In the past, workers planned for a single career. In doing so, it was easier for them to identify their strengths and weaknesses, their likes and dislikes, what they were good and less good at, and the employment opportunities available. A basic assumption was that change would not occur or would occur slowly. But, for most workers today, this assumption is not valid. The old social contract between employers and employees no longer exists."Downsizing changed all the old rules," says Roger Herman, owner of The Herman Group, a management consult- ing firm in Greensboro, North Carolina. It fundamentally altered the employer- employee relationship. Employers once preached job security, but the message of downsizing in many firms was that corporate loyalty to employees was dead. Therefore, employee loyalty to these organizations also died. Io According to Charles W. Sweet, president of A.T. Kearney's executive recruiting firm in Chicago Illinois, "The way people approached their careers in the past is history. It will never, never, never return." For many workers, career planning involves planning ways to improve their career security as opposed to ensuring job security within one organization.