The big truth is this: no one cares about your career growth and development, not even your boss. In fact, your career growth and development lie in your hands and no one else. Yet your employers expect in some magical way to pull out a miracle when they task you with responsibilities. To be honest, the business world is too busy to develop anyone. There might be cases where companies might engage in one training or the other, but it is not sufficient. Furthermore, the business world rewards those who have developed themselves. Yet no one will advise you to train yourself but will expect you to deliver. On this note, developing your career is solely your business. In fact, it is very rare for your boss to give you some funds to develop yourself or take an MBA program. They would rather employ a ready-made person to fill a role. Therefore, this article is about ways to develop a successful career.
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Occasionally put aside some money for your career development, whether it’s to take a class, attend a seminar or attain a certification. With over a million online schools today, such as Udemy, LinkedIn, Khan Academy, Coursera, etc, getting trained in business, financial and organisational management and growth is now affordable. There are Google classes that you can take for free and still receive certifications.
Today, career growth and development are hinged on your available connection. Therefore, it’s very important to be more deliberate about your connections, whether online or in person. It is very important to expand your network into areas other than your field of expertise.
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For instance, nowadays, businesses rely on technology to be successful, hence, there are tech professionals you could get to know through LinkedIn or seminars in your industry. While it might be overwhelming at first, most people are very generous and they are willing to share their knowledge if you express willingness to learn.
Don’t get carried away with your current position. From time to time, make sure you get the latest update about the changing demands in your field. You can do this by visiting job hunting sites to study the job descriptions to be aware of shifting job emphasis, how your career goals might need to be tweaked, or even spot warning signs that your industry is in trouble. For instance, as an accountant, you should know that in accounting, there are new software you could use to optimize your work. You might see employers emphasizing a recruit being an Excel expert.
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Concluding Remarks
Always have it at the back of your mind to be adaptable and flexible when it comes to your career. While you can have a general timeline, the pandemic has shown all of us that flexibility and resiliency are important. Be open to making lateral moves, or working in another industry if it ultimately will give you the skills you need.
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This article was first published on 25th April 2022
nnaemeka-emmanuel
Nnaemeka is an academic scholar with a degree in History and International Studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is also a creative writer, content creator, storyteller, and social analyst.
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