It Might Kill The Cat - But Can Curiosity Ignite Your Career?
- Mar 8, 2022
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 9, 2022
Written by: Careers Collective, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The frightening and enduring emblem of the curious cat, whose death is an immediate consequence of having a simple interest in the world, was presumably designed to keep Victorian and Edwardian children in their place. The earliest use of the proverb was possibly by the Galveston Daily News, in 1898, which printed the words, ‘It is said that once curiosity killed a Thomas cat’. These words are a variation on the original phrase which Shakespeare included in Much Ado About Nothing, ‘what though care killed a cat’.
So enduring has it been in British society throughout the ages to discourage curiosity that Roger Hargreaves created a Mr Men character to highlight the punitive perils of simply being interested in what is going on around you. Poor Mr Nosey’s extraordinarily long nose met a range of unpleasant fates during the story: covered in paint, clipped with a peg and bashed unceremoniously with an actual hammer after the townspeople became vexed by his desire to know everyone’s business. We are told in the story that the paint was painful to remove and the bandages were a sorry sight.
Mr Nosey’s plight should elicit sympathy, because what he really aspired to having was knowledge and to gain full involvement in whatever life had to offer, but was rewarded for this interest by what was, let’s be honest, a violent campaign of vigilante justice.
At Careers Collective, we hold an entirely different view of curiosity. Rather than think of it as dangerous or antisocial, we promote its virtues and inhabit a starting position of curiosity in our work, For us, curiosity is an essential soft skill and something that enables us to become leaders of our own development and writers of our own destiny rather than passive recipients of advice, guidance and decision making,. especially in a career development context.
We begin to promote the virtues of curiosity at primary school level, encouraging children to develop an interest in other people’s careers (dangerous I know). Research* has concluded that children as young as seven have already decided that there are careers that simply aren’t available to them, partly because of their gender, but also because they haven’t encountered any examples of people doing those jobs in their social network. As we don’t have enough hours in the day to introduce children to the many thousands of job holders they would need to meet to increase their awareness and understanding of the labour market, we need to instil a desire to be curious. As part of our programme, we share a career journey and model how children can find out about the career histories of the adults around them.
Getting to know not just career histories, but also the careers of the future, is especially important at a time when the world of work has been thoroughly disrupted by a pandemic. Covid has revolutionised aspects of employment, such as recruitment and virtual working, and many of these changes represent a cultural shift, not just a temporary convenience. With more than one existential crisis to deal with, the world of work is having to scramble to meet the demands of a warming planet, the 4th industrial revolution and what is likely to be a recurring pandemic scenario. Encouraging both adults and young people to future proof their career journey for us means embracing curiosity and asking questions of both ourselves and the changing landscape. What will happen if/when? Do I have the skills/knowledge/expertise to meet the demands of the future? Where are the growth sectors? Where can I fit in?
Asking questions is, fortunately, now understood to be a key strategy in the quest for greater understanding, both of ourselves and the world around us, and we should direct those questions at the past as well as the future. As teachers and coaches, we are passionate advocates of the power of questioning to unlock answers, possibilities and potential, as well as to reflect and review. Questions and answers are a core element in conversations and our business was founded on the principle that careers conversations should be a permanent fixture in the life-long career development journey. We want to see those conversations continued and enriched. In doing so, we rather fly in the face of the notion that being curious will get you into trouble. We think it will get you where you want to be, and we have created our content and approach from that baseline.
In doing so, we have possibly justified the actions of both the metaphorical cat and the fictional Mr Nosey by creating, in partnership with Trigger Conversations** an entire course devoted to talk, which very much promotes curiosity as a networking strategy. If we are not curious about those with whom we are speaking - as well as about our environment, ourselves and our futures - how can we presume to move forwards into a new space? For example, showing genuine interest in the lives and views of others, can take us to surprising physical and ideological places and provide us with enrichment, whether in the form of a new contact, perspective or job opportunity. Yet the tools and techniques needed to have a well crafted and meaningful conversation simply aren't taught any more. Even the English Language GCSE syllabus has dispensed with the need to assess speaking and listening, so unless schools, colleges and training providers run an all inclusive debating or public speaking society, our early careers starters are not being given access to the kind of interpersonal skills learning that underpins any career journey.
Perhaps, boosted by the permission to be curious, about ourselves, others, the past and the future, and with the knowledge of the benefits curiosity can bring, we can all pin our colours instead to a more enlightened version of the proverb, found in The Titusville Herald in 1912, ‘Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back’
Careers Collective, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Careers Collective was formed in response to the pandemic - to responses to the changing landscape and support anyone who is preparing to enter the world of work. As a collaborative collaborators bring their ideas, expertise and experience - many heads are better than two.
Careers Collective aim to bring about change, encourage self-determination, help individuals grow and meaningfully establish themselves as part of a wide community.
Using a blended pedagogy of teaching and coaching Careers Collective help clients to develop and discover the tools, intrapersonal skills and personal leadership that under pins any career development journey.
References:
*Education and Employers 2018 Drawing the Future report
Sources: www.phrases.org
