"One of my favourite career theories, because it very much fits how I have experienced my worklife, is planned happenstance. It flips the what I call "This is what everyone thinks of career planning" idea on its head. As we've heard in previous episodes in this series, conventional career planning theory suggests doing some self reflection, setting a goal, making a plan and marching towards it. But the truth is careers rarely play out in straight lines these days. Planned happenstance theory says stop treating luck as random. Instead, build the skills to take advantage of it."
"The theory highlights five qualities that turn chance into opportunity. A curiosity to explore, persistence, to keep going when things stall, flexibility to adapt, optimism to see possibilities. And risk-taking, to step forward, even when it feels uncertain, which, let's be honest, these days, working life can be a bit uncertain. In other words, you can't predict the future, but you can prepare yourself to catch opportunities when they fly past. So instead of trying to plan everything to perfection, let's expect to welcome the unexpected and be ready for it."
Planned happenstance reframes career development by treating luck as something to leverage rather than as mere randomness. Careers rarely follow linear trajectories, so cultivating specific qualities enables people to seize unforeseen opportunities. The five central qualities are curiosity to explore, persistence to continue through stalls, flexibility to adapt, optimism to recognise possibilities, and risk-taking to move forward amid uncertainty. Preparing to catch opportunities is presented as more practical than attempting perfect long-term plans. The International Science Council supports conversations on how early- and mid-career researchers can navigate changing scientific landscapes using these approaches.
Read at Nature
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