The Future Belongs to the Versatile

Why You Should Build Your Plan B and C Before You Ever Need Them

There was a time when one job, one skill, and one steady path could carry someone through their entire career. You learned your craft, stayed loyal, worked hard, and moved up the ladder.

But that world no longer exists.

Today, industries transform overnight. Roles are rewritten every quarter. Companies restructure more than they expand. And technology—especially AI—is reshaping work faster than we can fully understand.

Amid all this change, one truth has become clear:

Your greatest career asset is no longer specialisation. It’s versatility.

Not because depth isn’t important—but because depth alone is no longer enough.

The people who thrive today, tomorrow, and into retirement are not those who cling tightly to a single skill, but those who build multiple. They stay curious, adaptable, and open. They grow instead of grip. They build a Plan B—and even a Plan C—long before they ever need it.

I learned this the hard way.

1. The moment I realised one skill wasn’t enough

My career began in programming. I loved the logic and the problem-solving. But after a few years, I realised something few people say out loud:

Fresh graduates were coming in with double my energy and half my salary.

And a quiet, uncomfortable truth settled in.

If I didn’t differentiate myself, one day I would be outcompeted—not because I wasn’t good, but because the profession favoured youth, speed, and low cost.

That was the moment I asked myself a question that changed everything:

“What value can I bring that isn’t easily replaceable?”

I realised my strength wasn’t just technical. It was the ability to translate complexity into something clients could understand.

And that insight sparked the first pivot of my life.

2. Becoming the bridge — the person who could speak both languages

I shifted into a client-facing role—a move that was both terrifying and exciting.

At SAP, my technical team would spend 30 minutes explaining an issue to me. Then I had to compress it into one clear slide and reassure the business.

My main client? Procter & Gamble. An environment where clarity wasn’t optional—it was oxygen.

In that role I learned:

• how to simplify complex ideas

• how to communicate with confidence

• how to reassure clients during chaos

• how to protect my team through clear messaging

• how to serve as the bridge between technical truth and business reality

  
  

It was here that I discovered something important:

Being the bridge is a skill. Being the translator is a role. Being the connector is a strength.

And that strength shaped the rest of my journey.

3. My “say yes and learn” years: the unexpected gift of chaos

From SAP onward, my career became a mosaic of roles—some I asked for, many I didn’t, and a few that were suddenly left behind when someone was fired.

Over the years, I became:

• Programmer

• Client Manager

• Project Manager

• Customer Service Manager

• Operations Lead

• HR (when the HR lead was fired)

• Sales (when the Sales Director was fired)

• Leader

• Consultant

• Trainer

  
  

I didn’t know it at the time, but every “foreign” role made me more resilient and more adaptable. Every pivot expanded my skill portfolio. Every chaotic moment was training me to become someone with range.

Looking back, I now see that these weren’t detours. They were ingredients.

4. Cisco: The day versatility became the metric for survival

While working at Cisco, the organisation underwent a retrenchment exercise. Everyone wanted to know what criteria would be used. Seniority? Performance? Tenure? Manager recommendations?

No.

The single measurement was: Versatility.

The deciding question was:

“Can this person contribute meaningfully in more than one way?”

That one question changed how I viewed my entire career.

It didn’t matter who had the highest performance score. It didn’t matter who had the longest service. It didn’t matter who had the fanciest title.

If you were narrow, you were vulnerable. If you were wide, you were valuable.

It wasn’t just a retrenchment criterion—it was a life lesson:

Job security doesn’t come from holding onto a role. It comes from being able to step into many roles.

5. The boldest pivot: becoming an entrepreneur

Years later, I took a leap and opened a bakery-café. It wasn’t a career strategy. It was a passion that became a business.

But the lessons were nothing short of transformative:

• costing

• inventory

• hiring

• managing staff

• handling customers

• cashflow discipline

• long hours

• marketing

• resilience

• problem-solving under pressure

  
  

Running a café is humbling and enlightening. It forces you to become multi-skilled whether you’re ready or not.

Even after closing it, I came out stronger—and I still bake today. It reconnects me with creativity and joy.

6. Returning to consulting and training — now with a lifetime of “war stories”

Today, I teach and consult in:

• data analytics

• visualisation

• storytelling

• communication

• decision-making

  
  

And I bring with me every chapter of my past roles.

People often ask: "Where do your examples come from?”

From everywhere.

From my coding days. From the messy meetings with P&G. From the sales crises. From the HR emergencies. From the 6am bakery rush. From the pressure cooker that is corporate life. From all the roles that were “not my job”… until they became my job.

These “war stories” make my teaching relatable, memorable, and human.

7. AI and the new world of work: Why versatility matters more than ever

AI is not just another tool—it’s a force multiplier.

It can:

• draft

• design

• analyse

• summarise

• automate

• troubleshoot

But it cannot do one thing:

Replace the person who adapts.

If your entire career is built on one skill, AI becomes a threat. If you are multi-skilled, AI becomes your partner.

The people who rise in this new era are those who:

• stay curious

• stay open

• stay brave

• stay versatile

They do not fear change—they flow with it.

8. Why your Plan B and C are no longer optional

Plan B is your protection. Plan C is your independence. Both shape your future. They help you:

• Survive sudden change

Company restructures. Industries shift. Roles disappear.

• Build meaningful income in retirement

Semi-retirement is not about stopping—it is about choosing.

• Live with confidence instead of fear

When you are not dependent on a single job,you move through life with strength and dignity.

The best time to build your plans isn’t when trouble hits. It’s now.

9. Doing things “outside your job”: where your hidden talents live

Most people say:

“That’s not my role. ”That’s not my department. ”I’m not trained in that.”

But here’s the truth:

Your greatest strengths often live outside your job description.

You discover them only when you:

• try something new

• take on cross-functional work

• volunteer for unfamiliar tasks

• learn skills outside your comfort zone

• say “let me try” instead of “not my job”

  
  

This is how versatility grows. This is how confidence grows. This is how a new future begins.

10. Preparing for retirement: more than money, it’s about identity

Many people prepare financially for retirement. But they forget to prepare emotionally.

Some struggle not because of income, but because they lose:

• purpose

• structure

• belonging

• identity

  
  

Your Plan B and C give you something to look forward to. They make retirement joyful, meaningful, and dignified.

The skills you build today become:

• teaching

• consulting

• baking

• coaching

• creative work

• passion projects

• small business ventures

  
  

These are not just income streams. They are life streams.

11. How to start building your versatility today

You don’t need to reinvent yourself overnight. Start small:

1. Learn one new skill each year.

It doesn’t need to be job-related.

2. Volunteer for cross-functional tasks.

Stretch roles create stretch results.

3. Strengthen one hobby.

Your future income might be hiding there.

4. Learn something future-proof.

AI, data, communication, storytelling.

5. Say “yes” more than “no.”

Courage compounds.

6. Start tiny side projects.

Small steps lead to big chapters.

7. Do what energises you.

Your Plan C often lives where your joy lives.

12. The truth I learned from every chapter of my career

After everything—programming, client management, operations, HR, sales, leadership, entrepreneurship, consulting, and training—one truth stands out:

Life rewards the people who dare to expand themselves.

Not the ones who stay in a single lane. Not the ones who cling to one skill. Not the ones who wait for forced reinvention.

But those who:

• stay curious

• stay adaptable

• stay brave

• stay open

Versatility is not a backup plan. It is your life plan.

The future truly belongs to those who choose to grow in many directions—because these are the individuals who will always find a way forward.

And years from now, your future self will thank you for being versatile today.