up as independent entrepreneurs providing a service to others. Ideas and creativity will lead you to establish your unusually cool career.
10. Globalisation. The 21st-century world is one of international movement. We no longer need to work only in the country we grew up in. We can have flexible career plans that include a period of experience overseas that will be valued when we return home. Broaden your thinking. Cool Careers is full of ideas that will take you across the world rather than just on a short commute to a dull grey office block. Think laterally, and find a very cool career.
PASSING THE PARTY TEST
The easiest way to recognise that you have a cool career is the party test. If you say what you do at a party, and the person you are talking to says, ‘Cool!’ (or an equivalent exclamation), looks impressed, begins to get a little competitive with you (because they haven’t got a cool career like yours), or starts telling everyone else at the party about your career, you know it’s cool.
IF YOU’RE NOT PROUD, IT ISN’T COOL
Practise on yourself. Are you proud to tell people what you do, or do you feel the need to lie? Lying is a serious sign that something needs to change fast. Why not really go and get that job you’ve told the good-looking girl/guy you have? Life’s too short to do the same as everyone else.
If you are still not sure, measure your career against the Coolometer.
The Coolometer
The Coolometer is an invention that measures just how cool your career is. Of course, classifications are subjective, and I haven’t been scientific about it, because there are some types of job that demand a completely different classification of their own – but through the book I have categorised careers in several ways.
Uncool Neither particularly unusual, nor highly aspirational. If someone asks you what you do, they know immediately what this career is when you mention it. The conversation falters. Watch out for signs of boredom in your audience: fidgeting, folded arms or a sudden need to find a drink. Not covered in this book.
Classic cool Well-recognised as a sought-after career. Classically cool careers sometimes take specialist training before you can do them, or may be particularly competitive to get in to. May gain you a friend at a party.
Very cool A more unusual career. A very cool career may be a specialist or sub-category of a classically cool career or a related niche career. Mentioning that you do this career at a party is bound to start an interesting conversation. There is very unlikely to be anyone else in the room with your career.
Unusually cool There are many careers that are one-offs, 21st-century only careers, or available only in a particular geographical location. An unusually cool career might even be a career that didn’t exist until you made it up. To find an unusually cool career, keep your eyes peeled for new careers in the newspapers and on television. Think about what you could add to your career to make it more interesting and more unusual. You will be the talk of the party.
How to build a cool career
Some of us find cool careers straight away. Others may need to develop a cool career out of a so-so start. The cooler the career you are after, the more unconventional it will be by our definition. As a result, you aren’t going to find this kind of career by looking in the obvious places. You need to take your time and really think about what you want.
BLAZE YOUR OWN TRAIL
People with cool careers are unconventional. They blaze their own trail in life. They decide what they really want and they choose a career that is likely to give it to them.
Expect to have a different life from the majority of people that you know. Perhaps you will travel more, meet more eccentric people, work different hours, but you should also have far more fun than everyone else you know. If what you do also makes for good conversation, even better.
To begin to decide on your own cool career, you will have to become your own career detective.
Five steps to decide who you are and what you want
1. Look at your interests. What do you enjoy doing?
Are there any particular activities or subjects that keep your interest? These might be a hobby rather than a work interest at present.
Do you have a real passion for any area of life? Forget at the moment whether or not you have any training in relation to the area. Simply think about what you enjoy doing. Here are some examples: the environment, playing computer games, cars and mechanical objects, influencing people, travel, science, helping others, directing and leading, changing the world, doing something personal and meaningful, collecting data or objects, writing or artistic pursuits.
When you think about what you really love, what career direction does that start to point you towards?
2. Get to know yourself. Take a long, hard look at your personality. Be honest with yourself. Your work is going to take up a huge part of your life. There is no point pretending to be someone you are not.
Are you a completer/finisher who always delivers tasks on time? Or perhaps you are much more a big picture, philosopher type who is great at ideas and strategic thinking.
Maybe you are a moody, artistic type who is wonderful at living in your imagination? Ask your friends for their opinion if you are not sure.
Psychometric profiling tools, such as MBTI (Myers-BriggsType Indicator), or specific career profiling tools, such as the Holland typing systems, are very effective for revealing your character traits. You may have to pay a career counsellor to help you but it could be worth it. If you are short of cash, there is a lot of information online if you search under the tools’ names.
Choose a job that suits what you are naturally good at rather than trying to change yourself to suit the job. Changing yourself will neither make you rich nor happy. Doing a job that suits your personality, on the other hand, will.
3. Look at your current skills. How many steps are you away from your ideal career right now?
What skills would you need to learn or train in to make your ideal career a reality?
What would it take for you to learn these skills?
Is it physically possible for you to learn them? For example, if you are already 70, it’s probably too late for you to be a Premiership footballer, but you might still be able to create yourself a career to do with football.
4. Decide what’s important. What is really important to you in your career?
Is it money? Status? Flexible hours? Security and a nine-to-five routine? Regular promotions? Adventure and excitement?
Perhaps you want to be your own boss?
