7 Tips on Career Development

For some people, career development starts earlier than usual, for others, it begins after college graduation. Whatever path you choose, there are some fundamental tips you need to adopt to speed up career development. Waiting too long in one position does no one good. Read these tips carefully, you might have to go back to it again….and again.

1. Be clear about what you want: If you have been following previous posts, you would realise that we have been laying emphasis on knowing what you want, the path to self discovery. Knowing who you are and what you want is the beginning of every worthwhile journey. The world stands aside to let anyone pass who knows where he is going (David Starr Jordan). How can you proceed on a journey without having in mind where you are heading and why? When you are considering a leap in your career, it is important you have already started off on the right note. Whether you are opting for developing your career as an employee in an organisation or a personal business, you have to proactively determine what you want. The ability to maximize your strengths and distinguish what should stay at ‘hobby or leisure level’ and those that should be ‘career focused’ makes the journey easier and faster.
2. Have an end in mind: Having clarified what you want to focus on, you need to have a target you are aiming at. What would you consider as the Peak of your career? Then begin to set achievable goals and develop the strategies that would serve as a compass for your career development pursuit. The best way to predict the future is to create it (Abraham Lincoln). Have a sense of direction, many careers are broken because for lack of direction.
3. Improve yourself on a daily basis: Today’s victory becomes tomorrow’s history. Don’t dwell on the achievements of yesterday, let your history be up to date. Strive for improvement on a daily basis, this is made possible when you set goals and make plans towards achieving them. If you already have a Bachelor’s degree, don’t dwell on the title of being a graduate, go for professional courses. Attend certified training programs and seminars, educate yourself by reading books that are in line with your chosen field. Have an open mind towards learning.
4. Learn from those who have been there: It is not good enough to learn from your mistakes, the wisest thing is learning from other people’s mistakes and take note of their strong points. Believe me, someone has done, or on the path to whatever it is you are building a career in. Be humble enough to get all the knowledge and application you can.
   
   
5.  Go the Extra Mile: Going the extra mile is what distinguishes the average person from the champions. I can never forget a line I ones read from a textbook in High School, ‘the courage to fail is very cheap, every fool can afford to fail’ that has become my mantra. A speaker once narrated how he was in a plane with the richest man in Africa, Aliko Dangote. While everyone was sleeping and chatting away, he was busy all through the flight working on his computer. This singular experience sums it up, no wonder he keeps coming up as one of the most influential people in the world. It is going that little extra that makes the difference. Winning in business or in personal life is all about inches: going small distances successfully, then going farther still.
   6. Believe in yourself: Aiming for the upper position in any endeavor requires self believe especially when you hit a roadblock or dead end. You need to keep on persevering and go on with shear doggedness. Sometimes the position you are aiming at might seem almost improbably, but you need to keep at it.

         Want it bad enough: Imagine what we would do if we don’t have other options? If you want anything bad enough, you will get it regardless. This is what achievers have   in common. Although career development does not happen overnight, wanting it bad enough sets your mind in motion and equips you with the will-power to get keep through towards achieving your career goals.