Career Management in a VUCA World – An Ongoing Debate between Threats and Opportunities under the Technological Imperative

Abstract In today's VUCA world (acronym which stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous), building up and managing a career can be extremely challenging, since society undergoes fundamental and irreversible transformations driven by the new technological wave. Technological developments have impacted all areas of an organization and all phases of a business process, from basic operations to sales to financial management and human resource management. In this framework, where new industries emerge, new skills are required and new professional roles are designed, career management is a syntagm which can no longer be viewed just as a social construct of personal significance, but rather as an active endeavor to grasp the future of professions, adapt to the new reality, and capitalize on the opportunities in order to thrive in the long run. The aim of this paper is to address career management within the VUCA world shaped by technological advancements, and the ongoing discussion surrounding the dual nature of technology as both a threat and an opportunity. Drawing on statistical data, we highlight the need for of a different and more effective approach to career management in the current complex and unpredictable times, and a more alert and purposefully designed work-life balance. As a qualitative study, the paper involved the collection and selection of the relevant literature in the field, the analytical inquiry and interpretation, as well as the use of statistical data and their analysis to defend the argument and conclude the results.