Recently, a photo challenge was circulating on Instagram, in which many listed the jobs they have done in their lives. The lists were a great pastime, learning completely new facets of people we know and don't know. My colleague Anne, who is now a marketing manager, had once worked, for example, as a cleaner, Alko salesperson and ad space seller in a local newspaper. Sales jobs in the past could very well hint at the fact that the career of a marketing manager has been a clear direction for a long time.

From a carpenter's sidekick to a broker, from a sheet metal worker
to a stand-in, from a banker to a musician. Modern jobs were also included: bot whisperers, cybersecurity experts, social media influencers were on the lists.

On the other hand, many people have not accumulated that many employment relationships. At a young age, people have worked summer jobs until they have studied to become a teacher or an electrician and they have stayed on that path. And that's a good thing. At the office this week, we celebrated the career of my other colleague Maarit (and a few others) with a silver badge: she has worked for the same employer for 25 years. This long career has seen many changes: once in IT support, then in customer service, as an organization manager and today as an account and service manager. Even though the workplace hasn't changed, the work inside it has changed the course of her career many times.

YTK has grown into a community of more than 510,000 people, each with their own individual careers. You don't have to think about your career unambiguously, but you can pursue it in your own way. Maarit can be seen a careerist who has seen and experienced a lot and has calm expectations of what is to come. Anne, on the other hand, may be completely busy with her work, i.e. she is enthusiastic about all things marketing and has many ideas at the same time.

We got excited to play with the word career in general and even built our latest marketing campaign around it. We want to remind you that there are so many ways to pursue a career. We spend a third of our lives on our work and it produces feelings of meaningfulness for many of us. It would be good if, from time to time, everyone wondered if that third of life is what they would like it to be.

Have I pursued my career in a way that suits me or am I still looking for new careers? And even if right now you are in a career pit, that can be an opportunity to find new paths. At the YTK Unemployment Fund, we offer help and advise when you are looking to change up your career, and at YTK Working Life, we are at your side throughout all of your working life.