Longer...Harder...Hopefully More Conscientious!

As a follow up to yesterday's post...

We are all going to have to earn more education, work longer and also maintain more skills than the generation before us therefore we need to be more conscientious about knowing ourselves (strengths and weaknesses in a work setting), our threshold for stress and how to manage that stress. Because we are all working longer, a career change may occur as our strengths and weaknesses shift throughout our lifespan.

I feel like working as an Occupational Therapist is a good example of this. Years ago individuals went to college to earn a bachelor's degree with a few basic math/anatomy/science/psychology courses and a few courses on the theories that were specifically based on OT. Things have changed and now researching and collecting data is necessary to maintain a career in this field which has increased the course work necessary to have entry level skills as an OT. In the education setting and other public agencies I have heard a rumor

that there were report writers (assistants/secretary's) who wrote the reports based on the therapists notes from the evaluations. So, currently an OT  (and other professions) has to maintain the specific skills necessary to keep up with new ways of collecting data and research, to prove the treatment sessions are successful and also maintain clerical skills. The increased use of technology has also given us the ability to do more throughout the work day. While completing a job analysis for myself (yes, I find it interesting), I figured 20 minutes a day to tend to email. Not that much, is it? Out of a school year it's 61 hours. We all know it's more than that, especially when email is on our phones and available to us at 10pm or on the weekends. Twenty years ago a memo through inter-school mail or a phone call had to be made. Sometimes, people had to wait longer than 60 minutes for your response.

My point is, things have changed. And that means we need to change the way we take care of ourselves and how we approach our jobs. Effort to address your health and well being is a necessity.

The next couple of posts will be more fun....addressing play/leisure activities rather than the 4 letter work...W.O.R.K.