Among the workforce phenomena already underway prior to the recession, but which has picked up pace since, is the increasing role of independent workers. These soloists are typically defined as part- or full-time workers who do not violate the employee-defining guidelines set by various state labor, revenue, and employment security departments. 

They are called by a variety of names, such as independent contractors, consultants, freelancers, self-employed, temporary, on-call workers, and even solopreneurs. Whatever you call them, their ranks are growing. 

In September, MBO Partners, a service provider for independent workers and companies that hire them, released their second annual “State of Independence in America” survey. What they found was that the trend toward project or portfolio work was increasing across all demographic cohorts of today’s workforce. Conditions appear to be coalescing that allow for growth in this non-traditional employment sector. 

My own speculation is that the combination of more workers accepting, perhaps begrudgingly, the new normal of an uncertain economic environment both domestically and globally, in combination with affordable technology improvements, is allowing for expansion of independent contracting. 

Time will tell if independent contracting is a sustainable, non-cyclical, and viable career option. However, this survey reveals some interesting points of transition within a population historically used to finding economic security by way of a single employer. Nearly 17 million workers operate as independents currently, up one million from last year. Projections are that 23 million will be their own boss in five years. 

The number of independents who claim satisfaction and reduced anxiety with this career choice is also growing. Many in fact intend to hire employees as resources allow, suggesting that independent contracting may be a gateway to larger entrepreneurial ventures. 

The GenXers, those aged 33 to 49, seem to embrace this concept the most out of the demographic groups measured. Given their relative vitality coupled with some years of actual work experience they are more open to taking control of their career and lifestyle destinies, certainly more so than their employer-loyal parents. 

Perhaps somewhat counter intuitively, the Gen Y (aged 21–32) workers appear to have a more mixed view of independent working, at least for now. The difficulty they have been facing in recent years entering the workforce and gaining valuable work experience may be skewing their attitude. After all, independence may not be a choice for them, but simply their school-of-hard-knocks reality. 

Many Boomers (aged 50–66) on the other hand have their own reasons for resisting migration to this level of work autonomy. In short, they were not brought up this way. Rather, dedication to an employer who in turn provided economic security has been their norm. But increasingly this generation too is seeing the benefits of more self-reliance and determination as evidenced in the survey. Increased flexibility, less workplace politics, more control over scheduling, and greater opportunities to practice their individual skillsets on their terms is being seen as attractive. 

I see significant advantages for our collective careers in encouraging individual economic independence. Although it may never, and perhaps should not ever, entirely replace the traditional employer-employee relationship there is nevertheless value in workers adopting a more flexible and adaptable economic position within the general workforce. 

Maybe we could start preparing our youth by insisting that our schools replace some of their course load, which is of marginal importance for the mainstream, like algebra and medieval history, with financial literacy and entrepreneurism.  

And Boomers, accept it. You are being ejected from the traditional workforce sooner than you expected. Your choice is becoming the pasture or carving a niche that matters to the marketplace. 

Change is only going to become more exponential, not less. Preparing yourself for independent contracting may be the best way to position your career for it. 

These are tough times for those of us who really dislike shopping. We are not only bombarded by holiday shopping advertising everywhere we turn but are told by economists and those who report what they say that shopping is practically a patriotic duty. Apparently, the economic health of the country is largely dependent on how robust consumer activity is. The more we buy the better it is for the economy. 

Now I understand retail makes up about a third of retailers’ annual revenues between Thanksgiving and Christmas and that $465B is expected to be spent on gifts, food, and decor this year alone. Clearly the 8% of the GDP driven by retail needs consumer spending. But I cannot help but to be bothered by some consequences of an economy so reliant on consumerism. For example: 

Material Overindulgence: Do we really need all the stuff we have? American households are bursting with things, many of them tangential to what is necessary for survival or even a reasonably comfortable lifestyle. We collect, clutter, and hoard more and more items to fill all the space made available by our ever-larger houses. 

Resource Depletion: To build, make, and produce all this stuff we are consuming vast amounts of the planet’s resources. From oil to water to minerals and beyond we voraciously harvest the earth for the by-products needed to leave ourselves saturated with products. 

Global Reputation: It does not take Henry Kissinger to see why the rest of the world resents us. We consume vastly more than most of the world’s other countries. We have an insatiable per capita appetite that leaves an impression we are selfish and bottomless. 

Does this holiday season again have to mean that we feel pressured to spend money that in many cases we do not have? Look how many of us cringe every January when we get that credit card statement. So much for the previous month’s Happy Holidays.  

The buying binge will help retailers, (many of whom are now becoming required to work on Thanksgiving) but it comes at a cost to a society that could be placing its monetary value on more substantive and meaningful purchases. 

Maybe we can temper our consumerism so that the dollars we spend reduce waste and hoarding while at the same time going into the pockets of as many of our fellow citizens as possible. Buying locally produced consumables whenever possible is one important way of strengthening our local economies. Consumables like show tickets, restaurant gift certificates, and locally grown produce put money into our communities while stemming the tide of junk purchased from national big box outlets. 

But more importantly let us give serious thought to mitigating the frenzy now occurring every holiday season. Black Friday near riots and Cyber Monday shopping while “at work”?! What are we doing to ourselves? 

We seem to accept that working ourselves into a holiday shopping mania is the new true meaning of Christmas. Can we just chill? Let’s bring holidays back to a simpler time of recognizing family and friends in a more calm and loving way. Can it be possible to have a season of spiritual warmth without dumping a truckload of detritus on our loved ones? 

