You may think it’s because the majority of jobs people might go into haven’t been invented yet. To a certain extent, this is true. A decade ago, who would have ever believed that podcasting and AI prompting would be some of today’s hottest careers?

But there’s an even bigger problem.

The career advice we usually give is framed around a mindset I call ‘career capture’. Career capture starts with the question: what are the ‘hot’, lucrative and most feasible careers that I can get in on early? Careers where, if I do get in, I will be propelled on an ever-upward ‘escalator path’?

The challenge with career capture is that it often encourages career ‘hacking’ and ‘gaming’. We focus on the shortest possible path to obtain the hot job. But it often doesn’t link to our unique perspective on an issue, or to what drives and motivates us on a deeper level. So, when times get tough (which they inevitably will), we question whether we will persist in these jobs.

And what happens if our job assumptions turn out to be incorrect? Job and career trends are fickle, especially nowadays. AI prompting could be much less ‘hot’ even next year, especially if user interfaces become simpler. Also, what happens if the ‘hot’ job doesn’t meet our expectations, as the organisational psychologist Adam Grant points out? If the role doesn’t align with your interests and strengths, you won’t be able to thrive even if there are obvious rewards to be gained.

But what about starting from a different place? What about looking at ourselves first rather than starting with the marketplace? An alternative mindset – ‘problem contribution’ – starts by asking the question: what are the wicked problems out there that I am deeply fascinated by and want to help solve? (Climate change, AI and the future of work are all great examples of wicked problems). And, importantly, what is my unique perspective on those problems?

Based on that perspective, you will often find many different paths to help solve those wicked problems you are drawn to. It may be as an executive, a consultant, an academic researcher, a journalist or a coach. And that path can shift over time.

For example, you may decide to enter the field of AI through an industry body because your perspective is that AI ethics are falling behind the core technology (which they are). But you may then evolve to become an AI ethics coach or consultant to others as you gain broader experience.

Leadership today is less about your formal role and position. It comes from crafting and refining a unique and authentic perspective on problems that deeply matter to us. And then using that perspective to develop paths towards making that perspective a reality. Paths that will help us to be distinctive, motivated and successful in what we do.

So, don’t begin by asking what job or career can do the most for you. Ask instead what problem you can help most to solve. It’s really important to move away from a ‘career capture’ mindset, not least because it’s almost impossible to predict which careers will be ‘hot’ or not. Focusing on a problem we can make a deep contribution can be much more motivating - and ultimately impactful in helping us be successful in our careers in a fast-changing world.