It’s hard enough to get a job.
Pursuing a career you truly like, dare we say love, one that aligns with who you are, what you are good at, and where the world is going? That’s just wishful thinking.
Have you read the WSJ, scrolled TikTok?! It’s 2026 and the collective feeling is scarcity, not abundance.
Not anymore with oyster.
Work is changing...but it's not all bad
While career anxiety and disengagement are at an all-time high, the world of work is changing in profound, exciting ways:
- The Great Pivot: People are pivoting more, staying put less. Not only that, but many of us have an ‘free agent’ mindset. 70% of all current employees remain open to new job opportunities.
- The Rise of the Independent Professional: Independent workers now make up over 36% of the workforce (especially taking off post-COVID). And those of us still in a 9-5 role are curious of how to monetize our hobbies and side-hustles. This segment—freelancers, solopreneurs, and multi-hyphenates—desperately needs community and a way to showcase their full scope of work.
- The Need to Future-Proof: Professionals are hungry to upskill faster and stronger with the onset of A.I. 53% of the workforce feels the need to gain new skills due to AI in the next 5 years, but companies aren’t helping them move fast enough. 56% said they still don’t feel prepared to use AI at work.
- The Shift towards Non-Linear Careers: Especially as we look to put our lives and selves first. Nearly 62% of employees have taken a career break at some point — and 35% would be interested in one in the future.
No platforms are meeting the needs of the current career landscape — except oyster
Where’s the space where you can show your 9-to-5 and your Substack, your AI side project, your sabbatical story?
Where are the platforms helping us organically upskill and crowdsource tips & tricks with others in similar roles?
Where’s the platform that normalizes pivots instead of punishing them?
This moment demands a new type of platform. One that helps us continuously discover and deepen our careers in a way that is reflective of all we bring to the table. The world is work for changing, but our tools for navigating our careers are entirely outdated, performative, and fragmented.
What is oyster?
oyster is the career discovery and micro-community platform. You can think of oyster as a LinkedIn adjacent platform, its more candid, younger sibling built for how we actually work today and the future of work.
It’s a space where specialized professionals can share candid advice with other like-minded individuals for career growth and upskilling, solopreneurs can find their micro-communities for support and momentum, and career explorers can find those niche organizations that are curated to all that they are — their interests, skill sets, experiences, background, even values.
oyster is perfectly positioned for the current and future world of work:
- Discover and validate the next step in your career journey with our Search and 1:1 Chat functionalities: Use our unique Pivot Search to find others who made the pivot you’ve been dreaming of (e.g., Consulting → Gaming). Then use our 1:1 Chat functionality to talk to that person—not for a referral, but to gain invaluable, honest insights on what a role is like before you apply. (Because did you know 72% of people start a job only to find out it wasn’t what they expected? We are out to shatter that gap.)
- Connect with your candid career micro-community to continuously deepen your career with our Pod functionality: In an increasingly fragmented, remote world, loneliness and disengagement are rampant (50% of the workforce are quiet quitters). Our supportive Pods are curated micro-communities where you can swap candid advice, crowdsource tips on new tools and techniques, and kill career loneliness by connecting with people who share your niche passions, lived experiences, and multi-hyphenate paths.
- Share your full human profile: We reflect the reality that careers aren’t linear. Your profile goes beyond the resume, celebrating your side-hustles, sabbaticals, hobbies, and the skill sets you use across all facets of your life. Share images, link your portfolio, and more.
The oyster vision:
We are building a mission and a movement where every career path is seen, celebrated, and shared.
It’s time to stop shrinking your career potential and start expanding it.
On oyster we match you to the organizations and people you never knew existed to help you not just survive but thrive in your career.
Join us in 2026 to start building that career.
Come find your path. Come find your people.
https://oyster.thekindsocialmediacompany.com