Finding a way to spur economic growth that does not rely on binge buying will be significant challenge for a society hooked on ho ho ho=dough dough dough. If I had the answer, I would print it here. All I know is that there is a downside to the type of consumerism characterizing the current state of the holiday season.  

I wish my friends in retail, marketing, and manufacturing happy holidays, but I also hope that the way they approach the last two months of each year will eventually change to something less frenetic. 

Encouraging and supporting a high quality system of educating both youth and adults is fundamental to our being a thriving and competitive country in today’s global marketplace. A nation that would short-change its schools and training opportunities gets what it pays for — an unmotivated and unskilled workforce. 

But the role of educational institutions is under pressure to change not just some of its practices, but its core mission. Preparing citizens for the future is not what it used to be. Historically, it was accepted that a relatively limited set of skills were needed to fortify a person for the world that awaited. We had the canon of reading, writing, and arithmetic (still important, of course) and threw in some knowledge to encourage citizenship. However, beyond that, students were largely on their own to determine which of several career paths they would choose. 

Not so in the 21st century. Even a bachelor’s degree may not be enough to suffice for an entire career. The nature of work and professionalism is changing too rapidly. In fact, it is estimated that today what one learns in college will in many ways be outdated before the student loans are paid off. Even the so-called blue-collar jobs are becoming more technical and require skills and certifications that did not exist in the recent past. 

Also, blue collar no longer equates to low skill. To think that achieving a certain level of education will be adequate for almost any career today is shortsighted and rooted in old-fashioned ways of thinking. 

For those dedicated to teaching, training, and helping people learn, this news is good. It means your job never ends. Education is ongoing. Learning is lifelong.  

The ones who most need to reframe their thinking are all the rest of us who need to wrap our arms around the reality that obsolescence will always be nipping at our heels and that learning, relearning, and unlearning are now constants. Complacency is the greatest threat to our careers. Growing accustomed to changing skills and demands is the greatest benefit. 

Workforce growth is linked to sophisticated skill development. However, according to the U.S. Labor Department there is a lack of talent in the STEM careers (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), healthcare, and business. One thing this recession has made clear is that economic recovery is not about recreating conditions whereby people can return to their old jobs. It is much more about realizing that successful long-term employment is in preparing a workforce capable of performing in relevant jobs of the future. And that future is now. 

Companies that do the hiring are increasingly concerned about the lack of necessary skills available. This problem is now as egregious as other competitive issues such as location, transportation of products, and procurement of materials. 

The problem grows larger when you look out over the legions of unemployed and see that three-fourths of them only have a high school education. If you want to be a player in the workforce of tomorrow, you must accept that a high school diploma is not enough. Be ready to get higher ed, vocational ed, or other skill training however you can do it and know that learning will be continuous. For many of us this will be the only path to living the lifestyle we want. 

Schools should start getting this message to students at a young age. Society needs to shake loose this notion that education is something you do before living. Rather, it is what we do as part of living. A thriving, dynamic, and competitive nation is one that is always learning and adapting. 

So many of us just want a job with a decent employer so we can go about our lives free of the stress and turmoil of job hunting. It is not such a bad thing to want employment complacency, as in cruising along doing something we like in exchange for the security of a steady paycheck. Unfortunately, trying to find that level of contentment in today’s job market is becoming less and less likely. 

The harsh reality is that loyalty ain’t what it used to be. You may want to display loyalty and commitment to your employer, but in many cases do not expect it to be returned. The convention has become that companies and their managers are not loyal to employees. Oh, they may rely on you for the skill you can bring, and they may appreciate you when it suits them, but thinking they have your best career interests at heart is dreaming. A basic survival tip is to rely on yourself and on your own talents. 

Job transitions have become more common and are expected to continue to be in the future. Although you need to be careful not to compile a history of leaving a series of jobs under negative circumstances, you do have permission to hop from a good situation to a better one. If you can make the case that the reason you are leaving a job is because your work with them is essentially completed from your perspective and that you are ready to transfer your skills to a new challenge, then why not? 

There are several reasons job hopping can be good for your career. Let us begin by looking at the way multiple positions broaden your horizon. By working in a variety of settings you build a better and more realistic understanding of how companies run because of experiencing different work settings and cultures. Your network of contacts expands and your career portfolio grows. Taken together, this deepens your knowledge of your profession and makes you a more well-rounded employee. 

Who knows where your future will be? Careers develop in a non-linear fashion and are likely to be a hybrid of competencies taken from many places. By adding diversity to your work history, you open the future up to greater opportunities and possibilities. 

An additional value to having many jobs is the adaptability you develop. Employment maturity characterized by flexibility and an ability to change is more valuable than knowing just one organization’s way of doing things. 

If you know yourself to be a high performer, then expect your talent to be desired. You may find putting yourself into a strong negotiating position is enhanced by having an attitude that you are willing to shop for the best employment opportunity at any given time. Now, if your current employer checks all your boxes, then of course stay and thrive, but if you are treading water in a ho-hum job, go ahead and actively seek an alternative. 

And what may be holding you back from embracing job hopping as a career development strategy? Well, fear of course! You mind is probably going through a bad episode of the “What Ifs”. What if managers think I’m unreliable? What if there is nothing better out there than the devil I know? What if I cannot maintain the expensive lifestyle I have grown accustomed to? 

So, in addition to those questions ask yourself this: Am I a go-getter or not? Am I willing to take a risk to improve? Am I as good at what I do as I think I am? If you can answer “Yes!” to these questions then job hopping may be the plan for you.