The Growth Mindset Playbook: Upskill, Reskill & Reimagine Your Career

In life - and in careers - we rarely realize the true value of the skills we’ve gathered along the way. Sometimes, it’s only when we reflect on our journey that we connect the dots, seeing how even the most unrelated experiences shape who we are and how we succeed.

A recent conversation with my son brought this into focus. He expressed how he felt pushed into activities like karate, swimming, and Kumon — classes he never truly enjoyed. My counterpoint, as a parent, was that while he may not have appreciated those experiences at the time, each one built a foundation: swimming could save his life, karate could empower him with self-defense, and Kumon strengthened his math & literary skills, contributing to his academic success. And despite his initial reluctance, today he holds a Black Belt degree, competed at state-level swimming tournaments, and has exceptional mathematical & literary skills - achievements I believe will benefit him for a lifetime, no matter which path he chooses.

But beyond these practical benefits, it made me think deeper: Does learning or skills ever really go to waste?

From Biology Lecturer to Global Talent Leader: My Own Journey

Reflecting on my own career path - from biology lecturer to global talent acquisition leader - it’s clear that no learning has ever gone unused. Back then, I wasn’t just teaching biology; I was learning how to communicate complex ideas with conviction, engage diverse personalities, and adapt to different learning styles.

Fast forward to today: those same skills fuel my success in recruitment. Whether I’m convincing a candidate to see their own potential or aligning with senior executives, the core ability to communicate with clarity and confidence remains invaluable.

Even more, as a teacher, I navigated a classroom filled with unique personalities - from gifted students to those with learning disabilities like dyslexia or ADHD. That experience now mirrors my current reality: managing diverse, global recruitment teams, understanding client demands, and adapting to various leadership styles. Back then, I was decoding child psychology - today, I’m reading corporate psychology. The context may have changed, but the skillset remains powerful and relevant.

A Client’s Story: When Passion Becomes Profession

Recently, a client manager shared his own family’s story. His 26-year-old son, a master’s graduate in Electrical and Computer Engineering, decided to become a professional drummer.

His first reaction - one many South Asian parents might relate to - was shock. "What are you doing? This isn’t what we planned for you." But as friends and family encouraged him to embrace his son’s passion, he realized something profound: every profession is an art form -whether you’re a recruiter, a drummer, a chef, or an engineer.

The Lifelong Habit of Learning: My Own Reskilling and Upskilling Journey

Looking back over my own career, the importance of continuous learning is unmistakable. Early on, I realized that to thrive in Talent Acquisition - especially when hiring for technical roles - I needed to understand the key concepts and basics of IT skills myself. This pushed me to dive into topics like .NET, Java, and foundational programming, not just to keep pace but to have meaningful conversations with candidates and hiring managers.

As the industry evolved from traditional tech stacks to the AI and machine learning (AI/ML) era, my commitment to learning and upskilling paid dividends. I stayed consistent - studying the basics, understanding emerging technologies, and making sure that my expertise as a TA professional was always relevant. This consistent habit of reskilling kept my skills sharp and empowered me to adapt alongside industry shifts.

Today, that journey has multiplied across my global TA team. Together, we’ve embraced AI in every aspect of our work - so much so that we’ve built an in-house platform filled with practical AI use cases for Talent Acquisition and HR. These innovations have allowed us to save significant time, money, and effort, and, more importantly, demonstrate how upskilling and reskilling are not just personal advantages, but strategic drivers of organizational success.

For anyone reading: the lesson is clear. The pace of change is relentless. Whether you need to upskill, reskill, or even unlearn and relearn, embrace every opportunity to grow. Staying curious and current with technology and industry trends is not optional -it’s the key to future-proofing your career and unlocking unseen value in every skill.

No Skill Goes to Waste

Whether you learned swimming, karate, math, music, coding, or communication, every skill has the potential to serve you — sometimes in ways you never expected.

The current landscape makes it clear:

· As demands shift, so must we.

· Sometimes that means upskilling -building on what we know.

· Sometimes it requires reskilling or even unlearning old habits to embrace new knowledge and technologies.

The journey might lead away from our original professions, but the adaptability, critical thinking, and collaboration learned along the way find new purpose wherever we land.

 So, what’s the takeaway?

• Skills are transferable. You may not end up in the profession you originally trained for — and that’s okay. Your communication, adaptability, analytical thinking, or leadership skills will find a new home.
• Passion fuels success. It’s not the prestige of the job that defines you, but the passion and excellence you bring to it.
• Be open to the unexpected. Careers evolve. Life pivots. Skills you thought were irrelevant might just become your superpower.
• The key isn’t what you learned - it’s how you apply it.

Final Thought

Learning never goes to waste. Whether through intent or circumstance, every skill—hobby or profession -prepares us for tomorrow. The path may twist and turn, but every new skill, especially those gained through upskilling and reskilling, offers value for future opportunities.

So, what skills from your past have resurfaced today — perhaps without you even realizing it?