Things have changed. You must change, too.
Jeff Altman, Big Game Hunter
A story about a restaurant in New York City closure raised my emotional side. There is a guest appearance in the movie Taxi driver And several TV shows during its existence are now forced to close because the group operating the property has agreed to evacuate new housing and public areas.
New York City is a turbulent city. Yankee Stadium was built on the land where I played minor league baseball. The restaurant I went to was past, just like me, I was past.
Since moving to Asheville, several world-class restaurants have come and gone. The open land is disappearing to developers and friends have moved elsewhere.
When I started hiring for technology, the hot skill that guarantees someone’s job was COBOL. Some of you will want to know about WTF when reading this book. Nowadays, few other dinosaur skills no longer care about the old dinosaur skills.
Change is ruthless
Here’s the fact: Changes are not optional. It won’t ask for approval or wait for you to be ready. It just emerges – whether it is the form of new technologies, changing industries, changing demographics, or the development of personal life.
Think about it. You enter the world of workforce (whether that is) rather than the world you are working now. The industry continues to rise. Yesterday’s career became irrelevant. At one point, people were terrified of the jobs that could kill banking. They don’t. They just changed them. The same thing happened to AI today.
The choice you really have
You won’t stop changing. Your only option is how you respond. You either adapt – or fade away slowly or insist that things should be “who they used to be.”
I’ve seen both. Invest in continuing to learn professionals, restart skills, and keep flexible people – they thrive. Those don’t…well, let’s just say they’re in pain, unemployed, and bewildered at why no one wants to pay for what they provide.
Adapt without losing yourself
Adapting does not mean giving up who you are. This means turning your value into today’s language.
- If your industry changes, you can rework or pivotalize.
- If your company is downsized, rethink your career strategy.
- If your living environment changes, you can adjust your priorities.
Successful people are not necessarily the smartest or most talented. They are the ones who quickly accept reality and act on the move, while others are still in denial.
A personal example
When I left the recruitment and coached full time, it wasn’t because the old work was “bad.” This is because the market has changed, and I have changed. Persistence in the past will be a slow death. Instead, I built something new that I could still take advantage of what I know, but satisfy the needs of professionals who are navigating in the modern job market.
Bottom line
You don’t have to like changing. You don’t have to cheer on this. However, you have to respect it and adjust your life, career and mindset accordingly.
Change will roll around the standing people. But those who adapt? They don’t just survive. They thrive.
ⓒThe Big Game Hunter Company in Asheville, North Carolina 2025
