Career Development – Career Lessons For The Young Professional (Part 1).

Wisdom – they say comes with age and experience, and I am sure one would agree.

As I have seen with most young professionals considering career options post bachelor’s degree (majority wanting to work in the oil and gas sector within Nigeria) so many factors informing this decision for many are made, leaving out other material areas critical to career success.

Having looked back at my career development over the years, I have listed below two points worth noting.

Lessons – Points.

a. Know your why and driving force(s). – it is commonly said that when the purpose of a thing is not known, abuse is inevitable. Determining early your career values means that you establish what is important in your work/corporate development/entrepreneurial journey and so on, including what makes the work meaningful to you. This answers to what steers and drives you in your career. For some it may be decision making that does not compromise their integrity and that of the process and business they work for, growth, work-life balance and so on.

This is a double-edged process assisting both job seekers and organizations in decision making i.e., with the instance of COVID-19 a lot of organizations realized that nearly all candidates were beginning to prioritize self-care and family life over job and career advancement.

People had a higher preference (which is still the same) for remote work and more flexible career options than traditional and previous ways of working, hence businesses had to adjust their recruitment model to accommodate this new global change and employ top talent. On the other hand, a company who shares similar values with you (as a potential or actual employee) would be of top priority when selecting companies to work with and has also been a major indicator leading to people performing better at work.

It is noteworthy that determining your driving forces – motivating factors or what inspires you may change with varying circumstances i.e., marriage for instance may be the reason why you would resign from a job and relocate to join your spouse in your new life even as you job hunt afresh, children and other life occurrences, and so on. Nonetheless, establish the baseline values that cannot change and are not subject to anything else as this defines the foundation of your satisfaction and fulfillment.

b. No one owes you anything – besides the contract terms of employment (of which some clauses may be subject to interpretation) that stays binding between you and your employer, assume full responsibility for nearly every other thing concerning your career, and to be on the safe side (except for salary payment, see everything else as a probability). This approach assists you if you work for sole proprietor businesses or start-ups for the following reasons (and yes, some funky multinationals):

i. Career growth dependencies – such as training and development, and so on may not be fully or even slightly detailed in your contract terms and conditions of employment including the likely training and development approved cost for your grade or role. These other non-spelt out aspects of your employment contract may be the reason for you growing or leaving the organization as you realize that what you expected is not the same as the brand image and value proposition sold to you. This can be discouraging and dashing of your dreams to the floor if the negatives play out over the positives. Not to worry about this, I and a lot of other professionals have been here. You simply need to:

ii. Re-calibrate your expectations after getting upset and maybe crying. Seek for support outside the office with reliable persons such as family members, close friends, and so on.

iii. Develop your own personal and professional development plan – a document that describes identified gaps with your current abilities versus what you need and defines how such skill gaps would be closed (training and development, mentoring, on the job observation and involvement, conferences and workshops, certification, and so on). This also includes timelines, defining how you would know the objective has been achieved and so on. This should be maintained as a live working document which you track.

iv. Determine the cost – ‘’if any man desires to build a tower, he should first determine the cost, whether he has enough to finish it..’’ What would it cost you to implement this personal and professional and development plan? Who would you contact for support? Answering this and other material questions would enable you to forge a strategic path forward including collaborations and partnerships for this plan to be realized sufficiently.

v. Get a mentor – career mentor to assist you. It is commonly said that if anyone has gone higher, it is because he/she has stood on the shoulders of them that went ahead. Career mentors have helped me to align my efforts in the best way possible in attaining my career and personal objectives. Mentors are not designed to take the load and responsibilities off your back for your growth, but to guide and advise you. Never see them as a substitute hence the needed benefits of them being in your life would never be realized. Mentors also assist to keep you accountable.

vi. Stay believing in yourself – keep on pressing till you become who you envisioned and watch yourself progress as you become a wonder.

It is necessary to ensure that your career growth (as much as possible) is not in the hands of another as you do your best in self-leadership for your upward rise. At the end of the day, your efforts and moves would speak for you as you apply yourself whole heartedly, whole mindedly and sincerely.

The above points would assist young professionals (especially fresh graduates and those just starting out in the corporate world) in navigating this complex environment.

Stay tuned for the next episode of ‘’Career Lessons For The Young Professional’’.

#MEMBA 12