ADAPTING TO A CHANGING WORLD
2002 – 2005 PhD Researcher, University of Oxford
2005 – 2010 Researcher, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) 2013 onwards Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Sustainability & Resilience (su-re.co)
Dr Takeshi Takama
Founder and Chief Executive Officer Sustainability & Resilience (su-re.co)
2013 – 2015 Freelance Consultant, United Nations, Asia Development Bank, JICA and SEI
“Focusing on developing your skills and finding opportunities in the industries and sectors you are passionate about is an excellent way to think about your career in an uncertain world.”
Mental health challenges of the present and future
How I stay mentally healthy and resilient
Uncertainties are more significant than ever before in this COVID-19 pandemic. But they are not only coming from the pandemic, but also other environmental, social and technological changes. For instance, I am still forced to work remotely and cannot make business trips. In the past, I would travel to Africa and Europe several times a year for project meetings, research and consulting, but now I cannot do this. Moreover, with IT development and the fight against climate change, we probably do not already travel as much as before. Although travel restrictions are good for reducing carbon dioxide emissions, they are also a barrier to consulting and research jobs. Even if we manage to reduce our net carbon dioxide emissions to zero by 2050, we will have experienced global warming of a 2°C-rise since the Industrial Revolution by the end of the century. This scenario means we will have to adapt to changes in the environment that we have not experienced before. Keeping up with these changes will be a challenge for us now and in the future.
We cannot stop social and environmental problems and their technological solutions. In fact, both may threaten our careers. We can only anticipate the changes, make sure that they are suitable for humanity, and prepare to adapt ourselves to them. Towards the end of my PhD at the University of Oxford, I read the book “Luck is No Accident: Make the Most of Happenstance in Your Life and Career”. It was about preparing for changes, and I still apply that approach to every aspect of being resilient, focusing on the skills I can develop and not getting too attached to a particular goal. I do not deny that you can set goals, but the idea is that being aware of the opportunities in front of you will help you succeed, rather than sticking to ingrained goals and limiting your possibilities. For example, I said, “I will work for the World Bank” during my scholarship interview before entering the University of Oxford. But rather than setting a goal of working towards the World Bank, I should have switched my thoughts to “I want to do something useful for society and the environment”, so I could look for more opportunities to grow.
www.smu.edu.sg
2010 – 2013 Sub-Chief Advisor and Expert on Climate Change, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
My advice to graduates Focusing on developing your skills and finding opportunities in the industries and sectors you are passionate about is an excellent way to think about your career in an uncertain world. The more you are interested in something, the more likely you will find information that will lead to opportunities. And you are willing to learn more if you like the industry. Also, the need for sustainability, which I have worked in for two decades, will continue to grow. Governments and NGOs are leading the way in sustainability, but business is the engine that drives it. So, I would like to see more and more people from business schools entering the world of sustainability.
THE SMU CAREER GUIDE 2022 | 21
