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SINCE the onset of the 21st century, the world has experienced a series of drastic and unpredictable changes, which have had a significant impact on the way people live and work.

At a time when people are exhorted to take control of what they want to achieve in their work and personal lives, it is ironic that many have never felt as insecure and unsure of the future as they do now.

This is because there has been a paradigm shift in how companies view employment. Gone are the good old days when employees were taken care of till they retired. Pension payments are becoming extinct.

What job-seekers are coming to terms with are more short-term contracts, performance appraisals, multi-tasking and more job responsibility for lesser pay.

The world that once looked familiar and predictable has metamorphosed into a complex web where everything moves too fast. The constant buzzwords are upgrade, re-skill, innovate, add value - or lose your relevance and your job.

So what is the 21st century employee to do? The sensible thing is to accept that some things may never be the same again, and take charge of your life before someone else does it for you.

If you want to take charge of your career, you need to make concrete plans amidst the frenzied whirlpool of change that is swirling before your eyes.

Even if you wish to continue with your intended career path, you may need to create a new formula for success - one that helps you to ride the waves of uncertainty.

Here are three pointers to achieving this:

1.Create a sturdy floating platform

You need to liken yourself to a very sturdy floating platform in a wide uncharted ocean. The ocean represents the uncertainties in your life. If your platform is sturdy, it might falter but will not break. It will carry you through these uncertainties and allow you to adapt to change.

You can be the floating platform by keeping yourself alert to the events around you. You will need to be more flexible so that you can adapt quickly to changing circumstances.

Always assess the situation that you are facing so that you can be in control rather than succumb to it. As the famous actress Katharine Hepburn once said: "As you go through life, you learn that if you don't paddle your own canoe you don't move."

2.Remain positive and hopeful

In Greek mythology, Prometheus took from Man all his frailties and stashed them away in a box which he sealed and gave to his wife, Pandora. He told her never to open the box but did not explain why. Pandora's curiosity got the better of her and she opened the box and released all the failings that trouble mankind to this day.

Thus, the popular saying - "Don't open Pandora's Box", which means it is best to leave things that you do not understand alone.

However, this is only part of the legend. When Pandora closed the box in fear, she heard a little voice calling: "Let me out!" When she asked who the voice was, the answer was: "I am Hope!"

This story suggests that there was a positive side to the catastrophe, because when everything else failed, hope remained.

As a lesson for your career, a time of difficulty may offer you an opportunity to tap into the talent that you never thought you had. There are many stories of people who were casualties of retrenchment and restructuring exercises, who picked themselves up and went on to have successful second careers doing something completely different.

3.Do not become an educated crook

I had a professor in university who once asked me: "What do you think is worse than a crook?" I thought for a long time, not knowing the answer he wanted.

Looking at my blank expression, he said slowly: "An educated crook!"

As you work your way through your career, you need to ensure that you do not become an educated crook. This is an easy trap to fall into especially if you have the opportunity to "get rich quick", or have lost your job and are desperate to find another.

In times like these, let your values guide you: Take on as many new jobs as you want until you find one that suits you, but do not compromise your ethics and integrity. Lose your good reputation and you might have to say goodbye to career success for good.

Article contributed by Daniel Theyagu from Lateral Solutions Consultancy, which designs and conducts competency-based training for organisations. E-mail:dtheyagu@singnet.com.sg. Website: www.lateralsolutionsconsult.com