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Purposely…OVER Driven?

May 1, 2022
ISE magazine’s Editorial Director’s monthly musings for 2022.

What was the Great Resignation has morphed into the Great Reshuffle. People are in search of jobs that better align with their life priorities and values. Many are on a mission to make work fit into their lives instead of their lives revolving around work.

Makes sense in many ways.

I do wonder whether we need to restart, reshuffle, and run faster on the hamster wheel of life to be fulfilled. Do we have to uproot our careers and reinvent ourselves to find purpose? Or can we examine our current role and adapt it toward a purpose that is meaningful?

Martha Suárez, President of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance (DSA), seems to embrace adaptation over reinvention. She has found a way to lean into purpose AND her current career simultaneously. (Click here for the Q&A with Martha.)

“Initially, many people thought underdevelopment was the cause of the digital divide, and that with the popularization of technology, it would gradually close. But this has proved untrue. The divide persists, and in fact is more prevalent than ever. Digitalization requires a costly investment, so rural and poorer regions face far more roadblocks than wealthier, urban areas.

Even where technology is available, digital literacy isolates many people from fully utilizing the resources they have. According to the United Nations, 37 percent of the world’s population—about 2.9 billion people—still have never used the Internet due to digital illiteracy.

Providing connectivity to those who need it and strengthening communication methods already in place for the benefit of underserved communities worldwide, is of top priority for the DSA.”

Her approach may make you rethink what the Great Reshuffle means to you. Or not.

Either way, isn’t it fantastic that our industry—one that is built on disruptive technologies—may not require disrupting our careers to align our values with work? And, because of the consistent and exciting technological disruption across the ICT industry, we can adapt our professional roadmap to invest in what really matters to us. Right here. Right now.

I'd love to hear from you! Email me at [email protected] and follow me on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About the Author

Sharon Vollman | Content Ambassador for ISE EXPO

Sharon Vollman is the Content Ambassador for ISE EXPO. She is passionate about collaborating with thought leaders, SMEs and hard-working doers who design, plan and deploy ultra-reliable broadband networks. Vollman is committed to creating a variety of educational offerings for ISE EXPO attendees that inspire them to connect every U.S. citizen with the broadband networks we all want for our children and grandchildren.

Vollman has created educational partnerships with Broadband Service Providers including  AT&T, Verizon, Lumen, Frontier Communications and others. She has covered the telecom industry since 1996.