The
beginning of the year is the time most people consider making a change. Whether
you’ve just finished school and are making those first few steps towards
tertiary education or you have been working for many years, it’s possible that
you are wondering if you’ve made the right decisions and asking yourself if
it’s too late to make a change towards finding your passion.
Today, more than ever, people have to take the responsibility for building their own careers, but the good news is it’s never too late to try and make a change for the better.
If you have
plans to further your education, getting a better job or starting your own
company, you shouldn’t view your current job as a comfortable place to wait for
it to happen. Your job will get busier and busier, you’ll get caught up in the
rat race, and you could burn up the energy you should be using to realize your
dreams.
First, ask yourself these questions and put your answers down on paper:
What do I love?
What are my dreams?
If I could do anything, what would I do?
What matters to me?
What do I believe in?
What brings me joy?
What do I find beautiful?
Who am I?
How do I want to spend my day?
Where do I want to live?
Who do I want to be around?
Take some
time to get to know yourself. Themes will begin to appear, and your passion
will start to emerge if you take the time to find it.
Whether you
are just starting, or you have several years of experience, these tips might
help you advance your career:
1. Never stop learning
Life-long
learning is of key importance. The world is constantly changing, and everybody
is looking for new ways of doing business. If you have decided that your
current skills are good enough, you have also decided that your current job is
good enough, but if you want to build a career out of your current profession,
you should add regular updates to your skills and knowledge.
2. Ask, listen and learn
A good
listener can learn a lot. Listen to people who you look up to. You can learn a
lot from their experience. Ask about issues that interest you, and listen to
what they say. Let them tell you about how things work, and what you could have
done better. Most people would love to be your mentor and tutor if you ask them.
3. Fulfill your current job
If you’re
lucky enough to be in employment, your current job might be best place to start
your career. It is often very little that separates successful people from the
average. But nothing comes for free. If you do your job well and fulfill your
responsibilities, this is often the best way to start a new career. Talk to
your supervisor about things you can do. Suggest improvements. Offer your help
when help is needed. In return ask for help to build a better career. It is
often possible - right inside your own organization - especially if you have
proven yourself as a valued employee.
4. Build your network
Your next
career step might arise from your contact network. Did you know that more than
50% of all jobs are obtained from contacts? If you have a good network of
friends and colleagues, it is also a good place to discover future careers, to
explore new trends, and to learn about new opportunities. Spend some time
building new contacts, and don't forget to maintain the ones you already have. One
of the best ways to get serious information from your network is to regularly
ask your contacts how they are, what they do, and what’s new in their careers.
5. Be productive now
Make sure
you don't fill up your days doing tasks that won’t bring you closer to your
career goals. This is waste of time and talent. When you start in a new job,
talk to your superior about your role’s priorities. If you're not sure about
what is most important, then ask him or her. And then ask again. Often you will
be surprised about the differences between what you assume, and what is really
important.
6. Identify your ideal job
Your dream
job must be identified. Before you start planning your future career, be sure
you have identified your dream job. In your dream job, you will be doing all
the things you enjoy, and none (or very few) of the things you don't enjoy.
What kind of job would that be? Do you like or dislike having responsibility
for others? Do you like to work with technology or with people? Do you want to
run your own business or be a manager? Do you want to be an artist, a designer
or a skilled engineer?
7. Prepare yourself
Your dream
might show up tomorrow. Be prepared. Don't wait a second. Update your CV now,
and continue to update it regularly. Tomorrow your dream job may show up right
before your nose. Prepare for it with a professional CV and be ready to describe
yourself as a valuable commodity to anyone that will try to recruit you. If you
don't know how to write a CV, or how to describe yourself, start learning how
now.
8. Equip yourself for the job
You can
build your future career using a lot of different tools. You can add a lot to
your career by studying books and tutorials. Doing short time courses or
diplomas at FET colleges might add valuable weight to your CV and make you the
ideal candidate for your dream position.
9. Get professional
Your
employer may not tell you exactly their own view of what being professional
means. Make sure you finish tasks or projects timeously and provide feedback.
Be prepared when attending meetings. Avoid gossiping at work with colleagues.
Make sure you always treat people (both co-workers and customers) with respect,
do what you promise and don’t keep them waiting unnecessarily.
The more
you put these principles into practice, the better your chances will be to
create a positive reputation for yourself. This can ultimately translate into
raises and promotions, chances to work on more assignments that you enjoy, and
the respect of peers and senior management. You also benefit from feelings of
increased self-worth and confidence, plus you keep yourself marketable for
further career opportunities in the future.
10. Realize Your Dreams
Put your
dreams into action. Don't let a busy job kill your dreams. If you have higher
goals, put them into action now.
“Your
attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” - Zig Ziglar
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