to put your mind at ease. Think of Enzo Ferrari. He didn’t start Scuderia Ferrari until he was 49. Julia Child didn’t publish her first cookbook until she was 50. They based their pivots on their foundation. They started with their personal value proposition and built on it.
You don’t need to achieve celebrity status like Enzo or Julia. My point is simply that you can reinvent yourselves, and that experience doesn’t close doors; it helps you identify the ones worth walking through.
A pivot isn’t a desperate leap into the unknown. It’s a strategic shift. If you’re considering a pivot, treat your experience as leverage, not baggage.
The Pivot Framework: Partnering with the Machine
So, how do you actually do a pivot? In the past, pivots took a long time because of the amount of research we had to do. However, today, you are in luck. Start using AI as a thinking partner to accelerate your research.
Please try the following steps this week.
Step One: Classify your work — Look at your calendar and list every task you completed last week. Now, ask AI to help you categorize this list into three buckets:
What is automatable?
What tasks can be accelerated using AI?
What tasks still require a human in the loop?
Your goal is to move your career toward the third bucket.
Step Two: Find your Personal Value Proposition — Upload your resume to AI and ask it: “What are the five human elements in my roles that a machine cannot replicate?” The resulting list is the starting point of your personal value proposition.
Step Three: Identify Skill Gaps — Don’t guess what you need to learn. Ask AI to identify the specific skills you need to bridge the gap between where you are now and where you want to go.
Step Four: Create an Actional Learning Plan — Use AI to create a personalized four-week syllabus. Don’t just read. Do something. By the end of the month, you should have a “proof of concept”—a tangible demonstration that you’ve reached a new level of skill.
Now, go out there and build something intentional.
You may need a hard pivot
Now, I want to spend a minute talking about Hard Pivots. Sometimes, the “Digital World” gets too crowded. If you feel your desk job is becoming a race to the bottom, look around. The Physical and Human-in-the-Loop worlds are wide open. Have a conversation with someone in a different field. It might be the most important conversation of your career.
Finally, there is no shame in hard pivots. They are not a sign of failure. Hard pivots are the ultimate sign of an intentional career. You are choosing to secure your and your family’s future by taking on a role only a human can perform.
If you’re hesitating, ask yourself: “Am I protecting my income or my identity?”
If you decide you need to make a Hard Pivot, the steps I mentioned still apply.
Questions to reflect on this week
What is one “manual” task you can outsource to AI today to free up time to develop skills?
If you removed the “status” of your current title as a selection criterion for your pivot, what is the smallest step you could take to explore a role in one of the four archetypes?
What is the smallest step you can take this week to explore a Hard Pivot?
Thanks for joining me for this series.
Start From Where You Stand
Pivots and reinventions do not happen by reading about them. They happen only when you take action. Please don’t wait to feel “ready” to pivot. Readiness is a byproduct of doing the work. Start from where you stand. Use your past as leverage and identify your personal value proposition.
The road ahead is yours to shape!
Suresh 😊
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