Spoiler: you want it to be bright green. But you might have to change your career to get there.
Chameleons are really interesting creatures. They are perhaps best known for their ability to change colour. Their skin has superficial layers that contain pigments which are set above a kind of crystal structure. Colour transformation happens when the space between these crystals changes and reflects light in different ways. But why do they do this?
Contrary to popular belief (and erroneous portrayals in popular culture), it isn’t for camouflage. Chameleon colour change can be a reflection of their mood. It can relate to their body temperature if they are too hot or too cold. It can be a demonstration of their stress levels. Males can also change to show-off to a prospective mate or when fighting another male. They change for their benefit, and as a response to their emotions and environment.
“So, what does this have to do with changing careers?”, you might well ask at this point.
Hold that thought for a moment, and ask yourself this instead: why do we, humans, choose to change careers in the first place? What truly motives us to take that leap? Often, it’s because we’re bored, or we want greater career satisfaction, or we’d like more money, or our circumstances change and we need greater flexibility or control over our lives. Our reasons can be more complicated or multifaceted than these, but they, like the many colours of a chameleon, depend on our emotions and our environment.
An unhappy or stressed chameleon, or one in a strange or unsuitable environment, presents as dark coloured and dull. A happy and relaxed chameleon, on the other hand, can be bright green, blue, yellow and red, and many other colourful combinations. If you imagine for a moment that all of us have a career chameleon inside ourselves, our chosen career should create the latter and not the former response.
So, ask yourself, “what colour is my career chameleon?”
Does the prospect of another day’s work feel like heavy black clouds or bright blue skies? Dull grey or acid green? If your chameleon is a little lacklustre, it’s a good idea to embark on a few simple steps before you decide to make a career change:
- Evaluate your current job satisfaction, and if it’s time for a change,
- Assess your interests and skills, and see which roles appeal to you,
- Consider that the world of cyber security requires a far greater kaleidoscope of skills and abilities than most people think. Many people are well-matched to a cyber career. If this sounds good to you,
- Look to take a course with CAPSLOCK. We’re quite literally in the business of helping people forge an exciting new career for themselves in cyber security, with no upfront costs.
We all deserve a career that makes us feel happy and fulfilled, and provides us with the scope to be ourselves. We should all aim to be like a bright green chameleon.
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