Picture this: Your kid might grow up to work in a role we can’t even imagine today. Quantum algorithm coach? Lunar tour guide?
It sounds like science fiction, but it’s closer than you might think.
According to the World Economic Forum, an astonishing 85% of the jobs that today’s learners will do over the next decade haven’t been invented yet. They’ll use technology that does not even exist today.
For those of us in the working world right now, this raises a critical question:
How can you future-proof your career when you don’t even know what your future job will be called?
Why reinvention matters more than ever
At Now Go Create, we specialise in helping business professionals stay creative, resilient and adaptable. So when I heard about Christopher Bishop, a man who calls himself a Chief Reinvention Officer, I knew I had to talk to him.
Christopher has done exactly what many of us fear doing: he’s reinvented himself not once, but nine times. His career journey spans decades and includes some pretty remarkable chapters:
- Touring rock musician in the 1970s
- Studio musician in New York, performing with Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley
- Composer for TV jingles
- Early web producer at New York’s pioneering interactive agencies
- Over a decade in strategy and executive comms at IBM, including projects that experimented with the early metaverse
- And now, a respected speaker and author, helping people navigate careers in quantum tech, AI and other cutting-edge fields
What I love about Christopher is that he is relentlessly optimistic about the future of work. While headlines tend to focus on which jobs AI might destroy, he focuses on how people can use creativity, curiosity and adaptability to thrive whatever comes next.
The future career toolkit
When I interviewed Christopher for the Now Go Create podcast, he shared something I found really practical: his Future Career Toolkit.
This toolkit is simple, but surprisingly powerful. It breaks down how to keep your career flexible and future-ready into three steps:
1. Voice: Define your unique brand
Your voice is your personal brand — your reputation, your unique perspective and the value you bring. Many people overlook this. They think a CV or LinkedIn bio covers it, but Christopher argues you should go deeper.
One way to uncover your voice is to look at your favourite films, books or games. What draws you in? What qualities do you admire? This helps pinpoint what matters most to you and what makes you stand out.
2. Antenna: Stay plugged In
Next, build your “antenna”. This is how you stay alert to trends and conversations shaping your industry and future ones too.
Christopher suggests listing a few trusted sources you’ll check regularly, from TED Talks and YouTube channels to podcasts and newsletters. Be deliberate about it. Which topics excite you? Which sources expand your thinking?
The idea is to develop a habit of scanning the horizon so you’re not surprised when change arrives, but prepared to seize it.
3. Mesh: Build and nurture your network
Finally, there’s your “mesh” — your network of connections, both inside and outside your current field.
Christopher recommends a simple goal: add five new connections each week. Find people talking about topics that spark your curiosity. Join groups on LinkedIn. Attend virtual or in-person events when you can.
The more diverse and active your network, the more resilient you’ll be when it’s time to reinvent yourself or spot unexpected opportunities.
You can hear Christopher coaching me through the process on the podcast episode.
If you’re a team leader, manager or business owner, you know how fast skills become obsolete. Many organisations still focus training budgets on old frameworks, but the biggest advantage today is helping your people get comfortable with ambiguity and new ideas.
Christopher’s toolkit is an excellent conversation starter for your next team meeting or personal development session. It gets people thinking about how they can take ownership of their careers instead of waiting for change to come to them.
Get the toolkit
I asked Christopher if we could share his workbook with you and he said yes!
You can download the free Future Career Toolkit right here
If you want to hear Christopher’s stories and insights in his own words, listen to our full podcast conversation:
Inside, you’ll learn:
- Why so many of us feel overwhelmed by change and why that’s normal
- How curiosity is more valuable than expertise in an unpredictable economy
- Examples of surprising future job titles you may never have considered
- And how to teach the next generation to embrace reinvention, not fear it
We live in extraordinary times. Technology is evolving faster than our job descriptions can keep up. The good news is, your best tools for staying employable have always been human: creativity, curiosity and community.
Use this toolkit as your starting point and share it with your team, your colleagues, and your family. Christopher’s book Improvising Careers: Succeed at Jobs that Don’t Exist Yet is out now and I for one cannot wait to read it.
The future may be uncertain, but your ability to navigate it creatively is not.
Stay curious. Stay ready. And keep creating.
Download the Future Career Toolkit
Listen to the Podcast Episode