However, traditional definitions are no longer adequate to describe the changing nature of careers in the 21st century. The impact of these changes on careers will be discussed later in this article, but first, let's take a look at newer definitions of a career. To understand the meaning of a career it is important to take a broad perspective, using the term as widely as possible to include the lifetime experience of all individuals, and their pathways through occupations and organisations. It does not just refer to that dwindling number of people with secure, professional occupations and well-defined career paths. For a long time it has been apparent that popular notions of the word 'career' are no longer sufficient to describe what actually happens in our working lives.
Careers can be vertical, horizontal, cyclical or static.
I once considered myself to have a fairly traditional career, with much of my working life spent in a large blue chip organisation. In today's environment there is widespread career uncertainty. Secure jobs with regular tasks, pay, hours and place of work are disappearing, and increasingly being replaced by more loose and shifting arrangements, including freelance assignments, temporary or consulting positions. Companies are replacing the traditional corporate structure with project-orientated organisation. It is worth highlighting here some of the major changes that have had the transformational effect on work and careers discussed earlier, and also identifying the consequent implications for current and future career management.