The end goal or ultimate objective of doing any career-linked course is to set a strong foundation for future growth. However, it is also important to gain insights into the workplace environment that lies ahead and start adapting to meet its unique requirements. Certain fields are evolving faster than others with the greater use of technology and multiple office locations.

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Obviously, this also means that students aspiring for careers in such fields need to prepare themselves for the specific demands that these careers will entail.

According to a new Regus study, 84% of information and communications technology (ICT) companies reported that their productivity has increased as a result of flexible working practices, and 82% link increasing revenues directly to flexi-working.

The research surveyed over 16,000 senior business managers around the world and revealed how different sectors and industry types are reaping the benefits of flexible and mobile work.

In consultancy and services sectors, 86% of respondents also reported feeling more energized and motivated thanks to flexible working, perhaps indicating why they are able to become more productive and generate more revenue.

Flexible working, by improving worker morale and health, is therefore also taking on the important role of talent retention tool, providing businesses with a valuable way of rewarding and attracting resources.Other interesting findings were as follows:- 83% of media and marketing companies surveyed declared that they work more on the move than they used to.- 86% of consultancy and services respondents said that workers in their company feel healthier thanks to flexible working.- 100% of media and marketing respondents expect a surge in the number of people that go part-time at some point in their career path.

Madhusudan Thakur, regional VP, South Asia, Regus, explains, “Technology and network improvements as well as worker demands for a better work/life balance have driven flexible working to become the norm rather than the exception. As to be expected, different sectors are embracing flexible work at varying paces, however what is clear is that no matter what industry you are in, the great majority of people see benefits in flexible work.”

According to him, business people are also working on the move more than they used to. As workforce expectations and demands change part-time arrangements are therefore becoming more common not only for freelancers, working mums and the working elderly, but also generation Y employees going straight into multi-job employment.

So how can students prepare for this? Obviously the answer is to become as tech-savvy as possible at the learning stage itself. From the basics of using computers and the internet to storing information and project work online, being systematic about taking backups on pen drives and external hard drives, even being careful about sharing passwords, these are all key steps towards achieving that goal.

Above all, students who insist that they can only study at a particular place, at a specific time of the day or night and that too if there is pin-drop silence, should make efforts to adapt. They should sincerely try doing their studies at different places and even occasionally with some amount of noise or disturbance like a television serial going on in the background.

After all, flexi-working means being able to do your job anywhere and at any time, so it is important to gear up for that from now itself while studying. Over a few years, students will be able to develop the mindset of focusing on important assignments regardless of where they are, what time of the day or night it is and whether they are in a serene ambience or a pub surrounded by people loudly cheering IPL matches. That adaptability will truly help them drive career growth once they have concluded the academic course.